The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-07-10

by revolution. Inc mon, ana not themselves
separate, procured their independence and
their liberty. by conquest or purchase tie
Union gave each of them whatever Of indie
rer dence and liberty it has. The Union is
older than any Of the States and in fact il
created them as States. Originally some
dependent colonies made the Union and in
return the Uuon threw off their old dcpen-
aence for them and made the States such as
they are Not one of them ever had State
Constitution independent of the Union.
OF course, it is not forgotten that all the
new States formed tleir Constitutions before
they entered the Union, nevertheless depen-
dent on and preparatory to coming into the
Union. PROFESSIONALLY the States have the
powers and rights reserved to them hy the
National Constitution, hut among these surely
are not included all conceivable powers, how
ever mischievous or destructive. Dut al n ost
such only as were known in the world at that
time as governmental powers, and certainly
power TO destroy the Government i4salf, had
never been known as governmental, mere
1y administrative power. This relative mat
ter of National power and Sta es rights as a
principle, is no other than principle of
generality and loca lily. Whatever concerns
the whole should be confined TO the whole
General Governments. while whatever concerns
the State should he left exclusively to the
States. This is allthere is left of the original
principle about it. Whatever the National
Convention in defining the bounsa ries between
the two as applied to the principle with exact
accuracy is not TO be questioned We are all
bound by that definition without question
What is now combatted is the position that
secession is consistent with the Constitution,
is lawful and peaceful. 1t is not contended
that there is any express law for H. and
nothing should ever be implied as law which
leads to unjust and absurd consequences.
The nation purchased with money the coun-
tries oat of which several of these States
were formed. Is it just that they should 60
off without leave or without refunding? The
nation paid very large sums, in the aggregate,
l believe, nearly Sl00,O00,000, to relieve
Florida from The aboriginal tribes. Is it just
that she should now go off without consent or
without any return? The nation is now in
debt for money applied for the benefit of those
50, called seeding States, in common with the
rest. Is it just either that creditors shall go
unpaid or the remaining States pay the whole =?
A part of the recent national debt was con-
tracted to pay the old debt of Texas. Is it
just that she shall leave and pay no part of
this herself2 Again, if one State may secede
so may another, and when all shall have
soceded, none is left to pay the debts. Is this
quite just to creditors? Did We notify them
of this sage view of ours when we borrowed
their money? If we now recognize this doc
trine by allowing the seceders to go in peace
1t is difficult to see what we can do if others
choose to 60, or to extort terms upon which
they will promise to remain. The seceders
insist that our Constitution admits of seces-
sion. They have assumed to make national
constitution Of their own in which, Of neces-
sity, they have eithersdscarded or retained
the right Of secession as they insist il exists
in ours. If they have discarded it they
thereby admit that on principle it ought not
10 exist in ours. If they have retained it by
their construction Of ours it shows that TO be
consistent they must secede from one another
when they shall and i. the easiest way of
settling their debts or effecting another selfish
or unjust object
The principle itself IS one of disinegration
and on which no Government can endure. If
all tie States save one should affect the power
to drive that one out of the Union, it is pre-
sumed that the whole class of the seeded
politicians would at once deny the power and
denounce the act as the greatest outrage upon
State rights. But suppose that precisely the
same act, instead of being called driving one
cut, should be called the "seceding' of the
others from the one, it would be exactly what
the seceders claim to do, unless, indeed, they
make the point that the one, because it is q
minority, may rightfully do that which the
others, because they are the majority may
not rightfully do.
These politicians are profound in the rights
Ct minorities. They are not partial to that
power which made the Constitution and speaks
from The preamble calling itself "we the peo-
pie" 1t may well be questioned whether
there is to day majority of the legally quail
lied voters of any State except, perhaps South
in Of dicup &c
much reason to believe that the Union men
are in majority in many if not in all of the
seeded States. The contrary has not been
demonstrated in any one Of them. 1t is ven-
tured to affirm even those of Virginia and
Tennessee-for the result of elections held in
military camps, where the bayonets were
alone one side of the question voted upon
can scarcely be considered as demonstrating
the popular sentiment at such an election-
All that large class who are at once for the
Union and against coercion would be coerced
TO vote against the Union. 1t even may be
affirmed without extravaganza that the free
institutions which we enjoy have developed
the powers and improved the condition of our
whole people beyond any example in the world.
Of this we low have striking and impress
sive illustration. So large an army as the
Government has now on foot was never before
known, without soldier in who has not taken
his place there Of his own free choice. But
more than this, there are many single regi-
ments whose members, one and another,
possess full practical knowledge of the arts
and sciences and professions, and whatever
else, whether useful or elegant, is known to
the whole world, an d there is scarcely one
from which there could not be selected a
President, Cabinet, Congress, and perhaps
Court abundantly competent to admnistes
the Government. Nor do l say this is not
true of our la4e friends--now enemies in this
contest-but is it 80 much the better reason
why the Government which has conferred such
benefits on both them and on US should not
be broken up? Whoever in any section pro-
poses TO abandon such Government would
do well to consider in Difference to what prin-
eiple ii is that he does il whether the substi-
tute will give or be intended to give so much
good to the people. There ia some foreshad.
owing on this subject Our adversaries have
adopted some declarations of Independence
in which, unlike the good old one penned by
Jefferson, they omit the words "are created
equal Why? They have adopted tenn
porary national constitution, in the preamble
Of which, unlike our good old one signed by
Washington, they omit 'We the people, and
substitute, "We, the deputies of the Sove-
reign and Independent States Why this
deliberate pressing out of view the rights OF
men and the authority Of the people? This
is essentially peoples contest on the side
Of the Union. 1t is struggle for maintain
ino IN fhe world thot form opd subston,a of