Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-09-23
''The Constitution as it Is, The Union
as 1t Was-'

| Ny soul 10 heaven lis grateful homage Yields
''The Constitution as it Is, The Union
as 1t Was"
Prominent among the devices carried
at the copperhead meeting held in this
place on the 18th inst, was one Tor
many,) containing the above MOTTO
While directly in opposition to this doc
trine, staring them in the face, is the ef-
fort made in Congress On the 9TH of Feb
ruary, 1861, by the great traitor, whom
they now follow and worship, Clement L.
Vallandigham TO amend the Constitution and
Reconstruct the Union.
The plan was proposed by Mr.. Vallan-
digham on the 9Th of February, 1861, and
supported by a speech of considerable
length. The speech and the plan will be
found in his Record" as printed and
circulated by his party friends, the former
commencing on page SO, the latter on
page IS. The ''plan" which was offered
as an amendment to the Constitution, is
as follows:
JOINT RESOLUTION.
WHEREAS the Constitution of the UNI
ted States IS a grant of specific powers
delegated to the Federal Government by
the people of the several States, all pow
ers not delegated to it nor prohibited to
the States being reserved to the States,
respectively, or TO the people; and whereas
it Is the tendency of stronger govern
ments to enlarge their powers and juris-
diction at the expense of weaker govern
ments, and of najorities to usurp and
abuse power and oppress minoritIes, to
arrest and hold in check which tendency,
compacts and constitutions are made !;
and whereas the only etfectual constitu-
tiOnal security for the rights OF mlnorIties
whether as people or States-is the
power expressly reserved in constitutions,
of protecting those rights by their own
action; and whereas this mode of pro-
lection, by checks and guarantees, is rec
ognized i'll the Federal Constitution, as
well in the case of the equality of the
States IN representation and in suffrage in
the Senate, as III the provision for over
ruling the veto of the President and for
amending the Constitution, not 10 emu
merate other examples and whereas, un-
happily, because of the vast extent and di-
Versltied interests and institutions of the
several States of the Union, sectional di-
visions can no longer be suppressed; and
whereas II concerns the peace and stabll-
ity of the Federal Union and Govern
ment, that a division OF the States into
mere slayeholding and nOn-slaYeholding
sections, causing. hitherto-and from the
nature and necessity of the case-intiam-
aUory and disastrous controversies, upon
the subject of slavery, ending already, i'll
present disruption OF the Union-should
be forever hereafter ignored; and whereas
this important end Is best to be obtained
by the recognition of other sections with
out regard 10 slavery, neither of which
sections shall alone be strong enough to
oppress or control the others, and each
be vested with the power to protect itself
from aggression: Therefore,
ResOlred, by the Senate and House Of Rep
reSentatiUes or the United States of America u,
Congress assembled, (two-tLirds of both
Houses concurring.) That the follwing
articles be, and are hereby, proposed as
amendments to the Constitution of the
United States, which shall be valid, to all
intents and purposes, as part of said Con-
three-fourths of the several States:
ARTICLE XIII.
SEC. L. The United States are divided
into four sections, as follows
The States of Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania, and all new States annexed
and admitted into the Union, or formed
or erected within the jurisdiction of any
of said States, or by the junction of two
or more of the same, or OF parts thereof,
or out of territory acquired north of SAID
States, to be known as the NORTH.
The States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa,
and Kansas, and all new States annexed
or admitted into the Union, or erected
within the jurisdiction of any of said
States, or by the junction of two or more
OF the same, or OF parts thereof, or out OF
! territory now held or hereafter acquired
north of latitude 81 deg. 80 min, and
east of the crest of the Rocky Mountains,
shall constitute another section, TO be
known as the WEST.
The States of Oregon, and California,
and ali new States annexed or admitted
into the Uuion, or formed or erected
within the jurisdiction of any of said
States, or by the junction of two or more
OF the same, or OF parts thereof or out of
territory now held or hereafter acquired
west of the crest of the Rocky Mountains,
and OF the Rio Grande, shall constitute
another section TO be known as the
| PACIFIC.
The States of Delaware, Mary land, Vir-
gina, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee,
Kentucky and Missouri, and all new
States annexed and admitted into the
Union, or formed or erected within the
jurisdiction of any of said States, or by
the junction of two or more of the same,
or of parts thereof, or out of territory ac-
quired east of the Rio Grande, and south
of latitude &c deg. 80 min, shall consti-
tute another section to be known as the
SoUTH.
SEC. 2. On demand of one-third of the
Senators of any one of the sections on
-