The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1863-12-11
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What is the Republic?


A strange hallucina.ion seems to have pos !
sessed the minds of some people, to the effect
that the "Union' is the parent, master and ru-
Ter of the States, that the States exist only by
virtue of powers granted them by the ''Union"
and that when the 'Union" eeases to be, the
States are obliteracd and s'chaos is come again."
Now, if this were true the State Government
of Pennsylvania would, even at this day, be
nullty, for it is admitted. by the very men who
hold the views Just referred to, that the "Unon"
no longer exists, nay more, it is stoutiy NAM
tained by them that the ''Union' can never be
restored. But these doctrines are false. The
history Of our country refutes them. The States
existed before there was any "Union." 1t was
by separate State action that the Republic was
established. (We say Republic, because criti-
cally and legally speaking the "Republic of the
United States Of America" is the only proper
name of our Conveniently Before the sepa-
rate action of the individual States which sent
delegates to the Constitutional Convention, the
Republic, for which ssThe Union," in our day,
is a pet name, did not exist. The delegates of
the several States met together and adopted the
Federal Constitution, by which the Republic
was formed, in which the powers Of the FEEDER
al Govenmere are defined and through which
the several States are held together in the form
of nationality. Thus by the separate State ac-
.tion that sent delegates to the Convention which
framed the Federal Constitution and by the ul-
innate individual action of the States which rat
fled the adoption of the Constitution, union
of the States, for mutual protection and defence,
was established. Hence, the States are the Gre
ators of the Republic-the parents OF the GU
nionp- and not rice yersa, as the defenders Of
the estate Suicide doctrine would have US be-
.lieve. And this is the simple naked truth of
plain, uuvarnished history. Politics have moth
ing to do with it. 1t is merely q Jast What,
then, is the Republic? Whittier shall we go for
an answer to this question? Must we not look
to the Federal Constitution, the charter granted
to the Federal Government, by separate State
action, fof the solution of the problems To that
instrument alone can we refer for light upon
this subject. Thsre the political geography of
the Republic is clearly mapped out, and its metes
and bounds marked with unmistakable distinct
ness. Therefore, WI, 6nd that the Republic is
the Government authorized By The Federal Const'-
tuition, which was forme! by the separate action
of the several States. Beyond this, there is
not nor has there been, since the first Presden-
cy of Washington, any othe' government Tor
the United States of America. Hence the Con-
stauton and the Republic are conv, ,ertibse terms,
and the former being the creature OF the States,
the existence of the latter must, of co, use sisc
be referred to the same creative agency. ibis
being the case, it follows, that though tho Fed
ersl Government may be overturned and the
union between the States disrupted, yet the,
States themselves remain intact, their individu-
ality never having been merged in their creature,
the Republic. .