Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-04-16

IT, through series Of sccretoOs traditional constitution
which in the Of few centuries will rpen into
solid organism exactly suited to the needs aud instincts
the people
The final good however, is not attained without man
alterations between failure and success the vibrations
the needle before it ties upon its true point 1t is ou
reached through occasional struggles turbulent conflict
sometimes and sometimes great commissions. The ordi
nary process Of national development is, in the main
peaceable. A century of progress may go without
war; but epochs emerge later when disputed de
mands into the Of debate and opposing idea
assert themselves in No nation has reached it
highest term Of manifestation without resort TO the fierce
arbitrament of the sword and many field of blood.
This seems to be the normal law Of human society, BY
which it ordained that Governments shall arrive at he
greatest capabity through of strife and suffering
The snews of nations strengthened by conflict and
their virtues nourished by the discipline Of pain and
row. We at this day passing through of these
dreadful probations.
think any man trained in the study Of history might
have predicted that at whatever period in natona
career the doctrine of constitutional right the part
State peaceaby and its pleasure, to secede from
the compact of the Union, seriously asserted and at
tempted to be exercised by party in the country by
produce conflict of Whatever might be the ques
ton upon which the claimant should choose to institute
this proceeding-wheher commercial tars slavery
domestic foreign policy any mere project of am-
btion it matters not whathe enterprise would be felt
throughout the nation endeavor to nterpolate
and momentous principle into the structure Of the Gov
ernmen and would invoke the most determined resistance
from every who cherished regard for the nationality
of the Union He would look upon it revolutionary
attempt to annhilae scheme of government endeared
to him equally by its unaing and profuse benecence,
and the in which he accustomed to hold the
wisdom of the fathers Of his country Such enterprise,
if it could not be defeated by argument aud persuasion
would array the parties in such angry anagonsm as to
drive them, when the of secession
sayed into the collision of battle If the advocates of the
principle should succeed in that battle the old government
would dappear entire order of things would arise,
and history would be furnished with one example of
disrupted empire and fragment communities settling into
forms warning through ages Of changsfu disorder
IT, the other hand the nnovators should be overthrown
the Constitution would forth purified and renovated
by the ordeal and would strike with deeper root into the
soil of the national faith and take sturdy growth in
the attachment of the people. think these might have
been the predictions Of any learned student Of the prevail
ing sentiment of the American people, without waiting for
the insight afforded him by the sad realities of the present
day.
For myself do not hesitate to affirm that think this
doctrine of right Of secession intrnscay mischieyous
so incompatible with any national progress, and de-
strucve of all rational hope of peace happiness that
it really had any place in system it should be the first
duty of this generation to get rid of it any cost that
this earnest effort of combined States to paut amongst
the acknowledged rights of the members of the Unon
it worth all the sacrifice of this war; however long
ha hall
may bring u.s. to free posterty from beresy full
of evil to aud to them have heard argument
it's favor to which could accord any kind of respect
After all that is said in it's defence, find nothing
diminish my conviction that it is monstrous anomay-a
most pernicious absurdty. not that any Gov
eminent recognised it, None could recognise and
live suppose founder of Government thought
of it, homogeneous is it with the essential idea of govern
ment itself
look in vain for trace OF this doctrine in early
history. On the contrary the evidence is ample TO my
mind that carefully excluded from any location open
or covert in the Constitution No pretends that the
power to secede is oppressed right in that instrument
1t expresses exactly the negaon of such power and de-
cares that the national law shall be the supreme law Of the
land amy thing in the constitution laws Of any State
the contrary notwithstanding"
Its advocates however, claim it as reserved right in
State They say that the States being sovereign before
they entered into the Union and being the creators of the
Union necessarily retain all their sovereignty, to be
cised whenever they think proper that they only
bound by the Union long they choose to remain
in it.
In to this it is sufficient to remark that
eign State, quite effectively a sovereign man. may
enter into social compact and bind itself forever to the
obligations described 10 the compact: that to say States
may enter into tho relations Of just indiv
duas may. They like individuals, may surrender por
tion Of their liberty OF sefconirol for benefit
This is precisely what the original States did, far
they acted, Safes in forming the Constitution But
combined with this State action in forming the Constitu
ton there another party to the compact
powerful than the Statetbe people of all the States who
designated Themselves 81 the people Of the United
States"-the nation-who the acknowledged repos
tories Of all power both the States and the Ma
tona Government, and who, in that name declared the
supreme law by which both the National and State Gov
ernments to be controlled in the due administration
of the system they proposed to the country Ia short
they the people, created the United States and made them
emphaticaly nation with supreme powers within the
orbit assigned to it.
The question is simply reduced to this Do the United
States constitute NATION do they represent az
eomerate of nations bound together by temporary bond
Of texture so feeble that any may lawfully put
end 10 the combination whenever 1t may find motive to
really to construct temporary alliance OF separate
-