Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1861-02-16
Mr.. MADISON ON SECESSION

The advocates of the constitutional riobt &C.
sion constantly refer to the Kentucky and wees
resolutions of 1798-99-the former wr;tton s,hla
ferson and the latter by Madison The fonoo- gel
letter, lately furnished the n Y World nv NJ" ing
+. Trist, who formerly occupied distinguiSbad ~
sition IN the Department of State, shows how PO-
Deous the construction is which has heen ITO
those resolutions both in the past and at the On
time, BY those who seem to desire the dsrupt;oSe
the Unton and are but too willing to seize upon u
pretext or authority to justify the act or to sns.
it as matter of right: sustain
MoNTPELIER, December a. 1890
DEAR SIR: have received yours of the l9tb
closing some South Carolina papers, There is in sn
OF them some interesting views of the doetrn.U ne
secession, among which one that had occnrrod Vi
me- and which for the first time that have seaa 70
print namely, that if one State can at will wbJ..m
from the others, the others can Withdraw from law "a"
and turn her, nolentem UOlentem out of the Tn;.'
Until of late there is not State that would Is
abhorred such doctrine more than South CsroI; lave
or more dreaded an application of it to herself TS,
same may be said Of the doctrine of nul6c,t;onu'
which she now breaches as the only doctrine u,
which the Union can be saved
pertake of the wonder that the men vor
should view secession in the light mentioned Tb
essential difference between free Government .ns
Government not free is that the fomer is fonnaoS
on compact, the parties to which are qautuaL, oeS
equally bound by it. Neither of them, tbereto nu
can have greater right to break off from the 6ae
gain than the other or others hare to hold him
it and certainly there is nothing in the Viro;n:D
resolutions Of '98 adUerse to this principle wb;oS
is that of common sense and common Justice ''n
The fallacy which draws different conclusior
from them lies in confounding single party WITH
the parties to the constitutional compact unon th
United States. The latter, having made the con
pact, may do what they will with it The former
of the parties fidelity to it till released
by consent, or absolved by intolerable abuse NJ
the power created In the Virginia resolutions and
report the plural number (StGtes) is in every in.
stance used whenever reference is made to the On
thority which presided over the Government.
As am known to have drawn these documents
may say, as do with distinct recollection it wac
Intentional 1t was in fact required by the course
of reasoning employed on the occasion. The Ken.
lucky resolutions, being less guarded, have been
more easily perverted. The pretext for the liberty
taken with those of Virginia is the word "resneci
i've" the "rights, &C." to be secured within the
States Could the a6use Of the expression have been
foreseen suspected the form of it would doubtless
have been varied. But what can be more consist
ent with common sense than that all having the
rights, &C., should unite in contending for the seen
rity of them to each?
1t is remarkable how closely the nulfers who
make the name of Mr.. Jefferson the pedestal for
tei colossal heFeSy, Snut tnelr eyes ana lips When
ever his authority is so clearly and emphatica-
ly against them. You have noticed what he saws in
his letters to Monroe and Darlington p 43 and 200
vol 2d) with respect to the power of the old Con-
gress to coerce the delinquent States and his reas
ons for perferring for the purpose naval to mill.
tary force; and moreover. his remark that it was
not necessary to find right to coerce in the Federal
articles that being inherent in tile nature of CON-
pact 1t is high time that the claim to secede at
uiU should Do put dozen By the public opinion and
am glad to see the task commenced By one acho un
derstands the subject.
know nothing of what is passing at Richmond
more than what is seen in the newspapers You
right in your foresight Of the effect of the pas
sages in the late proclamation. They have proven
eaven for much fermentation there and created an
alarm against the danger of consolidation balancing
that of disunon.
With cordial salutations,
JAMES MADISON