The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1862-04-12
rrom the National In.slIigencer
Political Metaphysics.

We observe Lat several Of our cotempo
raries continue to discuss the proposition
which coniem plates the reduction Of The
Seeded States - the condition Of Terrific
Ties, not it is true. as being any longer q
practical measure. but as a question IN po
litical metaphysics. Takin. for its thesi:
the resolutions introduced into tie Senate
under this head by Mr.. Sumner, tie New
York Evening Post argues against them tc
the effect that State cannot be said e
have Ges troyed itself because Of insurrec-
tion within It's limits. In spite Of such in
surrection. a community still remains which
is entitled 20 all the rights and privileges Of
State 10 the Union. Whoever assails the
Union is a traitor personally and indviI-
ually. and when the authorities Of State
Government take up arms against the Union
it is not necessarily the State which is in
rebellion. but a body of reasonable indi
viduals, whose act does not destroy the
rights or alter the position or annul the ex
istence Of the State. This latter still re-
mains. 10 contemplation OF constitutional
law. member Of the political organization
Of the Union.
1t is plain that the difference which oh
tains among several Of the political dispu-
tsnts on this question springs from confu-
sion Of ideas, winch is either the cause or
the effect of confusion cf terms. 1t is not
denied that. in the eye Of the Constl' utlon.
the State Governments OF the Seeded
States. as at present administered by men
sworn 70 support a Constitution alien TO the
Constitution Of the United States. have
ceased to exist de tdcto The iunctionaJies
Of these Governments are ciyily dead. but
for all this tic State is not dead. II a
49, a., IL
away all the officials of the State Govern
ment Of Delaware. it would not be pre-
tended that tie St1te Of Delaware had
thereby become extinct, though the cats'-
trophe mi ht involve The necessity of re-
sorting ab ntgro 10 the primary source Of
all political power for the purpose OF re-
said by tine New Y ork Evening POST
"A destruction as sudden rs that which
fell upon The hosts of Senuacberib might
befall Governor Morgan, all the State Off
GERS, and all the members Of the Legisla-
ture. and yet the State Of New York would
continue TO be- One-haf or nine .tenths of
the people might be carried off by pesti-
lencc. and yet the remainder would consti-
tute the State Of New York. Nay, for
eign conques, might disperse the Govern
mcnt at Albany, and prevent the people
from assembling in any mode for consid-
cradle time. and yet the State Of New York
would revive as soon as the conqueror
withdrew. Nothing short Of a perpetual!
subjugation, or the entire merger of The
political society in another. would destroy
the existence of the State"
This want Of discrimination between n
State and State Government would seem
TO indicate that, in spite OF its long use as a
stock quotation by political orators and
newspaper writers. the ode Of Sir William
Jones. in imitation Of Alceus. commencing
with the familiar line.
"What constitutes a Slater
has not yet been fully comprehended or
appreciated in its true philosophical s:gnfi-
canoe. That British jurst aud poet. in tho
lines which may be found almost ad aper.
furam Hbri 10 the Congressional Globe, as
also in the files of country newspapers
about election times, has clearly inculcated
the sound theory Of political government
in the figure OF society. when he recognizes
.'men high minded men," as the constituents
who make up THE STATE. but only such
..men as own allegiance TO the "sovEREIGN
LAW" that "crowns good and represses ilI''
throughout the realm which it spreads. 1t
is of such men that he sings in the fol
lowing spirited verses:
"Thsss constitute STATE.
And sovereign lac, that States collected will,
Ger thrones and globes elaie
sits empress. browning good, REFRESHING III:
The herd Discretion. like vspor ks,
Hides his TAIN, rays and At her bidding .hrnh."
For US, the sovereign law which gives
the standard by which TO test the "men'
who constitute 1.-THE State Is the Coustitu-
ton o! the United States. the supreme law
OF our land. Ii in Tennessee or Georgia.
or any other seeded State. only a small
fraction of the inhabitants are such linen -
il is none the less true that these constitute
the State in the eye of that sovereign law,
which at once ascertains their duties and
secures their rights, defining as it does the
former, and protect the latter from arbitrary
rule. whether exercised in the guise OF dis
cretionary legislation BY Congress or OF
Executive assumption by the President
No amount OF treason on the part OF others
ought TO strip loya! people of their citizen
ship in the State or in the nation to which
they respectively belong.
There is but one way in which a State
may be terminated "under the Constitution -
and that is by the joint consent of Congress
and the Legislature Of the State or States
concerned. This poin. is pertinently illus.
trs,ed by our New York contemporary as
follows:
"Deaware. for Instance. which is a State
OF the Union, might merge itself into New
J1sey. another State Of The Union. by act
OF Congress aud Of the two Safe Legisla
lures; there would be thereafter 70 Della
ware; its existence as State would then
be terminated. But would all the .munici.
>Akitntious' Of ID delaware, not originating
-n.e :-.>.tituiion or natural right, be ipso
(acfo tsrmiaascd? Would all the private
ali public corporations. all the bank and
Insurance companies. all the towns and
counties. nay. slavery itself. GO out OF ex-
istence ~ onoe by the simple fact that such
. change had been effected? Not at all;
they would remain just as they were. COM
pletely legal aud valid institutions. until ex
tinguished or modified by some special act
Of the new State. Even in the most ex.
ssoOe case, which is that where a State is