The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1861-02-13

a foreign power" wish 10 know from gen.
tlemen, what number ofmen it would require
to annu such agreement once made. The
General Government is invested with certain
powers necessary to be executed, in order to
keep the machinery Of the Government in mo-
tion. Can any number of troops, or the use oi
any armed force on the part Of the States com
pei the General Government to execute those
powers n the SCENTS appointed Tor that purpose
deliberately persistantly refuse to execute them?
Sir, the whole scheme Of coercion is impractica
BILE. II Is contrary to the genius and spirit ot
the Constitution. lfthe Federal Government
bad the physical power, it might overrun and
subdue 3 State;it might subjugate and take
possession oft, and then, by Federal agents,
administer the State government, and thus
maintain government and form OF Union; but
| submit II to gentlemen, that it would not be
the government Of this Constitutional would not
be the Union OF these equal States; it would be
the unity ola consolidated empire.
Gentlemen should not be astonished that
say this. They seem to think that this Gener-
al Government has some wonderful and mys-
terious power over states, which organized so
ciety has never been able to obtain over ind-
viduals. Society, organized in its best form,
has never been able to make man pay his
debts; it has never been able to make him fulfill
his contract; it has never been able to compel
him to execute specifically his articles ofpart-
nership. II Furnishes him. 1t assesses DANA
ges on his property. II he have property, it
levies these damages on his property. If he
have none, It may imprison him. 1t may even
take his life. These are punishments. They
do not compel the execution Of his contracts. -
So is ii with State. The Federal Govern
ment, if they have the physical power, may con-
quer the State;may subdue it; may obliterate it;
but no power less than that Of Omnipoien:e :e, can
compel it to do that which is indispensable tc
the preservation Of the Union: namely TO re-
volve within the sphere appointed for it by the
Constitution.
Gentlemen say they will not make war; they
say that they do not intend to cocrce State
but that they will force the law. They pro
pose to send the army and navy and militia oi
the United States - and my colleague from
Cincinnati, (Mr. Gurley) in his speech yester-
day, advised call for volunteers-to enforce the
law. They propose, with all this power, to in
wade State--a State which they know has re.
Ipudiated our authority and denied our jurisdic-
ton; State which, by the very exigency Of
the posit ion it has assumed by secession, is o.
bliged to resist has declared that it will resist
which has prepared TO resist
Now, when these armed bodies come tcgeth-
er in hostile collision, is that not that battle? is
not that war? Are we to be told, If may par
aphrase the language used by Mr.. Fox on an il.
lustrious occasion, when, on the day after the
battle, and amid the gore ofthe dead and groans
of the dying, some stranger should inquire what
all this means--Are We to be told, sir, "This is
not fighting; this is not war; this is not coer-
T cion; these men have no cause Of quarrel with
each other; there is TO harm nor cruelty nor
!, bloodshed in IL whatever; this is only peaceaby
enforcing the laws?" Sir, the enforcement o.
yonr laws within seeding State 10 opposition
to its will is coercion of that State, and CO.
lercion by armed force is war These terms
collecting the revenue" enforcing the law, >
"maintaining the Union,' captivate our people
They smack Of law and order; 10 which oui
people are very much attached. They are moi
unknown in American history. Our fathers
heard them used in the same tone and spirit
and for the same purpose, as we hear them now.
In 1853, when the Colonies were rejoicing at
the repeal Of the stamp act, Charles Townshend
then member Of Lord Chathams cabinet,
pledged to conciliation and peace. rose in the
House of Commons and declared that 1t was ex
pedient to collect revenue from America, and
that he would himsels asing in q bill to accom-
plish that result His declaration was received
with tumultuods shouts of applause. The next
day he was called to account by his colleagues
in the ministry for that infamous breach o
OF their avowed policy. He replied, with exul-
tation, al appeal to you, whether the House is
not bent on obtaining q revenue ofsome sort
from the colonies" He became Lord OF the as
cendant, and introduced his revenue bill. 1t as
sessed taxes on goods at the American ports
} The regulations reduced the price OF tea, with
duties added, to less than it had ever BEEN
But our fathers saw the poison in the golden
chalice, and put it far away from them. George
III was not so anxious to collect revenue, but
he was intent on enforcing the law. He would
} have been willing at any time, to repeal the
revenue act, if he could have brought his con-
J science to the point OF conceding to men who
resisted the enforcement of the law. For sew
en- years the British resorted to parliamentary
: expedients. They had their Boston port bill
they had their commissioners OF customs; they
J had their armed vessels stationed in the harboF
to sustain the commissioners and assist them
in performing their duty. All failed. They
} then prosecuted the enterprise by seven long
! of years war. They enforced the laws at Lex
! ington and Bunker hill: they en- forced the laws
at Princeton and at Trenton; they en- forced the
laws at Eutaw. and Cowpens. and Kings Noun
! tain, and Yorktown; until King George, weari-
} ed with his success, thanked God that He had
put it into his heart to forget his ancient differ.
ences--with whom? With revolted colonie.
With reoellious subjects?. With Yankees who
!, would submit to the enforcement Of the laws
No; with the United States ofAmerica, whose
independence he acknowledged, and with whom
be made treaty ofpsace. ge
, In ITO, Boston had only sixteen thousand
/ inhabitants. |: was situated on inhospitable
, and barren and comparatively sparsely popula.
ted coast Against that little town the king
and all his ministers, the Lords and Commons
, the Army and the Navy and the people O
, Great Britain were combined. to collect from il
J the revenue, to enforce In 1t the laws and te
, maintain in it the union with the imperial
J crown. They collected the revenue, but it was
|, at the expense ofa thousand pounds for every
dollar. They enforced the law; but by breach
of every guaranty of freedom contained in the
British Constitution. They maintained the u.
nion only in consumating the loss oi the finest
colonial empire in the world, and three millions
: Of hardy. patriotic, and enterprising subjects.
:; Gentlemen, pray you learn prudence from
the heroism Of your ancestry. lpray you learn
wisdom from your country's history. Fifteen
States OF this Union come to you to day with
their complaints. Hear them. They tell you
theyhavs grievances. Redress them. They
say they have fears for their safety. Allay
those fears. They say they have xpprehensions
of wrong, Assusge them. Gentlemen remove
every cause ofagitation and irritation, however
unfounded you deem 1t. They may have CON-
United acts Of passion and wrong. Aprrehen
sive of armed coercion, exasperated by q sense
Of insecurity, they may have seized our forts