Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-07-11

true principle o. the NATIONAL sufremdcy-cau-es
all men who are hot MAD with some revoutiona-
~ prsJect. t. shrink from ensures that appear
70 threaten the integrity Of State authority aud
10 pray that at lesst that bitter and dreaded cup
may pass from usr IL is the original. in1orn and
indestructible belief that the presery alton of the
State sovereignty, within its Just and legitimate
sphere, is essential TO the preservation OF repub
lican liberty Beyond doubt. IL was this belief
which led the people from the first to object, as
they sometimes did unreisOnably object. TO the
augmentation of the national powers. Perhaps
they could not always explain-perhaps they did
not always fully UNDERSTANDABLE the grounds of
this conviction. It has been, as it were, an in
stnct; and for one, hope that instinct j. as act
i've and vgiant this day, az | am sure II was
eighty wears ago.
For am persuaded that local seli-government
To a. great extent as l. consistent with nation
al safety. is indispensable to the long continued
existence OF republican government on "A large
scale A Republic, in great nation, demands
those separate institutions, which imply in differ
ent portions of the nation some rights and pow
ers with which no other portion OF the nation can
interfere. You may give the mere name OF
republic to great MANY modes of national exist
ence; but unless there are local privileges, immu
mites aud rights, that not subject 10 the con
troll of the national will. the Government,
although resting on a purely democratic basis.
1
great nation. too, that attempts republican gov
eminent without such local institutions and
rshts, must 5 on lose even the republican form.
Twice within the memory OF some who are yet
living, have the people OF France tried the exper
iment of calling themselves Republic; aud
/ France, be IL remembered, has been, ever since
! her great Revolution, essentially democratic
country But her republics have never been any
thing but huge demOcracies, acting with over
4 holm traa adj cal led
a Directory, sometimes through First Consul,
sometimes through President, but ending
/ speedily in an Emperor and DeSpotiSm Ii II
impracticable for great and powerful democratic
nation, whose power is not broken and checked
! by local Institutions of self government. to AVOID
comforting on head and representative large
part or the whole of its own unlimited force. II
that head is not clothed with such power. there
will lie anarchy. Louis Napoleon. by the present
theory of French law, is the representative OF the
whole authority OF the Fl ench nation-so consti
tuted by universal suffrage: and ii his power did
not in fact correspond to this theory, order Gould
not be preserve ell in France. 1 ne most skeptical
person may be convinced of this who will read
the Constitution Of the French Empire, remem-
bering that il Is the work OF the Emperor
himself
Turning now TO our own country, let Us sup
pose that the States OF this Union from the At
lantic to the Pacific, obliterated to-day, and
that the people OF this whole country II con
sOldated democracy, lone and ndiS isIble' No
laws would then be made no Justice administer
ell. no order maintained, no Institutions upheld.
save in the name and by the authority of tie ma
ton. What sort of a Republic, think ou.would
that beg If it started with the name and sem
blance, how long would il preserve the substance
OF Republican Institutions? In order to act at
all IN the discharge of the vast duties devolving
upon il, the government of such Republic, ex-
tending over country so enormous, must more
and more be made the depository OF the irresisti-
bic force OF the nation; and the theory that the
will of the government expresses in all cases.
the will of the ruling minority, must soon
confer upon il that omnipotent power, he
meath which minorites and individuals can have
no rights
This is no mere speculation. Every rejecting
man in this country knows that he has some civil
rights, which he does not hold at the will aud
pleasure of majority OF the people of the Uni
ted States. He knows that he holds these rights
by tenure which cannot lawfully be touched 10y
all the residue Of the nation. This is Republi-
can Liberty, as l understand and value It: and
without this principle in some form OF active and
secure operation, do not believe that any valua-
BILE Republican liberty is possible in any great
Democratic country on the face OF the earth. Ger
tainly, it is not possible for Us.
Ii seems To one who looks back upon our his
tory and who keeps before him the settled con
dition of our liberty, almost impossible to be-
lieye, that in consequence OLA direct collision be
tween the rshttul supremacy OF the nation. and
a wrongful assertion of State Sovereignty. we
are exposed to ali 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 and practical, will be conceded
now, 10y every man who will contemplate the
projects that spring up on all sides, looking ID
the acquisition OF powers which have never be-
long ell TO the Federal Union by any theory under
which il has yet existed. The main resemblance
between these projects is. that none of them will
tit the known basis of the Constitution; and that
as means, therefore, OF curing the disorders OF
our country, of making men obedent To the
Constitution. their tendency Is merely mlSchiey
Gus. At the same time. they are none OF them
founded OH any theory of new Union, or on n
new form of national existence, which their an
thors can explain To US or To- themselves. One
man. for instance. wishes the Gov ernment to as
sumo the power of emancipating all the slaves OF
the South by some decree, civil or military. But
he cannot possibly explain what the Government
oi the UuiOn is 10 be. when it has done this. An
other man wants "A sweeping contiscation of 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
l. To be, alter such n seizure shall We been cOu-
summated. third, IN addition To these things,
and rs it i'm imitation of the Austrian method OF
dealing with rebellious Hungary. wishes to de
Glaze a sweeping ioi FIXTURE OF all political rights
an utter extinguishment OF the corporate State
existence, anu reduction OF the people OF the
! revoltcd States to "A condition of military or some
other vassalage. But he not only does not show
the Constitution enables the Federal Government
To obterate State. but he does not even sug
vest what the Union il to be. when this is done
or even whence the requisite pin, steal force j. to
Ice derived Multiiudes OF politicians tell Us
that slavery l. the root OF all the nationa disas-
ters and that we must ''strike at the root" But
none OF them tell u how we are To pass through
these disasters To safer condition. or what the
condition j. IL be when we shall have "struck at
the root" Applauset
Now il seems to me, endeavoring Ms do 10 re
press all merely vain ami useless regrets for what
! J. passed and to tnd some safe principle OF nc
ton fol the present and the future, that there
i one thought on winch the people OF the
United States should steadily fix Their attention.
We have seen that our National Union has
had three distinct stages. The first was TIE
/ Union formed 10y sending delegates 10 the Rev
dictionary Congress. and by a general submission
In the measures adopted by that body tor the
common defense. The second was the closer
league OF the Confederation, the powefs OF which
we're defined by a written charter. The third
was the institution OF "A Government proper, with
sovereign but eaumer,tei powers. under the
Constitution. Now | infer from what see of
some of the currents OF public and private opinion
that many persons entertain vague expectation