Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1861-01-23

e, forgive to the stranger even seventy tiUei
|, seven offences, it is the highest patriotism
: to endure without complaint the passionate
e waywarlness of political brethren so long
It as there is hope that they may como to .
e better mind. i9 5-i--es- a4I
: IL Ithink it is easyrt0 pronounce what
l. measures or conduct will not save tho
h Union. l agree with the honorable Sen
). ator from North Carolina (Mr Clingman)
e that mere eulogiums will not save it. Yet
e | think that as prayer brings us nearer t.
+ God, though it cannot move him TOWARD
d US, so there is healing and saving virtue
0 in every word of devotion to the Unior
u that is spoken, and in every sigh that it:
o danger draws forth. know, at least
: that like virtue, it derives strength from
i; every irreverent act that is committed and
5 every blasphem0us phrase that is uttered
u against it. ~, 3, s'-2 Ta .L'rs--as
# The Union cannot be saved by mutual
i ordinations concerning our respective share
s of responsibility for the present evils
D He whose conscience acquits him will nat
urally be slow to accuse others whose CO.
/ operation he needs. History only can adj
d just the great account. @ a i L.
!. A continuance Of the debate on the con-
a stitutiohal power of Congress ever the sub
: ject of slavery in the Territories viii not
: save the Union. The opinion of parties
\ and sections on that question have become
: dogmatical. and it is this circumstance that
!. has produced the existing alienstion. A
truce, at least during the debate on the
: Union, is essential to reconciliation.
!. The Union cannot be saved by growing
| that secession is illegal or unconstitutional
r Persons bent on that fearful step will not
! stand long enough on forms of law to be
dislodged; and loyal men do not need such
| narrow ground to stand upon. .aauI.
: Ilfear that little more will be gained
!. from discussing the right of the Federal
Government to eOerce seeding States into
! Obedience. If disunion is to 20 on this
question will give place to the more prac-
tieal one. whether many seeding States
have d. right to eoeree the remaining men,
bers to acquiesc in a dissolution.
IGread, as IN my innernost soul | abhor,
civil war. | do net know what the Union
would be worth if saved by the use of the
sword Yet, for;a all this, do not agree
with those who with desire to avert that
great calamity, advise a conventional or
unopposed separation with z view to what
they call reconstr uctiOn Ii is enough
for me, first, that in t his plan, destruction
goes before reconstruction; and secondly;
that the strength of the vase in which the
hopes of the nation 4re=hel,I eeRsistschicfy
in its remaining unbrOken-
Congressional compromises are not likely
to save the Union. know, indeed, that
tradition favors this form of remedy. But
it is essential to its success, in any case
that there be found preponderatiag mass
of citizens. so far neutral on the issue
which separates parties, that they can in
tervene. strike down elashiDg weapons, and
compel an accommodation. Moderate con-
cessiOhs are not customarily asked by
force with its guns, in battery, nor are,
liberal concessions apt to be given by IN
opposing force not less confident of its own
right and its own strength. think, also,
that there is prevailing conviction that
legislative compromises which sacrifice
honestly cherished principles, while they
do not assume extra constitutional powers,
are less sure to avert imminent evils than
they are certain to produce ultimately even
greater dangers.
Indeed, Mr.. President. think it will be
wise to discard two prevalent ideas or
prejudices, namely, first. that the Union
is to be saved by somebody in particular;
and secondly, that 1t is to be saved by
some cunning and insincere compact Of
paeifcation. If 1 remember rightly, l
said something ike this here so long ago
as 1850, and afterwards in 1854.
The present danger diseloses itself in
this form. Discontented citizens have
obtained political power in certain States,
and they are using this authority to over {
throw the Federal Government They de-
lude themselves with the belief that the
State power they have acquired enables {
them to discharge themselves of allegiance ;
to the whole Republic The honorable :
Senator from Illinois Mr.. Douglas) says {
We have right to coerec a State, but we
eaunot. The President says that nc State j
has a rigbl to secede but we have no con- t
stity tional power to make war against
State. The dilemma results from an as t
that those who, in such case, t
act against Federal Government, act law q
fully as State; although manifestly they
have perverted the power of the State to q
an unconstitutional purpose. A class of /
politicians in New Eagland set up this {
theory and attempted to practice upon it s
in our war with Great Britain Mr.. JEFF I
ferson did not hesitate to say that States !
must be Kept within their constitutional {
sphere BY impulsion, if they could not be 4
held there by attraction. Secession was s
then held to be inadmissible in the face {
Of public enemy. But if it is untenable r
in one case, it is unnecessarily so in all n
others. fully admit the originality, the \
sovereignty and the independence of the I
several States within their sphere. But [ r
hold the Federal Government to be equally r
original, sovereign and independent within n
its sphere And the government of the =
State can no more absolve the people re- !,
siding within its limits from allegiance to z
he Union, than the Government of the =
Union can absolve them from allegiance to n
he State. The Constitution of the U. s.. = =
md the laws made its pursuance thereof =,
Ire the supreme law of the land, paramount .,
% all legislation of the States, whether 7 7
nadO under the Constitution. or by even +,
heir organic conventions. The Union can :,
'e dissolved, not by secession. with or h
Without armed forces, but only By the q
voluntary consent of the people Of the p
United States, collected in the manner n
prescribed by the Constitution Of the a. a.
United States F i.a.o .a.l .sl7. =
Congress in the present case, ought not r
o be impassiye. 1t ought if it can. to :;
=. L.. -. IL = =. -