M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1863-04-30

70 all pure and mani " efforts in de.
tense Of the principles of civil liberty.
| They who indulge in this dangerous
work Of deriding the defenders Of
Constitutional rights can have bnt Q
very inadequate conception Ofthe con.
vuiSiOns that must precede the final
loss Of those rights. They take but O
superficial view of the depth Of those
feeiiDgs which lead men iB all free
countries to resist every form VI mere
arbirrary power. They make no ac-
count ofthe principles implanted in
our breasts, aud cherished into die.
tates Of nature by generations Of
training in the practice Of liberty,
hose principles on which depend the
the primary Office of an opposition In
a Tree Government, and by means of
which all Constitutional rulers are
restrained from abuses of power.
Impatient OF these restraints such
persons rush 20 methods which caD
not be employed without undermining
the foundations OF liberty: and for Q
supposed temporary advantage batter
away the strength and the support,
the vigor and the health Of The BODY
polite. This has been in al ages
the downward course of nations, who
have substituted for free institutions
AID systems Of fundamental law q
blind and unquestioniDg' faith IN pub.
lie necessities, and have then welcom.
ed some despotic power. Thus did
the Roman empire succeed, the reppb.
lie, and thus we may be preparing
ourselves for like destiny. Let us
be warned in time. [Oheers.1
have endeavored to state with due
precision aud fairness one very i'm
portant part Of the conditions Of q
true loyalty. But | should leave this
subject in very imperfect state if /
omitted, on tie other hand, to give
an equal prominence to certain prin.
ciples Of our political system which
limit the mode in which States and
individuals are to'exercise their Con-
StitutiOnal rights ofopposition to the
measures ofthe Federal Government.
have briefly adverted to this. already;
but more e1tendcdatatement of the
principles is necessary. - . Cd.
will assume, then, that O meas
ure having all the forms Of law, is
believed upon good grounds to be O
violation ofthe constitutional rights
of States and individuals. What is
the rule Of action under such circun1-
stances 7 There is no difficulty what
ever in finding au answer. By the
establishment Of judicial system
within the Federal Constitution, hav-
ing ultimate cogniEance Of all cases
arising under the Constitution, one
mode 10 provided by which States
and individuals whether their reserv-
ed rights are invaded by the Federal
authorities. This remedy is at all
times open and there ia no valid
reason why State should forcibly
assert it's constitutional rights any
more than that an individual should
do the same thing. While a State
remains Q member OF the Union it Is
bound to vindicate its constitutional
rights and powers 10 that mode which
is consistent with the preservation OF
that Union; and it can at any time,
under any supposed violation Of its
rights or the rights Of ito people, make
a case for judicial termination. For
cible resistance js open revolution ;
tand nothing but an intolerable oppo.
sition, cutting off all judicial remedy,
can make revolution a necessity and
"a duty. [Great applause.] ""
Agpin; there is another equally
goOd reason, which shows that no
popular tumults and no forcible resis.
tance are either legally or morally
iustifable while the ballo..box re.
mains untouched. If the people Of q
State have reason to believe that
measures OF the Federal Government
are subversiye Of the Constitution, it
is their right and their duty to cor.
rect the evil by a change Of their ~
Hers. [Cheers. ,
In cases Of supposed extensive vio-,
latiOns Of the Constitution, to Which
the attention o. the whole country 10
called, the remedy of elections 10 Ordi-y
narily sufficient to remove erroneous
constructions Of that instrument, as
we'll as errors Of policy. The popular
tribunal may not be quite 90 precise
Fin its action IS the judicial, bnt there
Ecan be 10 mistakiDg the Judgment Of
the people when it is pronounced
upon an issue clearly made with On
Administration which is charged
with infringing the Constitution.--
|[Great applause.l Ft. -"
These pzinciplssno one, Epresune, :
| will Be inclined todispate. But there
is thrust in, 10. intasceps their sppi-
cation to the present crisis in our at'
fairs. a doctrine which ! tor one dis
it;ra,l, ropndiata That doctrine ie.