The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-11-20

4 'he BtAnt-~tnel power 10 carry out the
\ grant must be in the grant The Ian
guage 'citiZenso Of the Confederate States
I is used in she Constitution no less than
three times. II is true, they are first cit
liens of the respective States, but they
become citizens Of the Confederate States
through the States eompacting together
eonfederating together. ni liiu iu
The Constitution also declares what
shall be treason against the Confederate
4 States. What is treason ?. A violation
| OF ones allegiance. A gentleman gets
up to argue or 20 intimatetha man can
not owe allegiance TO the Confederate
States on account OF some legislation in
North Carolina i
Mr. Oldham. Do you urgue he can?
Mr.. HILL say he can owe allegiance
to the Confederate States far as the
Constitution binds him. He did not owe
original allegiance, l grant. H12iio OF
Mr.. Oldham. Obedience. H,T 90
Mr. Hill Treason is defined by jurists
and by dictionaries as 10 the violation of
ones allegiance that is the word.
Mr.. Oldham. ] will explain the pur-
port of my question. hold that every
citizen of a political community owes
allegiance 20 the sovereign power In
this country the people are the sovereign
power, and every citizen owes allegiance
TO the public community that constitutes
his State. He owes obedience TO the State
Government which that community NAV
establish as its agency; and, whenever
this sovereign directs him 10 change that
obedience TO any other source, he is
bound TO obey in consequence Of his al.
legiance TO his sovereign. He owes pre-
cisaly the same allegiance TO this sover-
eign as the people of Great Britain owe
to the English Crown.
Mr.. Hill. do not bubble about
words. do not care by what eircum-
locution you arrive atthe brigin OF alle-
| glance. | do notscare how citizen owes
allegiance, or by whose allegiance, or by
whose agency he gets TO owe allegiance
All say is that under the Constitution
every citizen of the Confederate States
owes allegiance to the Confederate States
You may call il obedience trl r.. ..
| Mr.. Oldham. | only desired the gen
man not TO Confound terms.
Mr.. HILL He confounds terms himself
He gets up word TO define authority and
employs the same 10 Overturn authority.
Mr.. Oldham. Oar Government over
turned authority.
Mr.. Hill 1t did not say the treason
we define is different from the treason
that has been settled for all time. One
Of The definitions is, that treason shall
lconsist in leyying war against the Gov
eminent. II adjudicates upon cases com
ing within the meaning Of the word.
What is meant by the word A brench
of ones allegiance The gentleman says
it is breach Of ones obedience. Then,
suppose violation of the law may be
made treasonAfor that is disobedience.
Desertion or any other violation OF a Pc
ma. statute may be made treason. You
may call il allegiance or obedience.
say citizens of this Government owe that
which only citizens can owe-they owe
allegiance; and il they violate that allie
glance they can be hung. You need not
go and read your sublimated theories 10
the man npon The gallOws; you need not
try 10 comfort him by saying tits all
wrong 10 hang man for violation OF bis
allegiance, but ought first 20 decide his
obedience. | fear he would be hung
} before you concluded your rhapsodies.
: There is no necessity for the introdpc-
, ton of these theories to bring about
conflict between the State Governments
and the Confederate Government. Ny
: ideal do not know whether 10 10 ma
1 tiOnal one or not; certainly il does not
g depend upon a change of words in the
D Constitution, upon refined arguments and
= well spun theories for its Justification
I is this: The States were originally SOW.
l ereign, independent States-theY are or
iginal and sovereign yet-and as such
q they had right 20 exercise absolute
4 and sovereign power. They have by
e their own free will and consent delegated
r these sovereign powers TO common Gov
eminent And they made it a Govern
ment, not simply an agency, for they call
, il a Government in the compact, and
they have said all citizens of the respec-
3 tive States shall be citizens Of the Con-
federate States. They have established
laws requiring these citizens TO obey that
which the States have agreed they shall
obey--the common compact tr
To the extent Of the powers delegated,
the Confederate Government exercises
, the sovereign power. Igrant that IL did
not have original, national sovereignty
nor do care whether it has or not. II
has the power to declare war, the power
10 make money, 10 collect duties, and
( these powers are sovereign powers; they
are expressly delegated 10 the Confed-
crate Government Violence done 10 the
Government, by a citizen is treason, be-
cause tits alviolalion Of the citizens alegi-
ance. | admit that the men who were
, originally eitizcns.oI the States, and who
are yet citizens Of the States, owe their
, first allegiance TO the States, hut through
: the States they owe allegiance 20 the Con-
federate Government. The State, Of
, course, under certain circumstance, has
a right to qualify that allegiance; and
say when you dissolve the compact the
citizen has a right TO elect If we, upon
the part OF the Government, will exer.
else Do plainly delegated 10 40. and