M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1861-01-10
Congregational.
SENATE.
:WAsHINoToN, Monday, Dec. 81.

erce any State. He referred to the
cid Confederation, aud said that nine
States seceeded from it for the express
reason that tho compact between them
was not kept, and finally all the States
seeded but Rhode Island and North
Carolina, leaving thom as foreign
States. He claimed this as q prece-
dent in the formation Of the present
Constitution to shnw the right of a
State to secede. Who WAS to he the
jndgei 1.-THE contract was broken il
O pecuniary matter, the Constitution
provided a way to settle the matter,
but il it was broken politically, the
Constitution provided no way. He
read irOm the debate OF Convention.
which formed the Constitution to show
the members of that Convention re.
fused to mako the Senate the judge Of
or give the president the power to We
TO the action OF a State; that they re-
fased to give Congress the power to
negative State Legislation, and that
specially refused to give any power to
coerce States; yet when the States
came to ratiiy the Constitution, com.
plants were made that the States were
not sufficiently recure.
1t must be admitted that certain
political rights are guaranteed the
States, but when these rights are de-
MED, where is the remOdyi Suppose
that South Carolina should send two
Senators here, and the majority should
refuse to receive but one, what power
can compel the majority to repair thar
wronSl Suppose that Sonth Carolina
should then retire from the Union. who
coald say that it was the violation Of
the Constitution Suppose. again,
wrongis perpeiratec which does not
appear quite clear to the North, but
does appear clear to South Carolina;
suppose she is denied access to the
Territories, is she without any RENE.
dy uhder tho Constitution Ii there
is none, then she must be the Judge
OF the wrong and the mode Of redress.
He read an extract from an address
delivered by Jnhn Quincy Adams, in
New York, in 1888, in which he said
nations themselves must be the sole
judge whether compacts arc broken,
and also saying that, when al! frater-
nal feeling was gone between tie
States, then it was time to seperate
in peace and return to their original
State.
He (BenjamiD) said that a sectional
President lad been elected, who could
with the aid OF q sectional Senate,
grant all the benefits to, and appoint
from one section all the officers in the
gift Of the Government, and that rule
the South. Surprising that South
Carolina, believed that wrong has
been done her, still that does not alter
the issue whether he should permit
her to withdraw or force her back.
In reply to the Senator from Wis
consin, (DcOlittls) he (Benjamin.)
claimed that a citizen was bound to
obey his State Government. The Re
publican Senators say that they will
rot coercs q State, but enforce the
laws against individuals; but how can
they punish an individual In State
for treasonl Where are they to find
a Judge or jury to do so, when all the
citizens in the State think that he has
done rightl lie said they could not
blockade port without declaring war;
they could not embargo une port with,
out closing the other.
He claimed that neither the Gov.
ernment or Congress had the right to
20 into a State with a military force
the Intervention of the civil power
Some civil processes must precede the
military force. He argued that they
could not collect the revenue by force.
Threats were only pretext to cover
up the real question, which is no 9th.
er thai this: Shall we acknowledged
the independence Of a seeding State,
or reduce her 10 subsection by warl
Mr.. BENJAMIN here read from Vat
tel to show that hypocritical keeping
oil q compact was Of no avail; he re-
ferred to Rhadamiserg, who promised
not to use steel against scaptive, yet
smothered him.
Mr.. Benjamin closed his speech
with and earnest appeal to the Repub
lican Senators. He said that they
claimed the right uudcr the Constitu.
tuition to deny the rights Of the South
to slave the property, to encourage
the robbery Of that property, to call
them thieves and murderers, to deny
them the right OF transit, and to accu.
mulate dangerous population iD
their midst. lie besought them to
leT the parting be in peace; but il they
would peryert the Constitution and at-
tempt TO subjugate the South, then,
appealing to the Supreme udge, they
would meet the issue as best becomes
ffeemcn. He could not fOretelI the
issue OF such terrible contest; the
fortunes Of war might be adverse to
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