The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1862-04-22

|
credit Of the United States" and NAV, as al
ready shown, "lay and collect taxes" &c., to
pay the debts thus incurred. To-day such a
| lien actually exists upon all the lands OF the
country To the amount of hundreds of millions
Of dollars The CONSTITUTION, and the laws
of the United States which shall be made in
pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, CT
which shall be made under the authority OF
the United States shall be tho supreme law
of tho land; and the judges in every State
shall be bound thereby, anything in the Con-
stiuton or laws of any State to the contrary
Notwithstanding. 1t is manifest that the
Federal Government has sovereign power over
all parts Of its possessions; and that it is
amenable to corresponding obligations for tho
/ protection of its jurisdiction. 1t must "estab.
lish Justice and "insure domestic tranquility; )"
and in case any State fails in that regard the
/ powers of the General Government must mp
ply the corr rlectiye, and, il necessary, extra r
dinary means must be adopted to that end. -
ME exteut and character of tho measures TO
be adopted must depen' upon the circumstan.
ces of the case, but cannot doubt that cases
may arise, or that such now exist, in which
! the General Government has the unquestion.
/ able right TO take control of the territory and
people lately recognized as a State, aud
spread over them such provisional government
AS may be suitable to their peculiar condition.
! Let us illustrate: the Territory Of Minneso.
/ Ia, previous to the Government land sales, was
the absolute property of the United States.-
! The disposition of a portion of its soil modi-
fed the right Of property, but did not releas c
nor in point Of law change political jursdlc-
! ton. The national authority was supreme, 4,
aud could still establish and modify govern.
ment for the Territory. The admission of
Minnesota as a State, gave to her people new
and enlarged political powers and privileges !;
but did not ALLEVIATE her Territory, cancel her
obligations to the Federal Constitution, nor
relieve the United States from the obligations
of protection. Suppose some fatal epidemic
were to sweep over the State, consignug ev-
cry soul of her inhabitants 10 the grave; aud
the aborigines should return TO and re occupy
the hunting grounds Of their fathers: what
then would be the status OF Minnesota There
, would be no civilized people, no representa-
tiyes, 10 State officers, executive or Judicial !;
but would not the United States still retain
jurisdiction over the Territory Of Minnesota! |!
soil! Could We not rcpcl foreign invasion |?
Could We not coonz, or re people that dis
trct OF country? And on the arrival Of tho
new settlers, whether from the States or from
foreign lands could we not give them gov.
eminent? And could we not give them such
form Of government, territorial or otherwise,
not inconsistent with the character of our IN.
sttutons, as the exgcncies of the case might
require? Certain it is, in the case supposed, {,
that the original government Of the State of
Minnesota would he annihilated. There would
be no executive, no Judiciary, no representa-
'ion, no political organization. Tho functions
Of goycrnmcnt would be laps"l. There could
be no election Of officers according to law, no
'uch case bcirc provided Cor, and any ma,
chjnrry Of government put in operation hy
the now corners would, Of necessity, be provs
ioua'. AMI AZ ain, suppose the dopopuated
Torritoy should be ;" pcop|ci by colony
from Germany, not on" of whom was a legal
voter: could not the United States intervene
to establish a government?
Sir, admit that the supposed case is an
extreme one; but it is illustrative OF the prin
ciple, and NO more improbable than wouli
have bcer the supposi,iJn Of this gigantic re
bclpn five years ago.
On the loth day of December 1850, the
rule Of the United States was extended oyer
tho entire American possessions; but on the
next day South Cmosa adopted pretended
ordinance of secession, hv which she rcpudla-
ted and defcd the authority of tho Federal
Government, an example that was speedily
followed by ten other States. This incipiont
Ill -, ,iy
waged by the sccedors against the United
States. All but two of the rebelliouS States
have ceased TO ho represented in either House
Of Congress, and if we except tho provisional
government recently erected over portion Of
Virginia there is not a single lawful State of
fcer in the entire seeded district. In all
that portion of our possessions, lawful State
government has ceased to exist. The people
there are rebels and traitors, conspiring tic
oyerthowing Of the Constitution and the dis
integra,i Of the nation. Doubtless there
are in fact many patriotic men; but in ap.
pearance, in So far ms we can Judge 10y any
demonstration Of attempts at legal govern
ment, State or national, there is not loyal
man IN South Carolina. At all events, if such
a man lives, he is powerlcss and without law
. lNI H'NflHlIltUls
Such being the state Of affairs tho question
occurs, what is our relation TO the seeded
States? What, for instance, is the status Of
South Carolina? Her territory is certainly
within the limits Of the United States and
part and parcel Of the American possessions,
over which, by the Constitution, tho lava of
Congress are declared TO be supreme; but her
State officers have abdicated, and her State
| government, in so far as she is connected with
the Union, has been abandoned, and answer
that her relation TO the Ger cral Government
is not unlike that Of an unorganzcd territory
provided the latter were iu an attitude Of re.
billion. She is not State under the Cousti.
tuition. BY n figure Of mctonomy, wo often
use tho term State, to Indicate the territory
included within the limits Of certain district
of county, but in that sense the name is
equally appropriate to Colorado or Nevada
But, as applicable to our political system, the
expression means something more. II is sig.
nifcant not so much OF the land and inhab.
tants, as Of the character Of the political or.
ganzatiop. Long before its discovery by
Captain Gray, the surface Of Oregon oxist ID
with all its present limits, bat it was not a
.