Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-03-08

precedent for other cases, can better bO
borne than coald the evils of difFereHS
practice. AT the same time the candid
citizens must confess that il the policy 81
the government upon the vifal duestiOn
eftecting the whole people is to be irrev.
oeabIy fixed BY decision Of the Suprsms
Court, the instant they are made, as ia
ordinary litigation between parties ia
peisonai actions, the people will have
ceased to be their own rulers, having 10
that extent, practically resigned their
government into the hands Of that emf.
nent tribunal. Nor ia thore in this view
any assault upon the Court or the iudgaa
II Is dSty from which they NAV not
ahrlnk to decide cases properly brought
bs:ore them, and it is no fault OF theirs
II others seek to tnrn their decisions to
political purposes.
One section of our country believes
slavery is right and ous ht to be extend :
ed, while the other believes it is wrong
and ought net tc be extended. This i6
Ills only substantial dispute, for the I'd!
gltive slave clause of the Constitution
aud the law for the suppression 5f he
foreign slave ira Ie are each as we'll en-
forced perhaps as any law can ever 30,
in community where the iioral sense Of
the people imperfectly SUPPORTS the law
itself The great body Of the people
abide by he dry legal obligation in both
cases. Alter the separation of the See
lions, the foreign slave trade, now i'm
perfectly Suppressed, wo ould 90 ultimA Aisly
revived without restIiction iu one ace
ton, while fugitive slaves now only par.
TALLY SURRENDERED would not be surren-
defed at all by the other. ..... ..s. l,....1
PS sically speaking. we cannot separate.
" Aecannot remove our respective sections
frum each other, nor build an im p passabls
wall between them, a husband and
wife may bs divorc. d. and 60 out OF
the presence, and beyond the reach Of
each other, but the different parts Of our
country cannot 10 this. They cannot bus
Ieifidin face to face, and an iutercourSs
either amicable or hostile must continue
between them. Is il possible, then, to
make that intercourse more advantageous
or more satisfactory after separating
than befors? Can aliens make treaties
easier than friends can make laws -
Can treaties be more faithfully enforced
between aliens than laws among friend6:
suppose you go to war you cannot fight
always, and after much loss on both
sides and no gain on either, you cease
fighting. the old identical questions Gs
TO terms OF intercourse, are again upOn
you. This country, with its institutions,
belongs tC the people who inhabit il.
Whenever they shall grow wary OF
the existing government they can exer-
else their constitutional right # amend.
ing it or their revolutionary right to
dISm IN beT or over throw IT,
l cannot be ignorant of tho fact that
many worthy and patriotic citizens are
deoirous of having the national Consti-
tuition amended. while make 10 re.
commendafion' Of amendments / fully
recognize the rielHful authority Of The
people over tlIe Whole subject to be exer-'
cised in either of the modes p1escribel
in the instrument itsef and should,
under existing circumstances, favor ra-
ther than oppose fair opportunity bring
offered the people to act upon it.
| will venture TO add that TO me the
convention mode seems preferable. inas-
much as il allows the amendment to
originate with the people thense ver,' in
80 Il only Of permitting them TO take or
rejecta proposition originated by others,
not especially chosen foi the purpo.s,
anI which might not be precisely such
as they would wish to either accept, or
refuse. 7 un erstand a proposed az e,d-
Rient to the Contitution, which amend
ment however, have not seen, has pass-
e Congress, to the effect that the Federal
Government shall never interfere with
the domastic institutions of the States.
including that of persons held to SER
vice. .rH .tt.a-r .t
10 avoid a misconstruction Of what
have said, / depart from my purpose,
not to speak Of particular amendments
so far as to say that holding such pr
vision to be now implied as ConstiII =
ito a law, have no objection to its be-
ing made express and irlevocable.
A Chief Magistrate derives his
authority from the people, and they have
confirmed none upon him to fix terms for
the separation of the States. The people
themselves can do this, also; if they
choose; but the executive as such has
no thing to do with it, His duty is to
Gdrnfnister the present Government as il
comes to his hands, to trans nit it 'duim.
paired by him to his sue -essor. Way
should there not be a patent confidence
in the ultimate Justice Of the peoplef Is
there any better or equal hope in the
world? In our present differeaces, 10
neither party without faith or being in
right oil the Almighty Ruler Of nations
with his eternal truth and ju,tice be on
our side, OF the North of OF yours OF the
South Ihat trEth and that justice will
surely prevail by the tTigment Of this
great tIibunal-the American people.
By the frame ofthe governni Mt under
which we live this same people have
wisely given their public servants but
little power FOR r1ischief, anil have witt
equal wisdom provided for the return OF
thar little to their own haEds at very
short intervals. While the people retain
their virtue and vigilance no administr&-'
tion, any extreme of wickedness or folly
can very seriously injure the govern
ment, 10 the short space OF four years.
My eountrymen, one and ali, think
calmly and well on this whole subject
nothing valuable can be lost by taking
fime. If there be an objec: 10 lu ry any
Of you in hot haste to a step which you
would never have taken deliberately. thaE
object will be frustrated bvtaking time;
but no good object can be frustrs.
ted by it. Such Of you as are now
dissatisfied, still have tie oil Con-
stiiution unimpaired. and the sensitive
part Of the laws are Of your own fran-
ing under it. While the new a lmisi-
stratiou will have no immediate power.
if it would, to change either, If ii were
aim TIED that You who are dissatisfied
hold the right side in the dispute. there
still is no single good dreason Tor Prci, itaie
action. Intelligence, PATRIOTISM. chistian-
- G. O.olin,,n n IT,, ,rhn h..