Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-04-15
State seEerelgntyv--A HAT In LegIe
for Kentucky Politicians.

WAsaESGToS, April ;.
Il isan old saying that names are
things, saying 50 old that most peo.
pie forget It We called States "soYer-
sign," and they became 80, the result
being secession and Civil War, whose
end no man sees. The name became
thing; and yer we hass always forgot
tsnit
Ii was the other day that Governor
Parker, Of New Jersey, in message 10
the LegeslatHre about the Candsa /
Amboy monopoly, dared 10 repeat the
old phrase, snd fell back upon the 'soy
ersignty Of New Jersey General Gar
field, 10 the course OF bis speech On the
bill to do away with this monopoly, took
up this assumption, and exposed it so
handsomely ,hA. yoar readers will thank
me for quoting. After reeiting the
terms Of tie message, be said:
Mr.. Speaker, this lifts our subject
above corporations and mouopohes 10
fall height OF a natsonal question; might
almost call il question Of loyalty or
disloyalty. have only 70 say in regard
TO the language Of this proclamation that
il His Excelleney had consulted Calhoun
aud his resolutions Of 1888 be would have
found its doctrines stated much more
ably and elegant lie calls upon the
Legislature Of New JERSEY to inquire
whether this bill viii take away any Of
the revenue Of the State, and how il wiIl
affect the sovereign rights Of fNew Jersey.
He says Nese Jersey IL sopereiga
STATE. pause there for moment
Mr.. Coleridge somewhere says that ab-
straet definitions have done more harm
in the world than plague and famine
aud war believe IL | believe that
no man will ever be able to chronicls ali
the evils that have resulted 20 this IA.
4ion from the abuse Of the words .'soy-
ereign aad ''soveFeignty. What Is
this thing called State sovereignty
Consult. the elementary textbooks Of
law aud refresh your recollection Of the
de6niiion Of sovereignty Speaking of
the sovereignty Of nations, Blackstone
says
However they began, By what rizh,
soever they sabsist, there is and must
be ia all Of them 9 sapreme irresistabls, !
absolute, uncontrolled authority in whieh 4
the jHra sHBsmf fmpsrii or rights Of SOW /
ereignty reside
DO these elements belong 10 any /
State Of this Repnbiie2 Sovereignty I
has the right to declare war Can New I
Jersey declare war7 Il has the right TO /
eonelude peace Can Nez Jersey con /
clude peaea7 Sovereignty has tie right .
TO coin money fthe Legislature Of New
Jeraey should authorize and command
ono OF Its citizens 10 coin = half dollar.
that mao if he made il though il should
Be OF solid silver, would BE locked up in !
felons cell, for the crime Of counterfeit
ing the coin OF the real sovereign, A SOY.
srsiRn has the right TO make treaties with
foreign nations Has New Jersey the
right 10 make treatiesg Sovereignty l.
clothed with the right 10 regulate com
merce with foreign States New Jerrsy
has no such right Sovereignty has the
right TO pat ships ia commission upon
the high seas should a ship set sail
under the authority Of New Jersey IL
would be seized As asuagglsr. forfeited
and sold Sovereignty has flag Bat.
thank God, new Jersey has no flag
Ohio has no hag No loyal State fights
under the "lono star, tha "ratslesnake,
or the palmetto tree No loyal State
Of this Union has any fiaz. bot "the bau.
ner Of beauty aud glory, the aag Of the
Union. These are the Indispensable ei-
ements Of sovereignty. New Jersey has
nos one OF them The term can not BE-
applied to the separate States except
in very limited sense, referring mainly
70 municipal aud police regulations.
The rights of the States should be ieal-
ously guarded and defended But to
claim that sovereignty IN its full sense
and meaning belongs to the States, is
nothing better than the rankest treason.
Look again at this document OF the
Government Of Nsw Jersey he tells
ycu that the State entered into the ma
tional compact National compact
bad supposed that no Governor Of log
al State would parade this dogma Of
notification and secession which was
killed and barred By Webster on the 10th
Of FEBRUARY, 1888. There was no such
thing rs G sovereign State making a
compact called Constitution. The very
language of The Constitution is decisive;
"We, the people Of the United States,
do ordain and establish this Constitution
Tie States did not make q com pact to
be broken when any one pleased, but the
people ordained and established tie Con-
ssitution of q sovereign republic; and
woe be to any corporation or State that
raises lis hand against the majesty and
power Of this great nation.
1t would certainly be hard TO find
anything clearer or more convincing. Aud
yet. even good men still forget themslves
so far, (witness Kentuekey, for sxanple)
as to talk about State Sovereignty
AGATE.