Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1861-07-19

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If our government under the constitu
ton is nothing more than confcderacy
it might be argued with some degree o
plausibility, that State which freely ant
peaceabIy had joined it, would have th'
right to pcaceably seccle. The trainers
of our constitution, however, possessed
too much wisdom, to implant in the III
strument they framed the seeds OF its owl
destruction. Secession was not provided
for nor contemplated. 1t was not formed
for temporary purpose, but for all time
g to secure the blessings of liberty t'
ourselves and our posterity' Care wa:
especially taken to give it practical su
Dremacy in every State which adopted 1t
by binding the conscience of every state
officer, by a solemn oath to support it.
The justification for secession is based
solely on the idea that the States Of this
Union are soyereign-that each state is
sovereign in its own right. This is the
position seriously contcrded for by South.
crn Statesmen, but upon examination 1t
will be found almost too preposterous and
absurd for argument. To be sovereign is
r., a,,.,oor1,d,,n ma sunnrior When the
people of the States adopted the constitu-
ton thev welded to the general govern.
ment nearly all the great attributes OF
sovercignty-such as coming money, maln-
tanning armies andnavies, granting letters
.of nar5,a and many other powers; and
il Is declared in the constitution itself
tbat-.tb;s constitution and the laws made
in ,nr.n,nca thereof shall be tbe supreme
law If tbc land v Every one know, that
l,,vs nassod bv any state. eonaictjne with
tho Constitution Of the [ nitel States arc
roi1 IF tha St,tes Of th;s E.pion have =
lpgII rigbt to se.edc therefrom, whenever
!, n,y sn;t tbri. nurnosss. the pegple Of
tb;s country have been liyj q under a
st,,n,,, ,l,lns;on evor since the oraaniza.
t;an - our ,,ovrrnmcnt We have fond.
l.. s,,,,,,os,d 7bot W. b,J - government
ONO 5f af which wc were Justly nroud-and
vban his rcbrllion SHALL have ended. [
trnst ,L,t this question at least will be
f,~ov,r s.,tIa1 and fellow citizens. in my
ani,,;on wa .5,u find that we not op}y
bar'. i, government bnt one that is e,reat
and nowerrnl
Atbongb Mr. Buchananin his Message
most eoncIu,;yeIy that a
- ~ ,o r;.,h+ tn .e.ale from the
Tn;a,-tb,t secession WA, NOTHING more
nn'. I..s tlan reyoIution-that If our
nio, wa, only \ mere voluntary associ-
at;5n of states they were bound together
h., = roaa of .,pi. which eaull be broken
At III. tle,sure Of apv one of them; he
still questioned the power of the Cen
er,l Government to c6er,e such seeding
state Without occupying your attention
in Undertaking to refute the Ex-Prcsi-
dent. reasonjnr on this point, will mere
ty call Your attention to its inconsistency.
II state has no constitutional rieht to
,esede. and if, at the same time the gov
rrnment has no power to prevent it, we
are indeed bound together by merely a
rome Of sand. and practically it would
make no difference whether a state had
the constitutional rirht 10 sceede or not.
In this contest, however, it is not pro-
nosed to eoeree the states, but it is pro-
posed to coeree the infamous scoundrels
and traitors within the states, and protect
their loyal citizens.
Without cause. their rights under the
constitution in no respect invaded, but
protected equally with our own, they have
forced this war upon our prosperous AMI
happy country. by series of inIignitics
outrapas. robbcries and murders, and by
tbre,fo and attcmnts to invade anl sezl