The Placer herald., 1862-06-07
The Two Rebellions,

some INSTANCES apparently slOW-Out ever re-
volving-at times to human kin, retrograding-
but to the reliant devotional SOUL leading in NIL
cases, to ultimate progression-is the immutable
law in the material and moral universe. These
changes become in time marked by eras, in the
political world, which we call revolutions; and
rev olutions again by epochs or acts to which we
give the name of rebellions, until the changes
sought to be wrought are sanctioned by success.
when they are received by men as part Of the
national order of things. To these axioms of
philosophy the peoples and Governments of the
States of North America are no exception on
the contrary they stand before the world as most
remarkable illustrations of their truth. A hun
died years of CESSATION, in colonial State.
brought forth rebellion 10 the political dictation
of Great Britain. in the thirteen colonies. Seven
years OF toll. battle, agony and blood. (Which we
ordinarily speak of as the revoluton) Gu minated
u success, which wiped out the stain of rebellion,
and sanctifed by law, the entry into the family of
nations, at one birth. thirteen distinct and indie
pendent natonalitics. These new born States
possessed, each of them, all the rights of the old
est nations on earth-could make and unmake
treaties, wage war and conclude peace. or do any
other act which any other nation was entitled
to do, by virtue Of the laws of nations The
movement that produced these remarkable re-
suits, was one originating and carried to success
by these peoples; they had wrencbed from the
British crown, all the sovereignty and supervision
of any kind whatsoever, which any power, body
or person on earth held or assumed to hold over
them. and were therefore themselves the complete
sovereign power. They did ut once enter upon
the exercise OF the sovereign powers, by sending
through the medium of their Governments, rep
resentatives in the nature Of Ambassadors, to
meet similar agents from each of these States
and when met entered into engagements each
with the other, which were afterward ratified by
these peoples respectively. by which intimate re-
lations were established between themselves in
relation to commerce aud navi igation. the rights
of person and property. tn, rule upon which ad-
ditonal peoples or States should be admitted to
the benefits of this common treaty. the agent who
should deal with matters outside the States COM
posing this compact, the power and manner of
legslating for this common advantage. the officer
who should execute the laws made hereunder.
the judicial power which should settle forever all
points OF legal nature arising and mooted there
under-in short established common agency
with fixed and defined powers, which we know
rs the Government of the United States. This
solemn compact was reduced to unmstakable
letters and figures, and is known by us as the
Constitution of the United Stats. The reader
will bear in mind that the powers conferred upon
this common Government went up from the
oF toil
European Governments, consist Of dctatorial
u.urpatiors wrcnched by the brute force of con-
quering despots- therefore, the peoples do not
hold their rights rs concessions. made by piece
meal from reluctant sovereign--6ut the Cor
ernment does. In the formation of this common
Government there was perceptiblc this principle
of evolution--therc were those who desired
more consolidated pOwer--a greater absorption
OF the sovereignty OF these several peoples. -
These failed in having their ideas incorporated
into the plan Of union, but few years after the
machinery of Government was put in operation
they endeav vorcd to effect their object, by the sur
reptitious plan Of giving a broad and unwarran-
table construction to the powers embraced in the
chart of Federal powers The advocates for
"Federals," and the steps taken by them had
reference to the currency and other internal
policy-the alien and sedition laws being one
of them. AS party, it was met by party,
under the leadership of such men as Jefferson
and Madison, more Democratic in its tendencies
and which after long years of battling effecually
crushed it out, and established in the practice of
all l,r,n cloao of hn nc1o
struction Of the powers Of the Constitution. II
was held that the Constitution meant what it said
neither more nor less. This construction was
held in practice, through all changes of parties,
until the science Of negrophilism or the doctrine
Of the equality Of the African with the white
man obtained in the minds of the majority of the
voters of the free States Of the COnfederacy.
The advent Of this supremacy marks the era of
the first rebellion in the United States-because
it was revolt or denial of the powers establish
ing the Government by the peoples-our ancestry
in the year 1887. BY that Constitution the Afri-
can and his descendants were not held to be citi
eeus of the United States. nor competent to be
come 80, and all true Democrats have ever held
and do now hold, that the only authority for q
United States Government. or the acts Of the
officers acting as the agents of such Government
were derived from the Constitution; and thai
whatever abstract ideas men might entertain with
regard to the position of the descendants of the
African among these peoples it was for the har
mony and good Of these peoples everywhere, to
submit to the laws established by this compact
between the States. On the other hand, the I'D
vocates of negro equality, seeing that it was i'm
possible to carry into practice, their theories
under these written agreed powers of Govern
ment, declared that they we're not bound by the
web thus woven by human hands. but that there