, 1863-01-14
rner. o. 4. nRowNsoN,s LEcTunK
The Union and tho War.

The Union and tho war
A highly Intelligent audience assembled in |
Metropolitan Hall Inst evening, to hear tue
lecture of Prof o. 4. Brownson, L. L. D.,
upon "Thc Union and the Wnr.'' Notwith-
standing the extremely inausplcious charac-
ter Of tho weather, tho wc1l-known reputation
of The lecturer drew outa goodly number OF |
both Indies and gentlemen, dcsirous Of hear |
ing SO able and distinguished An individual |
as Prof. Brownson discourse upon the im- |
portant subject announced.
The lecturer was introduced by~Uon. J. G. |
Haines, and bis appearance was greeted with i
loud applause. He stated that on this occa-
sion he would confne his remarks to the i
Union, and on next Thursday evening he
would lecture upon the War, and matters con-
nectcd Herewith.
The war Was at present the al1-absorbing
topic Of the people, whether loyal or disloyal,
Upon It's issue depended the fate Of this great
Republic. The war was being waged osten-
sib1y for the preservation Of the Union.
Hence It must be apparent that the Union
WAS In danger Of being dissolved.
We should do well 10 inquire, where was
the political power ofthis nation! The Union
was not and could not be dissolved, as long IS
The government was capable Of maintaining
Its legitimate power and functions. The
Union was not dependent upon any given
number Of States. It was just a. truly and
completely Union with only thirteen States,
Is 1t was when embracing thi1ty-four States.
| And though eleven States had gone out Of the
Union, osteusib1y, they had not taken and
could not take one particle Of the Union with
them, There we're four different theories
extant, with reference to the subject Of the
Union of States. It was under the Calhoun
doctrine Of estate sovereignty TINT the se-
ccding States claimed the privilege Of retiring
from the Union. BE declared that they
had never surrendered up nor lost their own
70 go out Of the confederation at pleasare.
The speaker had learned those doctrines from
John G. Calhoun. many years ago, although
be had erer been opposed to the idea Of slav1
ery, and believed that all men had the r1ens
oa liberty Ta9ss S fga.dd ee 1 the Doctrine
~ St,te ,iuhfs as correct, but late years, and
esneciai]y Since the breaking out Of the war,
hna more carefully examined the subject, and
Tas then Of the opinion that the ide. vas
false in its conception and perniclous in Its
effects.
l. He believed In government; and correct
government was not founded upon compact,
but upon the principles Of equity and Justice,
which sprang from the Almighty himself
In the struggle OF our forcfAthers against
wnged by and in the name Of the United States,
and not Of any State separately. The only po-
1itical sovereignty was in the Federal Govern.
ment.' The speaker was aware that this fact
came In conflict with the doctrine Of squAtter
sovereignty; but he could not help it 1o5
| never believed. All territories, while In that
| condition, we're under the Union aud not in It.
They had not partical Of political sovereign,
y save snsh ns they might derive from the
were embraced in the Union, geographically
and constituted u part ofour common country
But they constituted no part Of the governing
power Of The nation.
As to The seeded States, it wss the theoE!
ard, that no State could In reality go out 0
the Union, and that none Of them had gon'
out. On this theory, the speaker could no
see how the var could be justified; for, tn
!, seeded States we're still in the Union, the,
: were entitled to I'LL the immunities which tn
general government could extend to its sub
5ects elsewhere. He was free to acknowlcdg
that on mnny Of the questions at issue be
9 tween the North and the South, his sympa
thics were with tho Sonth. If this were
= war between tbs two sections merely, h
such such was not the csse. Il va
simply var resulting from an al
e tempt on the part of the government to pu
e down it's own rcbellious subjects. E1eye
a States had seceedcd-tlcre was no usc In d.
~ nying that fact. It was absurd to say that b
Il cause State could not secede legally, it la
s. not secccded at all, for those eleven States ha
a gone ont, and were now no mora In th
= Union than If they had never belonged to Il
J But while certain States had ecceded frol
II the Union, IT was Impossible for them t
e gel: bey6nd the Jurisdiction Of u u