Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1861-03-06

against she government of God, he though
it not unworthy of hiEa to invoke the guiC
ance of that spirit
-'that doth prefer
Before al temples the upright heart and pure,
in the following language:
lE "What in me Is dark
Ilumine; what is low, raise and support;
That to the height of this great argument
/ may assert eternal Providence,
And justify the Wavs of God to men,"
And now, when about to speak of a re
volt as wicked and causeless as that G
which Milton wrote, trust it will not b
regarded unworthy Of me to invoke simila
guidance.
Mr.. Speaker. in the discussion of thi
question, l shall not undertake to denounc
my political friends. or others. who may
under the circumstances which surround
them, see proper 10 differ from me.
From among the many topics which pres
upon my mind for consideration. growing
out of the agitated state of the co untry,
have selected the following as worthy o
consideration:
l. Have We Government worth pre-
serving?
2. What are the alleged causes for it.
overthrow. and are they sufficient? =.
3. The remedies proposed.
Mr.. Speake-, if the theory advocated by
perhaps a majority of the slaveholfine
States of this Union be true, that State
for any grievances that it may regard a:
( sufficient, has right under the Constitu-
ton, to secede, then we have no Govern.
ment worthy of preservation; and we need
not be Matching compromises to save it
D0os the right of secession exist under the
Constitution as a remedy for alleged griev-
ances? | am aware that this question was
discussed much more ably and thoroughly
than can pretend to discuss it. long ago,
when the right to secede was first claimed
by South Carolina-as long ago as 1880.
The debates in the Senate between Mr.
Webster and Mr.. Hayne, in 1880, and be-
tween Mr.. Webster and Mr.. Calhoun, in
1928. [ think settled the question a.
gainst the right of secession; and it was
crushed out then in South Carolina By the
frmness and patriotism of General Jack
son
The history of this Government has been
ably referred to by gentlemen who have
preceded me. 1t will be found that the
leading idea of the colonists who landed
on Plymouth rock. and at jamestown. and
other points of settlement on this continent,
was nationality and the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution will,
think, carry out that idea. Now, sir,
do not care whether the Constitution be
regarded as compact or not Names do
not change results. At all events, it was
regarded as an instrument of Government,
binding upon those who adopted it. The
object Of the trainers of the Constitution
was TO adjust the different claims of State
sovereignty and nationality; and the Con-
stitutiOn may be regarded as the sun of
our political system, and the States as plan
cts that revoive around it, the centripetal
force of the Constitution not being sufi-
cient to attract to it and absorb the cen
trifugal force of State sovereignty as to
powers not granted to the General Govern
ment; and the General and State Govern
ments were designed to act in harmonious
concert in their respective orbits. L think
1t will hardly be charged to the memory of
the trainers of the Constitution, that they
supposed they were adopting an instrument
that might be destroyed at the mere voli-
ton of single State; and their opinions
have been referred to during this discus
sion to show that they intended no such fol-
ly. will not quote them again. 1 will
refer to more recent authority. Some of
the cotton States threatened to secede in
1850 if California was admitted as free
State; and the Legislature of Mississippi.
assuming that the people of the State were
dissatisfied with the compromise measures
of 1850, called a State convention, which
passed the following resolution:
''ReSolred, That, III the opinion of this
convention. the asserted right of secession
from the Union. on the part of a State, is
utterly unsanctioned by the Federal Con-
stitution, which was framed to establish,
and not destroy. the Union of the Sta tes;
and that no secession can in fact take place,
=, without sHbversion of the Union estab-
ished, and which will not virtually amount,
in its effects and consequences, to a civil
revolution"
l quote this resolution of the convention
of Mississippi in 1851, against the recent
action of her convention adopting an ordi-
nance of secession. The Constitution was
not adopted by the States in their corpo-
rate capacity as States. The people of the
different States, acting through State gov
ernmental organizations. adopted it as a
Government for the people of the United
States. To what practical purpose have
been the ideas of our leading statesmen
and politicians, that contiguous territory
should be aoquired for civil and military
purposes, it. when acquired, it may secede
without our consent? What becomes of the
Monroe doctrine, that We will not allow
any foreign Power to interfere upon this
continent with the safety of our form of
Government? 1t was useless to acquire,
with or without price, the Territories of
Louisiana and Florida; it was worse than
useless to reannex Texas, if they can at
will dissolve their connection with this
Government. without asking its consent?
1t has. for long time, been leading idea
with the slave power, that this Government
must purchase, at any price. Cuba; and if
it could not be purchased, then it must be
conquered or stolen, it being essential for
our safety and security. We have all
heard of the 0stend circular, signed. by
James Buchanan, John NJ Mason, and
Pierre Soule; and here will read an ex-
tract from it:
docs Cuba in the possession of Spain
seriously endanger our internal peace and