The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1861-06-27

Reyaluti0nsssIIave the South Made Out
Their Case-.Fugitive Slave Lnw..Equal
Rights in the Territorios--No War A
gain.t Slavery.
We are 10 the midst Of fearful crisis;
one involving the liberties of the freeSt
people aud best government known to his
tory. Hourly we are expecting con-
Aict'oi arms. The soldiers Of the Repub.
lie are marshalled on one side and traitors
to the government on the other. The
plain issue is government or no govern
ment, Union or Disuniou, order or anar.
chy.
In our midst arc dsluded few who be-
lieve. or effect 10 believe, that in the war
now being w'ged, the government is wrong
aud those in arms againstit right These
men, imbued with deep and uncompro'
missing prejudice against the Republican
Administration, at once assume it 10 be
wrong and meyer trouble. nor even suffer
themselves TO investigate fac. or cause.
They have adopted tho "Ohio Eagle" as
their political gospel, and swallowing with
eager. avidity its poisonous herosies. its
false reasoning and misstatement OF fact,
have come to believe that 'Republicansm'
and "Aboltionism" are convertible terms,
that war, on the part OF the government
msaus emancipation. subjugation. servilc
insurreotiop and disuuion. II is for the
benefit of such men we write this article.
We plead with them, for the moment, to
forget alike their devotion to the Demo
cratic and their prejudice against ths Re.
publican party, aud go with US through
calm and dispassiona'e consideration Of
facts.
ALL OWE ALLEGIANCE TO THE GOVERNMENT.
You will agree with me that all owe al
lesiance to the United Slates--"lhat unto
Cesar should be rendered tho things that
are Ce,ars." That the government has
protected you 10 the hour of need, and
that It's your duty to defend il the hour
ofitS peril. That hour OF pcril is at hand.
The governmeu' has called and you have
failsd 10 answer. know ,hs manifold
apologies you offer, aud il you will boar
with me will exposs thci, hollowness.
RIGHT OF SECESSION.
You believe in the right of secession,
aud thus believing insist that tie South
eru people should be "let alone" To
sustain yourself you reason thus: This
government is based upon the consent Of
the governed. 1t is an emination from
the people. What a people do ,hcy may
undo. They may change their govern.
ment if they wish. The Southern people
want TO change their Gov, and therefore,
they have right 10 do it. But stop, the
fallaey Of this argument ia too glaring mol
to be detected by the blind, We are q
government Of majo:ities aud the govern.
ment is based upon the consent, not of al
tho people. but Of a majority. From the
inception Of the government we have hoer
divided into parties. No measure Of na
tional policy but has bad its opponents
The constitution itself had it's bitter emo
mics; was adopted by bare majority. bul
being adopted IL became the consultation
Of the whole. To test the argument by
aparallel. The government has no right
to.Sct except in conformity with the con.
sent Of the governed. | am ono of tht
covered and W witIhold my consent. there
fore, the government has no right to acI
upon me. To consent that any number
Of fpsople. less than majority, have the
right to change the form Of govel nment,
is to confess that a minority. no matter
how small. have powers and rights great
or and higher than majority, 1t is, in
fSot. to abandon all government.
But you say States have the right 10 SO
code, What rights have states that do
not belong 10 the people? Ours is not a
Con'ederacy Of States. dependent upon
tho pleasure Of each and all for its e1
istonce. but a agousrnmsnt ofMe people wiih
strong aud permanent Constitution Which
edn only be changed by revoiuiiOn. or in The
manner prescribedbyhdt Consultation aself.
The federal government acts upon the
people aud not upon States. II knows
no State in its operations. The Federal
Constitution is the supreme law of the
laud Of all the States aud Of all the pro
pie Of the States. The Law of any State,
or The Con'V iuliou Of any State. in viola.
ton Of the Constitution oi the u. s. is
null and void. II will bo readily seen that
no State can overthrow the Constitution
because that instrument expressly pro
Vides that whatever a State may do in
violation Of It's provisions is null aud void
and unconstitutional. To hold anything
else is worse than madness. II is to hold
that any community Omsu, no matter how
small, may refuse to obey the constituted
authorities. overthrow the Constitution
and establish = government of their own
IL L. IN nnnc.na ILaL .... q .-...--.