Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1861-01-25

make under the Consultation. IL 10 thp'
Tho Constitution says: "No State 'bal'
enter into any agreement or compact WIN
another State, or with foreign power. y
And again u says: No State shall enter
into any treaty. alliance, or confederation.
Ssa,h Carolina has declared that she viii
form treaties with foreign powers-that she
will receive foreign ambassadors: and that
she, with Florida. Georgia. Alabama and
Mississippi. will confederate. form apro-
v,.ional government. and assume oil the
rights aud duties OF tho United States.
Toomb., Ivcrson. Chestnut, Davis tDr OF
Law. BY act Of Bowdoin College,, Benja-
min and sIidell are oil engaged in this plot.
They a.'is. 1t by their speeches and their
talesraphic Dispatches.
AZ this is u provision Of the Con'utution
lorbiddipg that a Z" State shall enter into
any agreement or compact with another
State" |, $ clearly right that the people.
the Congress and the Prs-idcn, demand tina,
this provision should be respected. For II
one. or five. or ten States can nullify this
provision, they can with equal right levy
war. as.css taxes. and form contracts, and
can make themselves sovereign To do the
latter .. treason. The former 10 even great
or than the latter and includes IL. And IL
the latter Is treason, the former is more 80.
IL IL total destruction OF Government. The
loyal States should therefore demand that
the President and Congress should make
and execute al laws in accordance with
these provisions Of the Constitution neccs-
.ary 20 carry into effect thar true meaning.
These things We have q right 10 demand.
In reviewing the agsressions OF the North
or South upon the Consultation. IL will be
found on a careful comparison that the for
mer ha. been most faithful. For the for.
mer. in only n few instances. has violated
tho agreement to give up" fogiti'es from
service, or any other constitutional pro'i.
zion. New England did violate the Con'ii.
tu,ioi in it, Hartford Convention but
never acted with violence or precipitation.
I canno, remember another instance either
historical or current. The North has never
nullifcJ the laws Congress, or denied the
binding force Of any provision OF the Con-
aiiu,ion, II strictly and fairly interpreted.
No State North or West has entered into
hostile agrcemen, with another. or refused
to givoall the privileges Of citizenship q
citiron. Of sister States. No such State has
passed law. infringing upon tho rights o
TREE speech and tree press.
But such /. no, tho history OF the South
OF especially Of several Of the Southern
States. Many Southern Conventions have
been held which In character were like ih'
Hartford Convention. Notification Of law
ofConsrc,. has been attempted. The righu
OF free speech and Of the press have beer
infripsed. Agreements between State
hostile TO the Government. and expressly
,ioat,e OF the Constitution. have beer
threatened and attempted, and are perbap'
even now contaminated. And laws have
been ra.--d violating that provision OF thu
Constitution requiring that " the ci,iren'
of each State .hall b. entitled 10 all ,h,
privilege. and immuni,ics OF the citizens
of the several States" Aud lastly. certain
States South claim and exercise the right Il
sccodc and to absolv. themselves from ,heil
dutle. as States. For this there Is no con
.,i,u,ional provision, but various pro'i'
sions against IL. AZ this Is clearly re'olu'
iionary and a perfec, disruption Of Govern
men, /, wa, justly called (" treason " and
.rcvoluiiln by Jefferson and Jackson
The conclusion, therefore. mus. he, that il
the North has been aggressive, and violates
It's plish,ed faith, the South has done more
and worse. I, has not simply acted in bad
faith, but i, ha. attempted. at least, to dis
migrate, ruin and destroy.
But our southern friends and their north
ern allie, say the north has been more az
cr,.,i,e ,ha, b.re,oror. asserted The,
go u.,,Ik .,,,,,, m. dom.,,;, in.,,,u.
ton. Of the sou,h-,b., our pre, TEEN,
with articles opposed to the rights Of The
South thu, our poli,ieinp, b,rr.n,uc
o.,ir., slavery and ,ba. our naomi, mr.,
bitterly orcp,y and un.parin,lv hostile ,c
,b,, in,,;,n,ion They .,v ,b,, I,pco,,'.
,,..,io, u,. , ,,;,u,h ., ,ho,;,;o,i.u and
,ha, when he /, inaucurated, he will US,
the power Of the government, to emancipa,,
the slaves. They cay farther, that III,
North was mos, intensely aggressive, be-