The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1864-09-22
NUMBER s.

fairs 1t was not the tax on tea. In a
pecuniary sense, that the people objected
to so much, but it was the principle involved
which caused the revolution. Had Eng
land guaranteed to them this right, in all
probability, the colonies to this day would
have remained part of the British Em-
pire.
The writer will make this prediction:
That unless the people of the States. aIs
allowed to MAKE laws in relation to7their
internal or domestic affairs that war will
occur often and be interminabe This
matter then, Of State rights Is a thing Of
the first Importance to the people of this
country The Federal Government may
be said to be supreme, but it is great
mistake to suppose that it is possessed OF
uncomfortable powers.
The people of the colonies held only
charters. or grants from the British crown,
giving them the right to occupy certain
portions of this continent yet they claimed
the God given right to make all laws in
regayd 10 their domestic welfare The
Colonies may be said to have borne the
same relation to the English Government
that the states now bear to the General
Government, with this exception: The
British nation possessed governmental
powers independent of and anterior to the
settlement of the Colonies; and all the
governmental powers possessed by the
people of the Colonies seems to have come
by and through the English Government
While on the other hand. the States are
1 Il -
did possess sovereign powers before the
Constitution ana Federal Government had
an existence; and all the powers possessed
by our National Government were derived
from and through the States To make
the matter plain. it should be borne in
mind, that the Declaration ofindepcndeucc
declared that the Colonies were of right
and ought to be free and Independent
States and subsequently, England, in the
treaty of peace did recognize each State,
naming them seve.ally, to be independent
States. Now the question arises, werc
these Colonies, or States, possessed of SOW
ercignty at the time of the signing of the
Treaty Of Peace? They surely were; and
it should be borne in mind that the treaty
of peace took place before the adoption of
our present Constitution and Union.
The States made the Union. and not the
! Union the States
1t does seem to the writer that there is
no fact in history better established than
that all the rights and powers possessed
by the Federal Government were derived
from and through the States. All sensible
men must admit that it takes sovereign
power to make. amend or ratify conSti-
tution. The national government possess
cs N such power, and is therefore not soy
ercign. 1t took nine of the original thir-
teen States to ratify the Federal Constitu.
ton; and no amendment can be made to
the Constitution unless ratified by three
! fourths of al the States. and be it remem-
bercd that three fourths of the smaller
States though containing 4 minority of
the population of the Union.) r4ay make
amendments to the Constitution against
the wish and will of majority of the pco-
! pie inhabiting tie larger Safes The
little State OF Rhode Island in consequence
OF its sovereignty. gives the same vote in
amending or ratifying the Constitution of
the Cnited States As the State OF New
York
To deprive the States of their eaality
and sovereignty would at once produce
utter confusion and ruin to our whole svs-
tenn of government.
The maintenance inyiolatc Of the rights
Of the States, and especially of each State
to order and control It's own domestic
institutions according to Its own judgment
exclusively. is essential to tnat balance of
power on which the perfection and endur-
ance ofour political fabric depends -
The above was Republican doctrine in
1860. but not now
The sooner the people understand the
great truth t.iat the States possess original
and inherent powers, which have never
been delegated to the Federal Gov ernment,
the better it will be for them
The writer would not have the reader
believe that the States possess uncon-
trollablc powers. Far fromit The States
are forbidden. by the Constitution. from
exercising any Of those rights and power,
which have been delegated the Federal
Government, and which are specified in
the Constitution Nor, on the other hand
should the national Government encroach
on any of the reserved rights and powers
of States There need be no conflict
Peace and harmony would be the result
of the Federal and State governments, each
and all Keeping within their due and prop
cr sphere of action.
All laws passed by Congress, in pur-
suancc of the Constitution should be re-
spectcd and obeyed by the States and peo-
pie and all the rights of the people and of
the States should be respected and pro-
tectcd by Federal authority: When this
is done, the sure foundation for a pcrma-
nent peace will have been accomplished.
UNION.
The nomination of Mcclellan is very
offensive to two partieS-abolition traitors
in the North and rebel traitors in the
South. Commenting on the nomination Of
McClellcn and pendlcton, the Richmond
Sentinel says:
The only practical moral VIC can draw
from al this is. that the Confederate STATES
never had more urgent need of an effective
army and a diligent conscription. and Wig