Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-04-23
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER
MR.. AMBRosE's LETTERS.
LETTER Nv.
8 &c s SION.

sohoo ba mart of even a plausible theory it's incuca
ton of the right of secession and could admit that II
secured principle which State might, in some possible
find il useful to bring into practice for its
advantage and that contemplating the occurrences
Of such possibility the trainers of the Constitution did
really intend to give it place in their scheme latent
power to be awakened into activity only substitute
Er revolution we should find ourselves arrested at that
point by the remarkable failure of the Constitution to pro-
vide for its execution aud in the total absence OF all
regulation upon this subject should be Obliged TO con-
cude either that this feature of the scheme abandoned
or that in some moment Of drowsy orgetfuness those
VIGOROUSLY viglant and asuts gentlemen whom
accustomed laud the sages Of golden ageWash-
ington Hamilton Franklin, and the resthad withdrawn
from their watch and left their otherwise consummate work
not only unfinished but actually too imperfect to admit of
the first step towards the demonstration of this element
which is said they intended incorporate into the sruc
ure On this matter of secession they preserved silence
SO profound and extraordinarily they had any
seriousness of its exstencea make it the most obscure
and helpless of antiquarian studies to determine, at this
day. whether solitary of that heard the idea
of secession preached, dreamed OF 1T himself.
Nothing difficult to tell when it was fret thought
Of, who originated it, and where it is to be found
Looking to the portentous magnitude of this power to
would produce and the contingencies
it would create it is nconceivabe that Lawmakers of the
most ordinary ssgacty could recognise it existing
principle their scheme of government without devotng
chapter its definition and to the necessary provision
for ts They would have devised ordinances
to meet every category which act Of secession
would have thrown the country They would have pointed
out the mods operandi, the assembling perhaps of
National Convention the of announcement OF the
proposed withdrawal and the arrangement of its cond
tons They would have made rule for the division OF
public property the payment Of debts the modification
of treaties the protection Of private rights the disposal OF
territory and the other matters affecting the
public peace and safety which this destructive process
would call into urgent notice.
To make what it Is claimed to be, peaceab
proceeding would require code of legislation OF the
highest wisdom. Without such legislation its attempt
could be nothing else than turbulent hesdong rush into
a melee of fierce political strife
Now we are to suppose that with all these necessities
and drefu consequences in view, fathers consented
in silence to this malignant power that they delivered to
their postery the great work conded to their aborthe
creation Union designed to be perfect and nearly
perpetual as human wisdom could make t-wh the seeds
of this mortal disease planted in it's heart planted with
their knowledge and approval that they made no provi
sion to mitigate its viruence the pain Of its
stroke; did not even it, but left it silent and Turk
ing poison the inmost depths of the Constitution to de-
stroy the life of the nation whenever occasion might
awaken it into activity We to believe this and then
exat our fathers amongst the beneactors OF mankind
the first founders Of State who had the sagacy to
provide power for the early and swift destruction of
their own work. and to leave that power under the simple
guidance of it's own unreguated discretion present
events interpret it, its own blind passion.
This CONCLUSION s the revolving to when
aect in the light of events disturbing the country by
what dishonest State may be driven to practice
this method Of separation how much It Is at the hazard
Of faction how the proceeding may be procured by forced
vote against the will of the people; how it may be smu
lated by the mad impulses Of day in access OF that
caprcious rage which the passions OF the multitude are
60 easily excited by popular leaders This step once TAKEN
the natural drift Of events makes treyocabe No
day of camer Judgment future repentance of genera
ton weeping the crime Of their ancestors may hapy
find the uncture suitable 10 restoration Or IL that season
to retrieve the error come how mournfuy may it Illus
trate by ts delay the dreadful catastrophe Of plunge
into an abyss which the return only through
ocean Of blood and years Of sorrow
Turning aside these considerations which to be
sufficiently cogent themselves TO settle the question
pose to this letter few remarks upon what regard
as the total the argument by which the advo
Gates the right Of secession generally undertake TO main
tain it, They accustomed to affirm that It egitimatey
results the theory of the original or antecedent sove-
eguty of the States that the States they entered
Lutte sovereignty be resumed by them whenever they in
their own Judgment Of the necessity might think proper to
do So They 90 further than this and, refining upon the
nature Of sovereignty they say that this right to resume
did not require any assertion reserved power but
cessary resulted from the Inherent and inaenabe quality
Of sovereignty that it Of avail 10 the argument to in
ure whether the founders Of the Union had had not
conception Of secession the right to withdraw from the com
pact was still there virtue OF the original sovereignty
and could not be given away by the Slate itself
was something of higher law, kind of divine right far
above the Constitution and Union right which lay IN mn
bbus orn language suitable to its high pretenson-
in the empyreau until il wanted here earth This
the extreme OF the Southern philosophy
the subject The Seeding States have acted this the
ory OF them simply repealed the declaration Of their
assent to the ratification Of the Constitution repealed as
Mr. Everett has well stated it, historical fact'-m-
plying by that act that what fact Of past time
il no longer fact they repealed the fact that in the year
1889 Virginia agreed to into the Unon the terms
proposedau incident repeaable than the
der OF Yorktown The act Of ratification deed not
law it grant Of fealty the United States, which
neither party conceived subject any modi6ca
ton or repeal by any future Legislature convention
Since that day the higher law has been discovered and has
been brought down from its cloudy abodethe deus er
rnaehina--to throw whole continent into confusion
need not say after what have written in my pre-
yous letter that totally dissent from every item in this
summary of the doctrine Of secession but for the present