St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-01-03

said Mr. W., tho right to secedc at pleas
\ ure, whether few States or more. For
such step he could find no clause in tho
Constitution. If such right exists, we
ffhave not noao and mever haze had Cor
ermmeent: Can that be obedience to law
which obeys or not, as it pleases? How
can that b. Government which depends
on the4s Will ofa anya captiopA member to-
break t up 1T its own pleasure7 If South
Carolina were sunk by an earthquake to-
DAY, it would hardly be known except by
the unwonted calm we should enjoy here.
The secession question; was fully examin-
Ed thirty years ago, and he supposed, was
finally settled then. Gen. Jackson and
ali the great men Of that day except Mr.. -
Calhoun) held ittobes DESTRUCTIVE of all
government. This question Mr.1Webster
was supposed to have exhausted in hisre-
ply to Mr.. Hayne.$4 E;1wass supposed Ito
have been killed then, but here It IS IN Ill
its bloom. Mr.. Calhoun held that Inul1fff.
cation was legal; but even he condemned
secession, and said ( in his Fort Hill letter
to Gov. Hammond J it was unconstitutor-
al, and that we had the right to prevent it.
Senator Wade. proceeded to rcfutc the
notion that Secession was State. right
under the Constitution. He admitted the
general right OF revolution, but not Of
peaceable secession. Those who under
take revolution if successful. are all right
and are heroes if defeated are rebels, and
are punished accordingly. The Chief
Magistrate of the Union cannot be released
from his duty to prevent any star from
dropping from the galaxy of the Confeder-
acy. The most important duty is the COL
lection of the revenue. If the people Of
South Carolina do not want the mails; if
they will not send Senators and Represent
tatives here, we cannot force them in these
matters, but when they come to the per
Torrance of the duty due to all the States
that duty must be performed. The Pres
ident must collect the revenue. When
bloekaded, South Carolina will be put into
such position that it will compel her to
declare war, and to win her Independence
by violence and blood. This act Of levy
ing war is treason against the United
States, and no lawyer in this body will de-
ny it. You men Of the south are bravo
and gallant race, as brave as we are. We
know it. We want, no fght.xwith you,
but if you drive us and beat us we. must
submit; if you are defeated you must 90
to the wall
The Federal Government is forced, will
lingly or unwillingly, to be at war with a
seeding State it stands upon the defens.
i've, and the seeding State is obliged to
become the aggressor, and to assume the
onus of rebellion. Such is the5real state
of things; and there is no help for it un-
der the Constitution. However willing
| the people Of the North mig ht be to accord
full freedom of secession to their Southern
brethren whenever they think it for their
best interests, it cannot be accorded them
except by National Convention Of the peo-
pie. Each and every State, through it's
officers, has sworn to support the Constitu-
ton and laws of the United States !; and
no President or Congress acting under that
Constitution has power to absolye any one
from that oath, or from the duty Of citi-
zenship. This is the plain common sense
view of the matter. Secession therefore,
involves awful consequences The FEEDER
cute the laws, and uphold it's former stat
US. If it fail toward one State it fails
toward all and the Union is de facto re-
solved into its component parts. Let not,
then, the people of any State cherish for
moment so delusive and SO dangerous an
idea. Secession must be a. long, long
journey, and Intellectual at last. 1t can
bring to the seceder only internal disturb
ance, agitation, poverty and depopulatiou.
But, said Mr.. W., turning to- the South
crn Senator'S if the Union Of these States
must come to an end, the free States have
still glorious future before them. They.
are twenty millions OF white freemen:--
The Territories will be retained by them
And there stands Mexico, anxiously long
ing for closer alliance with u.s. But she
is afraid of your fllibustering, slavery pro-
paganda dispositions. She will invite US
to establish protectorate over her country.
She will welcome us with open arms, to
maintain internal peace, to build for her
railroads and te]egraphs; to dig her mines
and rebuild her cities. The merchants and
manufacturers of the seaboard States Of the
North will reap commerce that will seven.
fold repay them for all the patronage that !
you can Withdraw from them. Hitherto
Mexico has been led by your policy to fear
us and hate us and hate you, and has been
driven to seek protection of strangers, but.
all this, will give place. TO- friendship and {
confidence when you secede from U.S.
England for years has urged this country
to establish protectorate over Mexico,
We shall act on her suggestion. And,
gentlemen of the South, what will become
Of your lnagniloquent dreams of a tropical
slaveholding empire? You will be hem
med in within your present boundaries,
and will have not the power to break thro'