Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1861-07-02

the time as governmental powers, and
certainly o power TO destroy tho gov
eminent itself had never been known
as n governmental. AS o merely adj
ministrativo power, this relative mat
ter of National Power and State
Rights, as q principle, is no other
than . principle of generality and
locality. Whatever concerns tho
whole should DO conidcd to tho whole
general government, while whatever
concerns the State should BIO left OK
clusivoly to the State.
This is all ther6 is OF the original
principle about it whatever tho ma
tional convention in defining the
boundaries between tho two, as mp
pliod to tho principle with exact &C
curacy, is not TO be questioned; wo
are all bound by that definition with
out question; what is now combatted
is the posiSion that secession is con-
sistent with tho Constitution, is law
tnl and peaceful. 1t is not contend
cd that there is any express law for
it, and nothing should ever be implied
as law which leads to unjust and alb
surd consequences. The nation pur-
chased with money tho countries out
of which several OF these States wcro
formed. Is it just that they should
90 off without leave, or without re-
funding. The nation paid very largo
sums in the aggregate; | believe near
~ Sl0O,O0Q,U00 TO relieve Florida
from tho aboriginal tribes.
Is it just that she should now go off
without consent, or without any re-
turn? The nation is now in debt for
money applied for the benefit OF the
so called seeding States in common
with tho rost. Is itjust that creditors
shall go unpaid or the remaining
States should pay tho whole? A part
Of tho present national debt was con-
tracted to pay the old debts OF Toxas.
Is itjust that she shall leave, and pay
no part of this herself? Again, if one
State may secede, SO may another,
and when all have seeded, none is
left TO pay the debts Is this quite
just TO creditorsY Did wenotity them
OF this sage view of ours, when we
borrowed their money?
If we now recognize this doctrine
by allowing the secoders to 20 in
peace, il is difficult to SOC what we can
do it Others choose to go or to eXtort
forms upon which they will promise
to remain. The seceders insist that
our Constitution admits Of secession.
They have assumed to make Il nation
al Constitution OF their own, in which
of necessity they havo either discard
cd or retained the right of secession,
rs they insist it exists in ours. 1T
they have discarded il, they thereby
admit that on principle it ought not
to exist in ours. If they have rotain-
cd it, by their own construction Of ours,
that shows that to be consistent thoy
shall find it tho easier way Of settling
their debts, or ctrect:ng another sol
fish or unjust object.
The principle itself is one OF disinte-
grafton, and one which no govern
mont II possibly endure. ii all the
States, save one, should affect the
power to drive that one out of tho
Union, IL is presumed that the whole
class of the seeded politicians would
mt onco deny the power, and dcnounco
the act rs the greatest outrage upon
State rights. But suppose that pre-
cisely the same act instead OF being
called driving one out, should be call
cd tho seeding Of the others from
that one, it would be exactly what
the soceders claim to do, unless indeed
to make the point, that tho ONO, be.
cause it is 4 minority, may rghtfully
do that which tho others, because
they are the majority, may not right
fully do.
These politicians arc profound in
the rights Of minorities. They are
not partial to that power which mado
the Constitution and speaks from the
preamble calling itself "wo, the poo
pie" 1t may well DO questioned
whether there is to-day II majority OF
the legally qualified voters Of any
State, except perhaps South Carolina
in favor Of disunion. There is much
reason to believe that the Union mon
arc in the majority in many, it not in
all the seeded States. Tho contrary
has not been demonstrated in any one
Of them.
1t is venturod to affirm those OF
Virginia and Tennessee fear tho re.
suit Of an election held in military
camps where tho bayonets were all on
one side of the question voted upon.
can scarcely be considered rs demons,
trating popular sentiment. AT such
an election all that largo class who
arc at once for the Union and'against
coercion, would be coercod to vote