Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-03-21

be pressed, end soou a new and brighter seen
1 win open to our view:
] DEMoCBATIc CONVENTION or THE MOTH
WESTERN sTATEs
, From the orisisl
It is a rational belief that ths duration Of out
Union would have been perpetual, and the tn
( umph Of constitutional liberty complete, if th,
. spirit of the members Of the convention which
formed the Constitution aud the State e1mmu.
mites which suggested and accepted It, had abb
ded with tksir successors forever Hence il Is
also a rational belief, with all those who hsarti-
ly desire Teordinetion Of our system of gov
eminent, thai the States and the people must
come back to the principles and the feelings
which perYsded them when the Union was born,
in order that it may have new birth, and new
baptism IN the waters Of experience. Sooner or
later all must come to this conclusion, or con
sent 20 abandon forever the form Of govern
ment which brought us sll our blessings. Our
highest interests viii be best subserved By our
getting, as soon as possible, in the tracks Of the
authors of our Institutions, and going along
with them til We srrive st where the roads
cross, and there plant memorial signboard for
the benefit Of posteTity forever!
When il was discovered that the Articles Of
Confederation were insufficient for the healthful
working Of such system Of government as the
f! peculiar conditions and relations Of the people
and the States required, the States practically,
If not decleredly, resolved themselves back into
/ the original separate soVeTeigntiss which By
combined action had made "the Confederation.
for the purpose Of getting rid Of that Confedsra-
ton and instituting new general govern
ment.' The indubitabls historic steps in this
/ process were briefly these:
On the 2lst day Of January, 1885, the Legis-
/ latuTe Of Fmgiaia appointed eight commissions
ers to meat such commissioners as may
be appeintedb by the other States, at a time and
place to be agreed on, to take into consideration
I the trade of the United States" This was the
| Onginsl starting pOiRt from which resulted the
I formation of the Federal Constitution and is
/ adoption By tue States respectively The move
| Of Virginia was responded 70 by the four States,
1 New York, New jersey, Pennsylvania and
I Delaware, and the action of these five States
resulted in the meeting Of but twelve commits
sioners at Annapolis. on the llth day Of Sep
I Eenber, 1856 This small convention made s
report en- the l4th, in which sas expressed the
conviction that it would tend to advance the in
seTest Of the Union if all the States would con
/ cur ia the appointment Of commissioners 70
I meet in the city of Philadelphia, Pa, on
the second Monday of May ensuing, to de-
/ wise such further provisions as shall appear to
them necessary to render tie Constitution of the
Federal government adequate to the exigencies
/ OF the Union" Virginia promptly responded
| to the suggestion, by the appointment through
/ her Legislature, on the l65h 0s October, 1855,
| OF seven commissioners to the proposed conveu-
/ ton On the 23d Of November, New Jersey
/ appointed five delegates; Pennsylvania seven,
on Both Of November; North Carolina Eve, on
| Jauuary 9th, 1857; Delaware FIVE, 90 2'd Of
February, and Georgia six, on 10Th February
Thus these six States Commissioned thirty-six
delegates on aud before the 10th Of February,
1857. On the 2lst of February, Congress-
aUraiFnrlpd a fho -
gave the proposed convention its seuchon-de-
ciaring that such an instrumenta'ity offered
( " the most probable means of establishing in
| these States firm national goUeyRmsnt That
congressional resolution, it is thus apparent.
had no agency in originating the convention.
and no influence over the States which had ap-
pointed delegates previous TO its passage. Of
those eppoiDtiug subsequently thereto, only two
alluded in any wsY TO the congressional resolve,
and these DO not assign it as the authority an
der which they acted, OF express the least con
cllrrenee n the strong national government"
suggestion. The Legislature Of New York, on
the 2sLh OF February, appointed fhree delegates
without Hny reference to OF notice of the resolu-
ton Of Congress- South Carolina similarly
acted, in its appointment Of four delegates on /
the oih Of March Massachusetts, on the 10Eh |
Of March, designated FIVE delegates aud referred
70 the congressional action. Connecticut fol- I
d Thursday of May. Maryland, on the 26th /
OF May, appointed Eve delegates, without allu- /
sion to the immaterial meddling Of Congress /
In the same way, New Hampshire selected four (
on the 25Jh Of June.
Thus Wss tbe convention initiated and formed. |
which gave us tbe Constitution under which we
fouTished til 1861. Thst Constisutirl became
"ths supreme law Of the land" 10 tho exlent Of |
its provisions, only after zine States had agreed
to recognize and adopt it; and extended its pro-
tectioR ovor the remainder of the thirteen only |
when they, Seriatim, and-in their separate soVe-
reign espscity, consented.
Thus It is apparent that our late constitutional
government was created by the same power and /
by the same plan as those which formed the /
original 'artieles of confederation" >" and that /
neither authrity or plan was derived from, OF
was owing to any sovereignty, power or direc- /
ton of that government. The last article of /
the Constitution of the confederation was IN 4
these words: Tire articles of this confedera-
tion shall be inVioiably observed By every State,
snd ths Union shall be perpetual nor shall any
alteration, at any time hereafter, be made ia
any Of lnem, unless such alteration be agreed to
ina Congress of the United States, and be sf.
terwards confirmed By the Legislatures of sveTg
State" Instead of action in aceordanee with this,
the Constitution was supplanted in a manner not
contemplated in, or directed by itself, but BY
pians and powers as if It had no existence, nor
had Congress any authority. The Izembers of
the convention wisely concluded that the orig
inal source of power was the safest starting
point for any Improvement or change Of chat
government it had created.
We are now, in this yesr Of our Lord. 1868.
in greater state Of complexity and dersnge-
ment, than were our ancestors and the co-Ststes
OF 1857. The Constitution has ceased % be the
rule of action for those representing the gov
of the United States, eleven States
have repadiated their authority, and made a
now Constitution after the manner of that which
was Of late the charter for the whole, and the
tive consequent aggragstious Of States are en-
gagged in q relentless and barbar0us war The
Congress Of the United States bas taken no
action and promises TO take none, looking to
any manner Of settlement kindred to that which
was so efficient IN 1857, ia reckless insubordi-
nstien to the principles and rules Of govern
ment which were established then, it is power
less to Eindicate Whist it Wantonly violates. The
2 general government" with riven members
and soul disoWned, can furnish neither the de-
sign, the spirit or the materials for its own re-
generation. Those eau come only from the :
lOwers which originally made it, reformed it, 1
md retain within themselves the elements and
be authority of its existence. The traditional
eparate State communities, are the demon :
STATED and acknowledged creators Of our gen
raj governmental system, aud the peculiar fea-
ure which alone gave it a promise Of duration
% different from, and superior to, all anteoedent
epubies. Tho prime cause Of our downfall I
ays in that deprecialioa and unmindfllIless OF L
ate dignity and responsibility which resulted
rom our unprecedented growth, and the bot
ouss introduction Of new members into She old o
amily Of States
Where, then. stands the remedy for our ex-
sting disselution1 Clearly in ser arate and CO )
perstiye State setion Upon what States does
be eye Of hops and expectation rest, IS the
lost proper, the most natural, the most probs-
le initsioEs Of successful action The response
ION the Atlantic to the P4cihe, and from the 2
skes 10 the gulf, spontaneously designate the !
reat States of the Northwest
With confdenee, then, which is beeotten q
nly of a reyersnes for the past ana patriotic /,
opa for the future, it is hereby most earnestly s
onmended to the citizens of the Northwestern
.ates that they Immediately set about she Pre-
urement Of q convention with similar objects 70 3