The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1863-04-17

made the object Of their ''loyalty. :" Let
us 20 then to the fountain head-the
source Of all our national obligations.
The Constitution Of the United States
itself prescribes the full meaning of our
loyalty in these words:
'"This Constitution and the laws Of
the United States, ,ohich shall be made
in pursuance thereof, and all treaties
made or which shall be made, under the
authority of the United States, shall be
THE SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND. W
Observe how precise as well as CON-
prehensive this great rule of our duty is.
1t expresses without ambiguity the whole
Of our obligation to the Federal Gov
ernment. 1t makes a supreme law;
law paramount to all other human laws
--an obligation transcending all other
political obligations. ltleaVeS no room
whatever for the intrusion of another or
rival claimant to our civil obedience.
That claimant can neither be person
invested or uninvested with Office, nor
an idea of public necessity, nor an i'm.
aginary National life beyond or apart
from the life created under the Consti-
tuition. The only possible claimant Of
our obedience is the law; or as that law
is made supreme, all other demands or
demandants upon our submission are Of
necessity excluded. Loud cheers.
OUR CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATIONS .
What tnen does this supreme law EN-.
brace? The text on which | am com.
menting itself furnishes the answer
This Constitution" it says-wbat this
Constitution contains, and the laws shall
be made in conformity with it-theSe
shall be the supreme law, rising in au.
thoity above all other laws. No pub.
lie necessities, save as they are embodied
in the Consultations; no national life"
save as it exists under the Constitution;
no legislation that is not in accordance
with the Constitution lis the supreme
law; but what the Constitution ordains
or authorizes that is the public necessity,
that is the national life, because it is the
supreme civil obligation. Applause I
Such is the fundamental character Of
our political system; and so perfect is it
in its consistency with itself and with
the rights of all who are subject to it,
that it contains machinery by which
the conformity Of all acts Of the Gov.
ernment with the principles Of the Con-
-stitution mag be peacefully tested, with.
out forcible resistance. If the acts of
the Government are complained of as
unconstitutional. they may be- brought
to a judicial test, or the people may
themselves pass upon them at the ballot
box through the instrumentality of fre.
quent elections. Applause.
RIGHTS OF THE GOVERNMENT, RIGHTS OF
STATES AND RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS.
Now, when we look into the Constitu.
tion Of our country to discover the full
scope Of the. obligations which are en-
braced in the supreme law of the land,
we find that it grants certain political
powers and rights to the central or Ma.
tional Government, and reserves all
other political powers and rights to the
States cr the people. Hence it is plain
that the reserved rights of the States or
the people are just as much q part of the
supreme law of the land, just as much
comprehended within the duty of our
allegiance, just as much the rightful OBJ.
jects Of our loyalty" as the powers and
rights vested in the National Governs
ment. If the political existence created
by the Constitution is the national life,
called into being by the supreme law of
the land-and he would be a bold and
reckless sophist who would undertake to
find that national life any. where else
then the rights which the Constitution
reserves to the States or the people are
equally comprehended in that life, for
they are equally declared to be parts of
the supreme law of the lan6.R For this
reason, all idea of a supremacy of ma.
tional rights or powers or interests, when
founded on something not embraced in
the Constitution, is purely Visionary
No duty of "loyalty" can possibly be
predicaed of any claim that's not found
ed in the supreme law of the land.
When it is once ascertained what are
the rights aud powers vested in the ma.
tional authorities by the Constitution,
they are parts of the supreme law, and
our loyalty is due to them. When
we know what are the rights and powers
reserved to the States or the people
and we know that they are the whole
residue of all possible political rights
and powers-they are equally the objects
Of our "loyalty," for the self same rea-
son, namely, they are parts of the su.
preme law of the land. Loud sp.
plause. 1'.
THE PRESIDENT AND ALL OFFICERS MUST
OBEY THE CONSTITUTION.
Again The Constitution not only
contains some political powers and the
rights granted to the Federal Govern.
ment, and a reservation of all other po.
litical powers and rights to the States Or
the people; but it also embraces rights
of persons and property guaranteed to
everyscitizen in his1individual capacity;
and these are equealy made, not by i'm.
plication but expressly, parts of the su-
preme law of the land, and are therefore
equally the objects of our "loyalty."-
Allpretense, therefore, of any paramount
authority in the Central Government to
override these personal rights to the
citizen, or to claim our loyalty" In dis.
regard Of shese CO. ordinate parts of the