Litchfield enquirer., 1863-03-12


 and are still entitled to be considered as lawful members of the Confederasy. Coupled with the msaly mouthed assertion of the third reso
 lution. that secession is heresy nndeEned aad unwarranted by the Constitution, it places it's authors in the absurd position of branding secession as g crime, and, in the same breath, denying that the government has the right te punish or to attempt. to prevent it. It is a
 fiat denial of the constitutionality of the law of self preservation Such wisdom introduces the Democratic platform to our notice What
 wonder, then, that the platform is so con structed, that, if one plank attempts to sup port itself upon another. the whole must fall into irremcdiablc ruin. |. Let us examine some of the inconsistencies aud absurdities of this insane epitome sf Con- necticut Democracy. The first resolution is a bold and bare statement that " the States are eo,eqsalin sovereignty and power, indepen- dent in their separate organizations, and re- serving to each all rights not granted by the Constitution to the central Government"
 The equality of the States we do not dis pute, nor their independence upon each other :; but We deny that they arc independent in their relations to the central Government, or that they possess reserved rights, si. e., those not expressly defined by the same Constitution tha, defines the rights of the central Government. The Constitution confsrs certain rights upon the central Government, and of course confers the powers necessary to maintain those rights Where can that power be found, if the States are in possession of reserved rights no definitely announced in the Con onstitution.- The States themselves would be the highest tribunal for adjudication upon their own as stunned rights, and all idea of a permanent Union would be simply impossible. This doc- urine was first started by Calhoun, the great father of the idea of secession and nullifi ca. tion, and it's only possible use is to aid in the disin tsgration of the nation and its govern. ment. l, forms the only basis upon which any attempt has ever been made to justify seces- sion, and this is the only service: 10 which it has ever been put. Its insertion, therefore, in these resolutions, at this time, is simply and solely to give aid and comfort to tho enemies of the coantry, and is treason, bold undeniable treason. Its only possible ghect is to array the Democracy of the State openly upon the side of treason. In view of this bold asser. tion of the only recognized and vaunted basis of secession, what force is there ill the hypo- thetical statement of the third resolution that while we denounce the heresy of secession us undeiended and unwarranted by the Consti- tution,' coupled as it is, with the declaration that " the time has now arrived when all true lovers of the Constitution are ready to give up the " monstrous .tallacy," that the Union can be restored by force of arms?" (Thank God l! this is not true.) Is it anything but political clap-trap-the first clause anything but the sugar-eoating, designed to disguise the bitter pill administered in its complementary clause In this connection, too. what means the men, ace in the second resolution, of the energetic use of State authority" against the central Government? Is the State to be arrayed against the nation? In what respect then are we better than the States already in arms against the national authorities? Their trea- son is in arms, and CUTS only waits the oppor- tunity Of Democratic victory to join the un- holy crusade.
 Having thus proclaimed tho unconstitution- allty of our contest in self defence and for selfpreservation, and having laid down as constitutional principle the sole chosen basis of secession, the progress is easy to the as- sertion that " the Democracy of Connecticut, sympathizing with tkcir Conservative brsth- rent Cox. vallaudigham. Fernando Wood and his riotous lobby, the noble plug uglies" that guard the right of ballot in the Pennsyl- vania Legislature, Set i'd omne g-nus) of the Middle and Western States, pledge themselves to unite in all honorable measures having iu view the cessation of hostilities between North and South." #
 How much honor can there be in any meas ures peace proposed by men, who deny the justice of our contest? What does peace mean, when both parties are willing to see the Government disintegrated and destroyed, rath- CT than that it should be saved during an Ad- ministration politically opposed to Them :? !. Honorable peace" means simply peace on the best terms that we can get;n it means the humiliation of the free North, before the shareholders of the South; it means the de- strac,ion of the whole authority and power of the central Government; it means the dissolu. ten of the old Union aud the resurrection of its. .ehost without vitality or sselfsustaining pewer i, means the abrogation of the Consti- tutioa and the enthronement of legalized An archy. For, Democratic leaders have told us time and time again, that the real point at issue in this contest.is the doctrine of State Rights, and that Slayevy and all similar issues are secondary and even unnatarally forced into |it, Their first resolution asserts this doctrine f