The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1861-03-05

arbitrarily secede again precisely as por-
tons of the present Union now claim to
secede from it? Disunion sections are
now being educated to the exact temper
of doing this. There is no such identity
of interests among the States to compose
new Union as to produce harmony on !
i ly and prevent a new secession.
i Plainly the critical idea Of secession
is the essence Of anarchy. A majority
held in subsection by Constitutional
checks and limitations, and always chang
ing early with deliberate changes of pop
ular opinions and sentiments is the only
true sovereign of free people.
i Whoever reject duty of necessity fly
to anarchy or despotism. Unanimity is
{ impossible. The rule of the minority AS
permanent argu ment is wholly inadmis-
sable. So rejecting the majority prin-
ciple, anarchy or despotism in some form
is all that is left. do not forget the po-
si,ion assumed by some, that Constitu-
tional obligations are to be decided by the
Supreme Court, nor do deny that such
decision must be binding in any case to
t the parties to suit, as the object of that
suit, while they are also entitled to very
high respect and consideration on all par
, allel cases by all other departments of
, the Government, and while it is obvious
ly possible that such decision may be er-
ronous in any given case, still the evil
effect following it being limited to that
particular case with the chance that it
may be overruled and never become a
precedent for other cases, can better be
borne than could the evils of different
practice. AT the same time the candid
mind must confess that if the policy Of
the government upon the vital question
affecting the whole people is to be irrevo-
cably fixed by the Supreme Court the in
slant they are made in ordinary litigation
between parties in political actions, the
people will have ceased to be their own
rulers, and to that extent, practically, to
resign their government into the hands of
! that eminent tribunal.
i Nor is there in this view any assault
upon the Court or the Judges. 1t is a
duty from which they may not shrink
To decide case properly brought be-
fore them it is no fault of theirs if others
seek to turn their decision TO politica,
purposes.
One section of our country believe
slavery is right and ought to be extend
ed while the other believes it is wrong
, and ought not to be extended. This is
the only substantial dispute. The fugi-
tive slave law clause, in the Constitution,
and the law for the suppression of the
| foreign slave trade are as we'll enforced,
, perhaps, as any law can ever be in com
munity where the moral sense of the PEG
pie imperfectly supports the law itself
The great body of the people abide by
the dry legal objection in both cases, and
, a few break over in each. This | think
cannot be perfectly cured, and it would
, be worse in both cases after the separa.
ton of the sections than before.
f The foreign slave trade now imperfect
ly suppressed. would be undoubtedly re-
. viyed without restriction in one sec
, ton, while fugitive slaves, now only par
, tally surrendered would not be surrend-
cred at all by the other. Physically
speaking, we cannot separate, we cannot
remove our respective sections from
each other, nor bnld an impossible wall
between them.
i A husband and wife may be divorced
and 60 out of the paoyince of and be-
yond the reach of each other, but the
different parts of our country cannot do
this. They cannot but remain face to
face, and intercourse either amicable or
hostile must continue between them.
Is it possible then to make that intercourse
more advantageous more satisfactory after
separation than beforeg Can aliens make
laws Can treatise be more faithfully enfor-
ced between aliens than laws can among
4 friends
Suppose you go to war you cannot fight al
ways and when after much loss on both sides
and no gain on either, you cease fighting the
identic questions as to terms of intercourse
are again upon you. This country, with its
institutions belongs to the people who inhabit
it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the
existing Government they can exercise their
Constitutional rights in amending, or their
revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow
it.
/ | cannot be ignorant Of the fact that many
worthy and patriotic citizens are DESTROYS of
having the national Constitution amended.
While / make no recommendation of amend
ment, fully recognize the full authority of the
people over the whole subject, to be exercised
in either of the modes proposed in the instru :
ment itself, and / should under existing circum
stances, favor rather than oppose fair oppor-
tunity being afforded the people to act upon
it. / will venture to add that to me the wis
I, dom Off convention seems probable in that it
, deems amendments to originate with the peo
pie themselves, instead of only permitting them
to take or reject propositions originated by 9TH
ers not especially chosen for the purpose and
which might not precisely suit as they would
wish others TO accept or refuse
understand proposed amendment.to the
Constitution which amendment however Ihave
not seen, has passed Congress to the effect that
the federal government shall never interfere
with the domestic institutions of slavery inclu-
ding that Of persons held to service. To avoid
misconstruction Of what ! have said, | depart
I from my purpose not to speak Of particular
amendments, So far as to say that holding such
{ provisions to now be implied Constitutional
law, have no objection to its being made ex
press and irreyocable The Chief Magistrate
derives all his authority from the people and
they have conferred none upon him to fix the
: terms for the separation of the States.
The people themselves only do this if
} they choose, but the Executive ms such has
nothing To do with it his duty is 10 admins