The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1863-08-14
FACTS FOR THE PEOPLE.
History that Every Man Should
Understand.

ocratic party desired is the Union of
1888. That Union was composed of
such States as chose, of their own ac-
cord and voluntary free will, to belong
to it. 1t did not contain any State that
was brought in by force. Rhode Island
refused to come ir for two years after
the Constitution was framed During
that time she was independent nation by
herself. North Carolina for year did
not join. Our Revolutionary fathers
used no force to compel them to come
in. They let them alone, and in due
time they knocked for admission into the
Confederacy. The only American Dem
ocratic idea Of Union rests upon volun-
tary consent. Those who oppose it are
monsrchists-are in favor of despotism.
They believe in such Unions as exist be-
tween England and ireland, between
Russia and Poland, between Austria
and Hungary Such a Union is with.
out glory and without value. Give US
''the Old Union as it was" in 1889.
2. The Union was not framed by the
people of the United States in their ag.
gregate capacity. 1t was formed by the
States. The States conferred together
as independent nations in the Conven.
tion Of 1887. Each State, on all prop.
ositions, gave but one vote, whether it
was large or small State. The Con-
federation they formed was adopted by
each State, acting for itself, in State
Legislature or State Convention. 1t
was to go into effect when nine States
ratified it, and it was only to be bind.
ing upon those States which chose to
come in.
8. The States, not the people of the
United States, made the Federal com.
pact. They stipulated that the Federal
Tor common) Government could exercise
no powers that were expressly delegated
to it, remained to the States and TO the
people. Hence, the United States,
when it commits acts not delegated to
it by the States, transcends its powers
and its acts are void and of no effect
and in the language of the Virginia and
Kentucky Resolutions of 1898, written
by Thomas Jefferson, the author of the
Declaration of Independence and the
father of the Democratic party, each
State was to be the sole and exclusive
Judge of the mode and manner of re.
dress it was to adopt. These resolutions
have been adopted by every Democratic
National Convention that ever assem-.
bled in the United States as an essential
article Of the Democratic creed.
The General Government is political
agency, and the States are the princ.
pals, and exercise most of the high SOY.
ereign powers. The States are the ere.
ative and the Federal Government is the
created, exercising only granted or de.
rivative powers.
4. In the Convention which made the
Federal Constitution, it was proposed,
two or three times, to clothe the Federal
Government with power to coerce o de.
linquent State to perform its obligations
This was voted down, every State being
opposed to it, 1t was denounced by
james Madison and other prominent
members, and was unanimously rejected.
[For proof see Madison's papers and
Elliott's debates of the Convention. +
The ground taken was that it would
lead to war between the Federal Gov.
ernment and the States, and that would
be fatal to the duration of the Confed.
eracy.
S. The preservation of our liberties
does not depend upon the Federal Gov.
eminent, but upon the existence, in all
their powers and might, of the State
governments. If the government at
Washington should disappear in night
it would necessarily produce no anarchy,
no destruction of freedom in Ohio. Our
lives, liberty and property are protected
by the State Governments, and not by
the Federal.
6. The Government Of the Union OF
the Confederation is not lost or affected
in any way by the retirement of States
from it. A dozen States might 20 out,
but the Fede.al relations between the
remaining States would be undisturbed
If man who had farm of two hun.
dred acres, should lose fifty or one hun
dred acres, he would still have farm
not quite so large as before, but it still
would be good farm. The Union at
first had but eleven States. 1t did not
include the mouth of the Mississippi. -
That was acquired under Democratic
rule, and the States were increased to
thirty,four.
I. The general idea of the Federal
Union was that the States should be one
as respects foreign affairs, but separate
and distinct in all matters of local or
domestic concern. No powers were
delegated to the Federal Government
by the States except those that bore on
foreign affairs.
b. before the present Union was
formed, in 1881, there was a confedera.
tion between the States, adopted In
lT76, entitled the Articles of Confeder.
alton. These articles we're declared to
be perpetual, but they lasted only de.
cade of years, when most of the States
broke it up. Under those ARTICLES" we
had mp President, and but oee House Of
Congress. In that House all votes were
taken by States, and each State had but
one vote. The Executive powers of the
country we're lodged in committees of
Congress. This kind of Federal Gov.
ernment carried us successfully through
the war Of the Revolution. 1t would
not probably have been changed had it