Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-07-21

ing upon u, the QoveIumeut VI SUCH =
Republic, extending over . country 90
enormous, must more and more be
made the depository Of the Irresistible
force Of the nation; and the theory that
the will Of the government expresses in
all cases the will Of the ruling majority
must soon confer upon it that om-ipo.
tent power, beneath which minorities
and indivicuals can have no rights.
This is no mere speculation. Every
rejecting man in this country knows
that be las some civil rights, which be
does not hold at the will and pleasure
of a majority Of the people Of the Unit.
ed States, He knows that be holds
these rights by a tenure which cannot
be touched by all the resicue Of the d.
ton. This islRepuhlican liberty,as I'M
derstand and value it /; and without this
principle 10 some form Of active and Sc
cure operation, do not believe that
any valuable Republican liberty is pos
sible 10 any great Democratic country
on the face OF the earth. Certainly It
i. not possible Tor rs.
FATAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF DIRECT COL
LIs1oN BETWEEN THE RIGHTTUL 81.
PRRMACY or THE NATION AND 4
WRONGFUL ASSERTION OF STATE SOW.
ERElGNTY.
1t seems to one who looks back upon
our history, and who keeps before him
the settled conditions OF our liberty,
almost impossible to believe, that in
con. eqnence Of a direct collision be.
tween the rghtful supremacy Of the ma.
ton and a wrongful assertion Of State
Sovereignty, We are exposed to all the
evils of civil war, and to the danger Of
destroying the true principles Of our
system, in the effort to maintain them.
That this danger is real aud practical,
will be conceded now, by every man
who will con emplate the projects that
spring up on all sides, looking 10 the &C.
QUESTION of powers which have never
belonged to the Federal Union by any
theory under which it has yet existed.
The main resemblance between these
projects lie, that none of them will fit the
known bass of the Constitution and
that as means, therefore, OF curing the
disorders Of our country, or of making
men obed,en; to the Constitution, their
tendency is merely mischievous. Attic
same time, they are nooe of them found
ed on any theory Of new Union, or OF
a new form Of ational existence, which
their authors can explain to US or to
| themselves.
One man, for instance, wishes the
Government to assume the power Of
cmancipating all the slaves Of the South,
by some decree, civil or military. But
he cannot pos sibly explain what the Co.
vernmcnt Of the Union is to be, when
it has done this. Another man wants q
sweeping con6scation OF all the property
OF all the people of the revolted States,
guilty and innocent alike. But he does
not tell you what kind of sovereign
the United States is to lie, after such a
seizure shall have been contaminated.
A third, in addition to these things, and
it IS IN imitati IN of the Austrian method
If dealing with rebell:ous Hungary,
wishes to declare sweeping forfeiture
of all political rights; an utter extin'
guisbment Of the corporate State exist
ence, and a reduction OF the people o.
. the revolted States to a condition O
military or some other yassaage. But
3 he not only does not show the Consti
tuition enables the Federal Governmen,
10 obliterate Stale, bnt he does mo-
even suggest what the Union is to be
when this is done, or even whence The
requisite physical force is to be derived
J Multitudes of politicians tell us that sla
very is the root of all the national disas
tiers, and that we must s'strlke at the
root" But none of them tell US how VIC
are to pass through these disasters to a
safer condition, or what the condition
is to be when We shall have "struck a,
the root" Applause.
Cr1cABIL1TY OF ALL SCHEMES FOR
SUDDEN EMANCIPATION.
The object for which we arc urged
by some 10 put at imminent hazard the
foundation principle of our Federal sys
TEN is, emancipation of the slave s of the
South. No one can be less disposed
than myself to undervaue the capacity
of my connttymen to do a great many
things and to do them successfully.
One would suppose, however, that q
proposition to effect sweeping change
in the condition OF fur millions of the
iaborirg peasant'y of a great region Of
county, aud to do it 10 almost total lg.
torrance OF the methods IN which that
particular race can be safely.dcaIt with,
30 as TO produce any good, would be a
proposition upon which even our self
confidence would be likely to pause.
One would suppose that such an idea
might suggest an inquiry into the limits
Of human responsibility. 1t is not al
lowed among sound moralists hat there
is any rule which authorizes statesman
to undo an original wrong, at the immi.
nent hazard of doing another wrong, as
great or greater; and there is no rule OF
moral obligation for a statesman tia,
is not applicable to the conduct of a
people.
Setting aside, then, for a moment, all
idea OF constitutional restraint, let me
put it to each one Of you to ask himself
how many persons there are in all the
North, on whose judgment you would
rely for a reasonably safe determination
as to what ought to be done with slav.
cry, having a single view to the welfare
OF that race! Ofcourse l dc not speak
of disposing Of few hundred ind,vid.