The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-06-26
AMERICAN NATIONALITY.
TIE PHILOSOPHY OF THE UNION.

three-quarters OF century, been recogniz.
ed and honored in the family of States as a
trst-class power. lis flag has carried our
adventurous commerce TO the four quarters
ol the globe it has carried war and oppres-
sion to no nation or people in the circuit OF
the sun. Less romantic than the French,
less beligerent than the English, it has float
ed from the brow of the republic as the en-
sign of peace, heralding at once the asylum
of the oppressed ard the home of the free.
The nationality it symboiZes is peculiar
in It's features and grand in It's associations.
|! was founded or the success of no militia
~ or civil hero it was reared on the free
will and unbought featy of millions of peo.
pie, renowned, above all others, for intelli-
gence, thrift and independence 1t is ma
tionality of public sentiment, not less than
of public government. al am an American
citizen" is the proud boast of every son OF
the soil. When tha: nationality was set up
as target by rebel army, and shot into
the dust, it was felt that the blow fell on
the heart OF the American people. A deep
sentiment of nationality was fired, and it
will blaze until that flag is r;ghted.
Sentiment has its place and lis influence;
but man is not entirely made of sentiment;
the judgment and the reason are his higher
faculties, and demand 10 be satisfied The
true nature OF our Federal Government
mus, be studied, with the rights and duties
of the respective members. The argument
OF the rebels is, that secession is a right, and
that in their condition, it was duty that
their Government is made up of the SER
wants and representatives of the people
that we have made war on them, and that
they justly use all the means God and ma
inre have put within their reach TO repel
force and assert their Liberties. BY some
is claimed as Constitutional right, by 9TH
ers as a revolutionary right; but standing
on both, they claim that their position is
imp enable This is the sum and sub
stance OF all they say. The sentiment of
such people as ours needs to know that
upon neither the one nor the other OF these
ba sis can they stand that on the Constitu
tional basis they are wrong in theory, that
on the revolutionary basis they are equally
lame OH facts. The right of revolution by
an oppressed people cannot be questioned;
ii is al the foundation all ideas of national
Liberty and public rights. il is the Right
OF force, founded in the instincts of mans
nature, the source and fountain of all law
and right. II exists only when a people is
oppressed with gross injustice and denied
their rights, and there is either no other
remedy at all or no adequate remedy =
Then comes the national Right of Revolu-
ton, like the individual right OF self defence
and self protection. The rebels have had
no grievances which could and ought not
TO have been redressed by the ordinary
remedial process of Government By this
strife of arms they strike blow at the
whole system of Representative Govern
men,.
Feeling the shallow basis for this pre-
text of extreme grievance with no redress
bu! resort 10 the arbi!rament OF the sword,
that ultimate resort of an oppressed people,
the rebels seek TO establish their rebellion
as a mere exercise of right provided for
in the very structure Of the government,
against which no organic law is pointed.
If such law exists. the American govern
ment is a rope of sand, and the American
nationality, 10 all in;ents save for sound and
fury, is but the merest bauble nation ever
became iubelant over. Against this fallacy
is sci the principle, deeply seated in the
very structure of our system, that we have
a perpetual government, that the Federal
constitution established forever the great
American people; that the covenant enter
ed into in 1898, was a covenant running
with The land we inhabit, of perpetual obi
CATION and binding force The fallacy OF
State allegiance has rnined the fortunes of
many rebel hero. and scattered the army
and navy into factions. We hear much on
both sides, with which we plainly declare
we have little eympathy, of the cabaisiic
words, sovereignty and allegiance. These
words sound better under a despotic reign
than under government wholly free
Sovereignty is popularity enough described
as the unfeuered right of absolute control.
This is an idea which belongs to despot,
rather than TO governments of the people
for the benefit or the people, with power
delegated and carefully limited. Conslitu-
tional power is, properly speaking. all the
sovereignty there is anywhere in this coun-
try. There is no sovereignty anywhere but
what the people have granted. The "sov-
ereign people" is a correct designation it
can hardly be said, ii appears 10 us, that the
sovereignty of the State, or the sovereignty
of the Federal Government, can be strictly
accurate phrases. This mysterious kind of
sovereignty which is so freely spoken OF
seems to have nothing tangible. If a gov