Daily national Democrat., 1861-06-28

!
pie Of each State speaking through popular
| CougenlionS and not through the Legisla-
tures upon the question OF ratification
There is no sovereignty but in the people.
The people can act through such representa-
tives as they please. The people Of the Uni
ted States chose to form one great mass OF
nationality, under Constitution of imiteo
pocers. They accordingly ratified Consti
tuition, Grained by delegates appointed by
the several States which provided for the
erection Of National system, and cnumera-
ted the powers intended to be conferred upor
such as should represent the people in the
National councils The powers not so enum
Grated, were reserved to the States respec.
lively and to the people, The popular will
then, which governs, under our system, il
expressed through two distinct popular Gov
ernments,- one Of the State, the other Of the
Nation. Neither Of the two representative
systems depends upon the other for existence
and neither can abolish the-othcr. Madison
says, Gin letter published in the North
American Review of August 1890:
at (he Constitution was formed by The
Staies, that is. by tie people in each Of the
States acting in their highest sovereign ca
pacity; and formed consequently, by tile
same authority wh1ch formcd tile Staie ConSti-
tutionS. Being thus derived from the same
source as the Constitutions of the States, it
has, within each State, the same authority as
the Constitution Of the State, and is as much
a Constitution in the strict sense Of the term,
within its prescribed sphere, as the Consttu
tions OF the States are within their respective
spheres but uM his 0JOiouS and essential
d6ersnce, that being a compact among the
States in their highest sovereign capacity,
and constituting the people thereof one people
for certain purposes, it cannot be altered or
annuled at tie wiH Of the StateS indi0idually,
rs the Constitution of State may be al its
individual will.
"Nor is the Government Of the United
States, created by the Constitution, less a goo
ernmeat, in the strict sense of the term, with
in the sphere Of its powers, than the govern
ments created By the constitutions Of the States
are within their several spheres. 1t is, like
them, organized into legislative, executive
and judiciary dcpn1 tmcnts 1t operates, like
them, directly on persons and things. And,
| like them, it has at command a physical force
for ercc~tiig the po1cers committed 10 it,"
This language is clear and unequivocal,
and shows that the illustrious writer recog
nized the right of the sovereign people, tc
divide representative power between Nation
al and State governments. And yet it is hi;
name that is constantly being coupled with
ultra Statcs-Rights hercsies and arguments
against the application of that "physica
force" which he said the United States Gov
ernment "hAs at command for executing th
powers committed to it," The bold defend
ers of the right of an individual State Gov
ment to abolish the National Government
$50 far as itself is concerned) have the audaci
ty to claim, as one of the founders of their
reckless theory, James Madison, who declar-
ed, as quoted above, that the two govern
ments alike emanated from the people. Not
only so, but those who express their belief in
the correctness of the above views of Madi-
son. are told by volunteer correspondents Of
the press who profess to be learned in De-
moeracy, that there is not scintella of
Democracy in the doctrines they now advo-
cate" The writer in the Express who signs
himself "Alississippi," Gays that We "deny the
doctrine of State right as maintained by
Madison and jefferson" ;" that we "promulgatc
only the old Federal dogmas which were re-
pudiated by the Democracy when they chose
Mr. jefferson as their standard bearer ;" that
we are "alraid to tell the people that we diff.
fer with Mr.. Madison, Mr.. jefferson and Mr.
Hamilton as to the powers of the Fedora
Government" )" and then he says we shall not
deceive the people into countenancing the
war. OF the poor deluded people, who can
only avoid the pitfalls we dig, by following
the path pointed out by the honest finger Of
plain, candid mississippi" he compassion
atey says;
When it is shown to them that the Con-
vention that framed the Constitutions repu-
dated twice the resolution to clothe the
Federal Government with power to employ
force against n State-and they read the
| Virginia and Kentucky resolutions, drawn
up 10y Madison and by jefferson, asserting
the sovereignty of the States and that each
and every one " has the right, not only to
| Judge of the infraction, but of the mode and
measures of redress, u say, after they have
had all this indisputahle evidence held up to
their eyes, and they still persistin supporting
that wicked war waged by Lincoln against
| twelve of the States of this Union, they
might as well abolish all evidences and tests
of truth-take poison for their food and
rush upon what their natures shudder at fol
safety.
AS to the employing of forces against q
State" enough has been said. We have now
to come to the consideration Of the Virgnia
and Kentucky resolutions of 1898, the prin.
ciples containedj in which, the Cincinnati
platform declares the Democratic party to be
resolved to carry out "in their obvious
meaning and import" The resolutions were
originally strong protest against alleged
exercise Of unconstitutional power by the
Congress which sustained John Adams, the
second President. OF course the friends Of
Adams said that they were anarchical in ten
dency, and that they were written for politi-
cal effect, to break down the Administration.
They have never been discussed of late years
until the present rebellion was inaugurated
They were quoted in 1882 by the South
Carolina disunionists of that period, as estab-
fishing the right of State to nullify Fed
eral law or to secede from the Federal u Union.
Did the Democrats in any single Southern
State then join South Carolina, as most of
them have since2 No. The Democracy
! stood firmly bV Andrew JaeLson who said