Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-06-24
Oh StauSar1,
For the Standard.
THE RIGHT OF SECESSION.

that its aavOcatesthe original secessionstS las IL still
the question: with the vain hope Of satisfying their
consciences and their deluded victims that such rig
existed under the Consultation Of the United States
s5 Especially mag this be said of their recognized hea
m President Davis In almost every State paper that
emanated from his since he was just elected Preside
Of the Proysional government Of the Consde!ate STAT
he has devoted less space to the discussion of tn
question. In his last message to Congress- which is Il
most elaborate the ablest of all his he has
.oed considerable space to it athouSh nearly OF qa
by the cotton Stdtes In that message ne makes
discovery which it is to be hoped will forever sss at eas
his conscience if it does not snstT bis oiioWers
discovery Of which he may justly claim to be the origin
author; and which entirely escaped the OF
the great minds of the Revolutionary era and which neve
attracted the attention of any of the great American states
men who have lived since that ms and therefore to som
extent usfes the remark of George Saunders that he
the creates. Of all American statesmen past or present
In that message he makes the grand discovery, not ONLY
that the right etted but that has actually ee eec,st
before in the history Of the United states IN tina
message he gayey tells that in the year 1852 eleven oil
the then United States, becoming dissatisfied with the
Constitution as it then was seeded from the Union and
established the present Constitution Of the United states
cesion of portion Of the Southern States In sS land
which act on the part of said eleven States he holds to
upsd ns S hate
that the Presidents premises ,oere correct he had
forever set the question at rest and that there no Longer
least of ali Confederate governments / began to hope
that NV own doubts on that question might be removed
that might the whole matter in light different from
that in which had heretofore viewed it that might be-
satisfied that the secessonsts Of the South were not
in any way responsible for the dreadful war, which IS now
desotng proud and happy country bat that it
dent nation against another nation equally independent
and with equal rights to its independence for the purpose,
of conquest and dominion.
original secessionis upon trust turned to the history of
the Constitution of the United States aud of Revou
tonary which had not read for some years. in the
hope that it would sustain the President. But des
tined to sore disappointment-a my fond hopes were
dashed the ground My researches not only proved
contestiby to my mind that h great statesmen and pa
such right but that the great and paramount object
which the wise statesmen who assembled at Philadelphia
in May 1884, and in the d6ereut State conventions be-
tween that time and March, 1885, had in view was not to dis
solve but to "conso.itase" aad pressrus the Union.
In order prove that the idea of secession from the
confederation for the purpose of forming new govern
Constitution of the United States but that their object
to consolidate and preserve the Union then estst-
s2 and that their proceedings were in accordance with
the provisions of the Constitution for amending the same
let facts be submitted to candid public; let the record
speak, and if it not only fails to sustain the PRESIDENT but
conyicts him of gross error the fault is his own.
simultaneously with, and consequent upon the Decara-
ton of Independence, provision for adequate national
government bec,me so msnfesy indispensable that on
the 18th day of june l776 it resolved by Congress
that committee be appointed to prepare and digest the
form of confederation to be entered into between the
colonies. And after due deberation, the articles of Con
aa1 were agreed to in on the Ssh Of mo-
States 1t until the LIST Of March, l7sl, these Ar
tces fully ratified and sooner were they ratified
and indeed before they had been rafed-than It was
found that the powers conferred by them upon Congress
were totally inadequate to the indispensable purposes OF
national government Thedefects first became apparent
In the want of necessary OF raising revenue and
next in the absence Of power to regulate copro the
foreign trade and of the country and the Sd
of February 1871, member from New jersey moved
ions Of the 18th Article of the Confederation, that Con-
gress be vested with additional powers to provide means
for paying the public debt and prosecuting the existing
Island this grant Of power and consequently
it not made In the Congress of the Confederation
On Monday December 10TH 1882 an elaborate report was
Madison and Mr. Fzsimmons in the shape OF an address,
the object Of which to induce Rhode Island to recon-
slider her refusal, but it failed of success
The subject again brought up in Congress on the
18th of April l753 when resolutions were passed recon-
mendng to the several States to invest the Congress with
certain specified f.. raising revenue to restore and
transmitted to the sevefd States With address, pre-
pared BY committee, consisting Of Mr.. Madison, Mr. Ellis
26th Of April 1883 The action of the States being exceed
fngy tardy the matter again brought in Congress
the soh Of April 1854 On that day Congress TOOK into
Messrs Gerry Reed williamson Chase and Jefferson to
whom referred sundry letters and papers relative
commercial matters, and came to the following resou
Rssolued That it be- and it hereby is, recommended
70 the Legislatures of the several States vest the United
States in Congress assembled for the term Of fifteen years.
with power prohibit any goods wares or merchandise,
from being imported into, exported FROM any of the
States in vessels belonging to- navgated by, the SUBJ
ecs OF any power with whom these States shall not have
Reoloed That it be- and it is hereby recommended to
the of the several States to vest the United
with the power of prohibiting the subjects of any foreign
Kingdom or Empire unless authorized by treaty. from
importing into the United States any goods wares
chandse which not the produce manufacture of the
of the Sovereign whose subjects they are Pro-
cded That to all acts of the United States in Congress
Of the above powers the assent of
The Consent Of all the States being necessary to vest
congress with the powers required and but few of the
States having given that power the subject again
sdered Congress July the 18TH 1885 On that day Con-
gress agreed to report of committee consisting of
Messrs Monroe SpaIght. Houston, johnson and King,
ts nn 70 Obtain the by an amendaent
gess the power of regulating trade &C. Similar proceed
ngs to the foregoing had in Congress of the Coned
grafton at different times in the year 1885, but it
necessary to enable the government regulate
Faoe and commerce. and collect adequate to the
Of the national treasury It, therefore, became
evident that other plan must be adopted in order to
the conflicting views and interests Of the differ.
mt States plan finally fallen upon which had been
July, 1882 The Legislature of that State then adopted
eres OF resolutions Of which the following the closing
Resoued That it appears to this Legislature that the
Clegong important ends can never be attained by partial
Of the States separately bat that il is es
sna 70 the common welfare thatthere should be
possible conferences Of the whole the subject and
hat it would be advisable for this purpose to propose to
congress to recommend and to each State to adopt the
OF assembling general Convention of the States
Peca authorized to rsose and amend the Confedera.
a9a rsse!vng right to the respective Legislatures to
virginia was the first State to appoint Commissioners
Of shat purpose On the 18th Of September 1885, Com
nassloners from the States of New York New Jersey
ennsyivana Delaware and Virgins assembled at Gnnan
,s IN the State OF Maryland As amsory of the States
we're not represented at this conference the Commission
ts did not deem it exPedent go into the business for
snen they had assembled but after full interchange of
sentiments and deliberate consideration of what would he
proper to b done they issued able and elaborate a
so transmitted to the Executives Of the other States and
the United States in Congress assembled From this
ddress appears that four Of the States had authorized
heir Commissioners to meet such Commissioners as
zere or might be appointed by the other States in the
Jmon to take into consideration the trade and comerca
Bned States to consider how far an uniform sys
In their commercial intercourse and regulations might
)e necessary to their