The Democratic press. (Eaton, Preble County, Ohio) 1860-1865, 1861-05-16
The Collision Of States.

has excited the astonishment of all
nations, is, that collision has taken
place in the great Land Of the Stars
and Stripes, between those States
of the American Union called Free
States, and the Slave States. In
the present excited state Of the
mind, it may not be possible
to form q correct judgment on so
debatablc a question as-Who is
responsible? Who is to blame for
so great and hoart-rendinga calam-
ity as that which now threatens the
continued existence ofthe American
Union? 1t is q much easier thing
to rant than to reason; to ramble
than to be logical, while writing or
talking about a subject of so grave
q nature-of so important a char
acter--as that under review. 1t
must be left to the future and
impartial historian of his country's
wars and woes to pronounce with
authority, and not as the Scribcs,
a correct opinion relative to the
authors of the terrible evil which
has ovcrtaken us, as q hail storm
mingled with fire, Lightning, and
torrents Of blood.
We are somewhat familiar with
the history Of the struggle between
liberty and authority in Greece,
Rome, and England; but we do not
trace any degree of similarity be-
tween the struggle now taking place
in the United States of America,
and the physical and political
struggles of bygone ages. The fact
is that the liberty for which the
Crooks, Romans, and the English
contended, was liberty for mere
protection from the tyrannyo OF their
own rulers who, in nearly every
case, derived their authority over
the peoples from inheritance or
conquest; whereas the liberty for
which the two parties in America
are now contonding, is, on the part
of the South, to act as they think
proper, relative to their own local
Institutions, IN the way they think
wisest, safest, and best; and be-
lieving-or protesting to believe
that the Northern States might
deprive them OF individual state
liberty, they have formed q Union
of States O" their own; but on the
mart of the North, with the Execu-
tive NJ its head, it is argued that
when individual States are received
into the family Of States they
become branches of the great e%-
ecutivc vine, and, by consequence,
render themselves subjects of the
general Government, and become
amenable to the laws by which all
the Union States are, or ought to
be, governed and protected.
Strictly speaking, the free States
can have no rights over the slave
States, which the slave States have
not to an equal extent over the free
States. If we arc wrong here in
our mode of reasoning, let it be
shown by logically worked out
propositions, and not by cant or
rant. We bide our time, and do
not fear tho verdict of educated and
respectable business and Christian
men.
As to the authority of the Union
over individual States, it has yeti to
be shown that it has any other than
that which binds it (thc Union) to
protect alike tho institutions and
interests Of every one of the States.
According to the highest authorltS
in the States, the constitution has no
other authority with which toinvest
the executive government.
Arc We then opposed to the
Washington Government? No, we
are not we wish 10 preserve the