The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1862-09-13


tary or naval, or a magistrate of the
Union, by his oath, to obey the Cousi-
tuition and laws of the United States
anything in the Constitution and laws
of any Safe to the contrary notwi h.
standing" Over all this vast territory
the constitutional Government Of the
United States bore lawful sway, Just as
fully as the constitutional Government OF
England bears lawful sway throughout
United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland. On the 9th of November, 1860,
IA constiu ional majority of the people
thought fit to pass by John c. Brcckin-
ridge, who was offered by them as the
candidate of the Southern wing OF the
Democracy, and to elect Abraham Lin
coin President of the United Sta es.-
For this high crime and misdcmeanor on
our part, eleven Southern Sta.es (al-
though by entering into his election they
were bound in honor to abide its result, J
have thought proper to declare them
selves an independent, forei gn and bclli-
gcrcn5 power, aud have ordered and are
now ordering, at the mouth of the can
non, the loyal people Of the United
States, TO give up to this foreign power
half of our terri Dry, half our sea-coast,
and the fortresses that defend it aud pro-
tect its navigation the entrance to our
inland seas /; and the mouth and a thous-
and miles of the lower course of the
mighty rivers which penetrate to the
heart of thai portion of the country,
which We are graciously permitted, dur
ing good behavior, of course, to retain
Though we have been on the point Of
war with England more than once within
wen y-live years, aud that under a
Southern lead, for some wrctched frag-
meuts of unsettled terri Dry on the on :
skirts of the Union, we are now sum
moncd to give up to a foreign and hostile
power domain half as large as Europe,
because Mr.. John G. Brcckinridao was
not elected President of the United
Sta cs, and in order that Mr.. Jefferson
Davis may enjoy the blood-stalned and
guilty honor of presiding over the
Southern Confcdcracy!
But again see what wreck secession
calls upon us 70 make of this noble fabric
OF confederate rcpublicanism. Our
ia hers in 1889 framed Constitu ion of
Government for the purpose, among her
high aims of civil policy, OF es ablshing
ga more pcfect Union" The wisest and
best of men co-operatcd in the under
taking; Heaven smiled on the work.
The people of thirteen States then exist
ing ratified, adopted, and declared it the
law of the land. The country, desola ed
by the war of the Revolution, spranc
into new life bcnca h $ genial influence,
as the frozen clods are clothed wi b YER
cure beneath the gen lie showers of April
Twonty-one S atcs have since grown up
vi hin our territorial limi s, and have
hoaght it blessing and an honor to be
joined to the gallant family of Republics
For seventy five years since it went into
operation the country has enjoyed under
this Constitution an amount of prosperity
without parallel in the history of the
world Cities have sprung up like an
| exhaIation from the soil +; the savage
wilderness has been turned into a wheat
field as by miracle f.; aud immigration,
counted not by hundreds or thousands,
but by millions, of which there is no
other example in the annals of mankind,
bears witness to the good report which
has gone forth of us to the nations.
In these sevcnty-two years not drop
of blood has been she'd for political
offcnse and making fair allowance for
the human frailties of men, and of
nations, and especially remembering that
the one great "spot upon the vcstal
robe - of the Union, /" the worse for
what it SOILS" was placed and kept there
under the old Colonial rule, our country
has really l'een what, thanks to seces-
sion, it is now dcrisvely termed, " The
Model Republic )" the noblest attempt
ever made by man to combine the equal
home bred blessings of small State WI. h
the Strength and influence of a great
empire. Shall we allow Secession to
make derlorablc wreck of this noble
framework of Government Will we
permit the Union of the States to be
sacriiced--that Constitution which was
framed by some of the wisest and best
men that ever lived, to be trampled
under foo, in order to crafty the aspi-
ra ious of office of eight or ten disap-
pointed Southern politicians
Bus again. Secession bids us not only
ccdc to her half the territory of the
Uni cd Safes, and abrogates at one blow
the Constitution of Government that held
them together, but, in place of this
powerful and prosperous Union, now
srong enough for every legitimate object
Of domestic or foreign policy, it substi-
tutes at once and of necessity two indie
pendent and hostile Confederacies, scpa-
rated by no natural boundary, sure to
be involved in eternal border wars,
besides carrying in their blossoms the
fatal germ of still further and more
rdinous disintegration. All history, all
analogy teaches us that If we could patch
up peace tomorrow with the Rebel
States 1t would be but temporary
truce, lasting just so long, and no longer,
as might be necessary for them TO find q
pretext for new war of aggression and
outrage. Their leaders tell you that
they hate, despise and loathe you; and
they have shown You what pahry and
imaginary grievances they consider suf-
fclent cause of war. How is it possible
| that YOU can ever live in neare with