The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1861-01-02
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= This is the great event of the day.

nThls is the great event Of theiday. A
Uopvsition REPRESENTING the people of
South Carolina has. unanimously passed
an ordinance. declaring aedissolution Of
the Unisn, SO far as that State is con
cerned. This is equivalent to a Dsclara-
ton of Independence, and to the extent
of the authority of the Convention, Gf it
have any, makes South Carolina for.
eign nation = But this act of the Conven-
tion is revolutionary, or rather it is in
augurating q revolution. 1t is tansamount
to a declaration of war against the Fed
efai roseFntRent.sda.se esseu
2 We cannot regardi it as the action Of a
State in her sovereign capacity asa State.
1t is not Stale action that can be recog7
nized as such by the Gpvernment or The
people of the Uaion at is not an act
authorized or permitted by the Fede*al
Consfitu.ioa, but is. on the con trary, an
act which aims at rendering that Consti
tuition imperative .overa partsof the peo
pie within the limits OF the Uaion Ii
thus strikes a deadly blow, both OF the
Consultation and the Union, and is essen
tally t-easonIto both. @Al.s>A .ZQNH
A State, as such, can commit 40 act OF
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secession, for the simple reason that it is
out Of its power. If the people of a
State attempt to throw of their allegiance
to the Constitution and refuse to obey the
Federal laws, they are to be regarded in
the same light that half dozen individu-
ais would be, who shoud do the same
thing They are not "a State in the sense
contemplated by the Constitution and the
Federal laws. individuals may be guilty
of secession, treason, revolution and other
crimes against the government, but a
State cannot. n As has been said of cor
porations, SO it may be. said of States,
that "they have neither bodies to be
kicked nor souls to be dr.
The people of South Carolina are,
therefore, Eoy,. nominally 10 q state OF
revolution. But though the passage OF
the secession Ordinance is, as we have
characterized it, an act of rebellion
against the, Federal Government. We do
not regard it, as one that of itself re-
quires the Interference of that Govern
ment We are opposed to coercion in
any other sense than as the exercise OF
that force. which is necessary for the en-
forcement of the laws and the protection
Of the property of the Government
There is properly no such thing as coerc;
ing State; bat if the people, Of q State
or any part Of them disobey the laws.
they ought to be dealt with accordingly.
In such coercion as this implies We be-
Iieve, and in no other. 50
But it is said that a rebellion may be-
come SO formidable in numbers that it
may not be in the power of the Govern
ment to repress it and bring the actors in
II to justice. This does not destroy the
right Of The Government to sappress in
sur.ection and punish the insurgents. In
the present case, it seems from the rejoic-
ings at the South over the South Carolina
secession, that the power gof our Federal
Governments to viHdicate itself before The
world, aud preserve the integrity Of the
Union, would soon be put TO the test
What the future, which now looks dark
and Questioning may disclose, we dar.
5Yetgwe cannot but cher
ish the hope that the Union movement
which are now going on all over III,
North, may, before the lapse of anothe
month. cause more friendly feslipg {,
pervade both sections of our common
country -
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