Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1861-01-09

il is claimed that this Union is merely
; contract between the several States COM
posing it, and that airy one Of the States,
which may feel aggrieved, may, at It's
pleasure. declare that it will no longer be
a party to the compact. This doctrine Is
clearly erroneous. The Constitution OF
the United States is something more than
mere compact, or agreement, between
the several States. AS applied to nations,
q compact is bat treaty, which may be
abrogated at the will Of either party re,
sponsible to the other party for It's oad
faith in refusing to keep its engagements,
but entirely irresponsible to any superior
tribunal. A government, on the other
hand, whether created by consent, or by
CONQUEST, when clothed with legislative,
judicial and executive powers, is necessa-
rily in its nature sovereign I; and from TINS
sovereignty flows its right 10 enforce Is
laws and DEGREES by civil process, and, III
in an emergency, by its military and naval
power. The government owes protection
10 the people, and they, in turn, owe 1t
their allegiance. Its laws cannot be vlo-
lated by its citizens, without accountable
ty to tie tribunals created to enforce lis
iecrees and punish offenders: Organized
resistance to it is rebellion. If successful,
it may be purged of crime by revolution.
lIf unsuccessful, the persons engaged in
the rebellion may be executed as traitors.
The government Of the United States
within the limits assigned to it, IS as po-
, tentially in sovereignty, as any other gov
ernment in the civilized world. The Con-
stitution, and laws made IN pursuance
thereof, are EXPRESSLY declared To be Inc
supreme law of the land. Under the Con-
stitution, the general government has the
; power to raise and support armies, 10
create and maintain navy, and to pro-
vide for calling forth the militia to execute
its laws, suppress insurrection, anu repei
invasion. Appropriate statutes have been
enacted by Congress, to aid in the execu,,
ton OF these important governmental
powers.
The creation of the Federal Govern
. ment With the powers enumerated IN the
Constitution, was the act of the people OF
the United States, and it is perfectly I'M
material that the people of the several
States acted separately within the terri
torial Limits of each State. The form OF
their action is Of no consequence, in view
of the fact that they created Federal
Government, TO which they surrendered
certain powers of sovereignty, and declarr
ed those powers, 80 surrendered, TO be
supreme, without reserving 10 the State,
or to the people, the right of secession,
!. notification, or other resistance. 1t Is,
therefore clear that there is no consii.u-
tional right of secession. Secession is only
another form of nullifcation. Either,
when attempted to be carried out by force,
is rebellion, and should be treatod.a such,
by those whoae sworn duty it is TO main
tain the supremacy Of the Constitution
and laws of the United States.
1t is certainly true, that in cases OF great
extremity, when the oppression OF govern
ment has become SO intolerable that civil
! war is preferable TO longer submission,
there remains the revolutionary right of
resistance bnt where the authority of the
government is limited by written Con-
stitution, and each departm ent is held in
check by the other departments, it will
rarely, if ever, happen that the citizens
: may not be adequately protected, without
resorting to the sacred and inalienable
right to resist and destroy government
which has been perverted to tyranny.
But, while denying the right OF a State
to absove its citizons from the allegiance
which they owe TO the Federal Govern
ment, it is nevertheless highly proper that
we should carefully and candidly examine
the reasons which are advanced by those
who have evinced determination TO de-
stroy the Union of these American States;
and if it shall appear that any OF the
causes of &C mplaint are We'll founded they
should be unhesitatingly removed and ,as
far as possible, reparation made for the
f past, and security given for The future; for
it is uot to be tolerated, that a govern
, ment created by the people, and main
tanned for their benefit, should do injus.
tice to any portion Of its citizens.
After asserting her right to withdraw
from the Unicn, South Carolina, through
her Convention, among other reasons, de-
clares that she is justified in exercising, at
} this time, that right, because several of
the States have for years not only refused
, to fulfill their constitutional Obligations,
/ but have enacted laws either nsllitying
= the Constitution, or rendering useless the
aots of Congress relative to the surrender
of fugitive slaves; that they have permit
ted the open establishment of societies to
, disturb the peace of other States that
the people of the non slaveholding States
) have aided in the escape of slaves from
: their masters, and have melted to servile
, insurrection those that remain and have
. announced their determination to exclude
the South from the common territory oi
the Union. As the Representatives Of the
. people of Pennsylvania, it becomes your
solemn duty to examine these serious
charges, made by the authority of soyo-
reign State.
Pennsylvania is included in the list o.
States that are charged with having re.
fused compliance with that mandate Of
r the Constitution of the United States
which declares that no person held tc
, service or labor in one State, under the
laws thereof, escaping into another, shall
> in consequence of any law or regulation
therein, be discharged from such service
; or labor, but shall be delivered up, on
3 claim of the party to whom such service
: or laoor may be due" So far from adj
Q mitting the truth of this charge, ] unhesi
Q tatingly aver, that, upon careful exami'