Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1861-03-14

Tor instance, Why may not any
portion Of new Cunfedtraey 4
year or two hence arbitrarily secede.
against it precisely as portions of
the present Unicn claim 20 secehe
from it? All who cherish disuuion
sentiments are now being educated
Ito the exact temper of doing this.
Is there such perfect identity of
interests among the States 10 com
pose new Union as to produce bar
ineny only and prevent renewed seces-
siong Plainly, the mistaken idea of
secession is the essence Of anarchy
A minority, held in restraint BY con-
slituilonal checks and limitations.
and always changing easily with he
deliberate changes Of popular opiu-
ion aud sentiments, is The only true
sovereign Of free people; shoever
rejects it, does, of necessity, fly TO
anarchy or despotism. Unanimity
is impossible; The rule of minority,
as permanent arrange meBt, is
wholly inadmissible, SO that in re-
jecting the majority principle, an
aschy and despotsm is all that is
: left. | do hot forget The position
: assumed by some, that constitutional
questions are to- be decided by The
: Supreme Court. Nor do | deny
} such decisions mutt he binding il
, any case upon psTties to a sui;
: as to The object Of that suit, while
l they are also ehiill, d 10 very high
: respect and consideration in all
parallel cases by all OTTER depart
ments of the Government. And,
, while it is obviously Iossible thai
; such decision may be- erroneous ii
: in any given cas-, sill HE :, IF ct.
T. following II beirg limited 10 thai
: particular Case, with the chance thai
] il may be overrul,d and rever be-
S come a precedent for other cases
: can be b, Ter bronze than could tht
| evils of different practice. A
t the 5; ME lime he candid either
: must conf SIS that if The policy 0
: the Government upon vital qnes
4 tons affecting he whole people j:
i to be irreyocubly fixed by decisions
e of the Supreme Court. the instan
!. they are made in litigation betweel
: parties in personal actions, the PEG
y pie will have ceased to be thei
d own rulers, having to that ext.n
i practically resigned their government
s into the hands of a tribunal; nor i
/ there in this view any assault upol
the CouIt or the Judge. It is
n duty frtm which they may no
). shrink to decide cases properl,
S brought before them. aud it is n,
: fault Of theirs if Others seek t,
n turn their decisions 10 political pur
d poses. Oae section of our country be
S lieves that slavery is right and ougb
# TO be extended, while the other be
i lieves it is wrong and ought not TO b
+ extended. This is the only substan
Il tial dispute, for the fugitive slav,
II cause of the Constitution and th
Il laws for the suppression of the for
: eign slave Trade are each as vel
i en!o!ced perhaps as any Law can eve
}, be IN commonity where he mora
: sense of the yeople imperfeetly sup
/. port the law Itself. The great body
g of the people abide by the legs
obligation in both cases. as wei
e after the separation Of. the sections
( as before. The foreign slave trade
D now impelfeetly suppressed. would
, not be ultimately revived without
restriction 10 one section, while fuei.
1 tive slaves. now only partially sur.
f rendered, wouil not be surrendered
at all by the other Physically
speaking We cannO, separate, cannot
r. move our respective sections from
eael: other, nor build aD impossible
wall between them. The husband
T and wife may be divorc, d aud go ou,
| OF the presence and beyond the reach
of each ether. But the different
parts OF the country cannot do this
they cannot but remain face 10 face,
and an intercourse either amicable
or hostile must continue between
them. Is it possible then to make
that intercourse more advantageous
or more satisfactory after sepa-
rating than before? Can aliens
make treaties easier than friends
can make laws? Can treaties be
more faithfully enforced between
aliens than laws among friends?-
Suppose you 60 TO war. you cannot.
Eight always; and when. after much
loss on both sides, there is no gain on
either. you can cease fighting, the