, 1864-02-08
ONE PEOPLE, ONE CoUNTRY.

OhE EN0FkIzs ONE COUNTRY
The hercsy of State Sovereignty has beer
made to appear plausible aud trnc, by per
vrltcd and fa1se history Of the country
Tie Insertion has been SO pcrsistcntl5 ani
boldly made, that the present Federal Gov
eminent was formed BY the free and volun
t2.y action Of the Sovereign States. sending
Delegates to convention for That purpose
thai many people Infer from this statement
1.ct the Federal Government is the creature
OF the States; and that whenever the Slater
choose they can unmake it by the same
authority that they made it. The method o1
proceeding is supposed to have been that o,
compact or mutua1 agreement between Sow
clelgn States; there necessarily resulting to
csch State, By virtue Of its Sovereignty the
night to decide Us to any inftaction Of the
compact It is taken for granted in all this
reasoning that the ststcs were, pre-
yious to the adoption of the
Constitution, separate Sovcreignties, and
aaDJ people suppose this to have been the
f&ct; but II we look At the history Of the
country previous to the formation Of the
present Union, We Shall find that this was
ntycr the fact There has never been time
since the beginning Of civil governments
among us, that the population In any one Of
the districts now known ms States, ever ex-
crciscd the rights OF Sovereignty. The as
Ecrtion fe one that has no basis in fnct, while
the exact opposite is true; that is, whenever
there has been any Sovereignty existing in
The States, It has always been in the United
States, and never In separate State.
It is plain that when this country was sub
jcct to Great Britain there was no sovereign
power In it. The colonies were subject to the
Kiog as their sovereign, until the 4th Of July,
l7s6. On tint day they declared their indie
1cndcnce, and claimed that these "united
colonies arc and of.right ought to be free and
independent" They regarded themselves
not as distinct and separate States, bnt as one
nnt1on and one people. The Declaration says,
When In tho course Of human cTeots it be-
comes necessary for ore people to dissolve The
political bauds," DC. This instrument did
not make thirteen separate State sovereign
Tics, but one nation and one people. When
Great Britain recognized our Independence
she recognized us as one nation; We have al
ways been known to other nations rs one ua.
ton; and there has never been time, either
before or SIN &C thc adoption Of the Coustitu-
ton, when any separate State has acted as
sovereignty ut home or abroad, or been recos-
nizcd at home or abroad, as nation.
L broad and profound scnsc Of nationality
has always characterized the people OF this
country. 1tisa sentiment that always springs
up in the breast of people that have grelt |
destiny to accomplish. It is both IN inspira-
tion and prophecy; 1t brcathes into people |
TIE 1oftiest ambition and the noblest courage:
1t clothes them with resistleas power, and is |
the only source Of permanent greatness and |
glory. This sentiment his expressed itself |
always among our people. Its strong and |
healthy influence has been felt from the very
first, and all the great things that have been
dore by MS have been done as one people. Il !
was thus VIC fought the battles Of the \
it Was thus, rs ono people, We 4
achieved our Independence; It WINS as one |
people VIC ordained and established The Con
and If We succeed in crushing the |
end Saving the country now, 1t viii
be because we are united people Tor that
great end. During the colonial times, this
feeling tlat they were all ono people In and |
through Great Britain, the mother country,
was one Of the dearest and most cherished
sentiments Of the people; md when the sep
arstion took place, it mas not into sundered
and hostile array Of statcs but into a closer
and flrmcr union among themselves Of one
uation, people and sorercignty. The supreme
which they Ill ackno HledgcJ as
colonies to be In the Throne, they now all rs
States and people acknowledged to be In the
of the Union, to which hence
or.L ali their allegiance WIS due. The soye-