The Goodhue volunteer. [volume] (Red Wing, Goodhue County, Minn.) 1861-1864, 1863-10-28
A New. Doctrine.

A class Of politicians who would like to
tarn the current Of events into tho channel
Of their own peculiar views, are just now
tn wing heaven and earth, so 70 speak, to
change thu policy, and perhaps the destiny
Of the Government, in relation TO tho tor.
'ible rebellion now raging 10 the South:
The theory Of the Government is, that no
State has the legal right or power, to secede
from, the rest, that tho pretended ordinan
ces Of secession Of those States that pre-
tend to have seeded, are entirely void
that this is simply = rebellion of the peo-
pie Of those States, and to reduce them to
submission to the just authority Of tho
Federal Government, tho army Of the Fed
eral Government has bssn called into requi.
sition. Such is the theory of the Govern
mont, and from that theory it has never
yet departed.
These new lights-thess latter-day poll
ticians, however. have found now theory,
more in consonance with tAeif own desires.
They fear that il the rebellion is ended and
the Southern States permitted to resume
their place in the sistsrhood Of States, a
certain prsponderance Of political power
which they think they now hold, will be
shifted 'ats other quarters. and TINY seek
to provide against that e1isency. by push
ing those rebsllious States entirely out Of
the Union. They assume the ground that
by seeding, the States forfeit all their rights
even that Of remaining in the Union
Charles Sumner, and n. s. Wilkinson, are
prominent advocates of this doctrine
Their argument is, that in each State the
people owe double allegiance; the first
primary allegiance to the government Of
the United States, and the second, second.
airy allegiance 10 their own State; that their
own State government cannot require its
people to commit any act in derogation OF
their allegiance to the United States Gov
crnment. II it do, their first and highest
duty being to the general government, they
Are bound to disregard their own State gov ..
ersment, and cleavs to that Of the nation.
The State laws being in violation Of,
and antagonestic to, the general Govern
ment is void, and the people Of the State is
without any State government, but owe on
~ their primary allegiance to the national
Government, like The people of an unor
gained territory.
This as as nearly as We can state the case
in brief manner. without any Of their
documents or speeches " before US for
reference.
Having entirely annihilatcd the State,
they seek to provide measures whereby it
may again become . State in the Union, in
to the labyrinth of which we do not now
propose to follow them. We wish simply
to note the striking agreement between
these men. and the 1sb.ls themselves, in
one particular Both act upon tho basis Of
an actual secession having taken place.
Then both are secessionists Ono in prac
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log the fact. For, the rebellious States
are either States, or they are not States. II
they are States, they are such, either in or
out Of the Union. II they arc States in
tho Union [as VI claim they are) then their
ordinances Of secession were only nulities
standing upon their statute books, like any
other unconstitutional law. dead letter.
And it is the people only. and no. tho
States that are in rebellion. People hav.
the power to rebel in fact but the p,op|e
have no power to cause State as such to
rebel. >~ =" = .
If tbey ars States out Of the Union, they
became 20 BY virtue q their ordnance Of %.
cession and il thsre was sufficient v,lidi
'ty in single one Of those secession srdinan.
ess, to carry State out Of The Union.
that ordinance will: retain it, VALIDITY
aher The STATE Is cot And aiter he
State i out q tho Union, 70 wsuld like to
ask how the Constitution can - 10 force