The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1864-09-08
The Right of ri!~f.Oypfnynpuf

The Right of Sc!!-Govetnment
IT We could sesiousIy believe with JEFF
ferson Davis, In his replies to COlone
Ja9oese, that the SouGn were fighting
for SELF government, we should not only
oppose the war, but take part at once
with the South
But there never was a more gronndIess
and talaclous preteuce Il an this set ut
BY DAVIS and his followers, in excuse OF
the bloody rebellion which they began
aud continue. If the people OF tie South,
from the Revelation to this tine, have
not enjoyed the compIetcst r@hts Of self.
government, thon 10 people in the world
have; certainI 90 people in any of the
American States have; and our whole
pondous sham on record. The peopln OF
New York and Massachusetts have been
no frcer or more independent than they;
we possess 10 rights which they do not
possess; the complaints made by one may
be made with equal pcrtinency and force
by the other; and the >ame reasons which
are alleged to Justify the revolt of South
Carolina might be made to justify a re.
volt by OHIO or Vermont All stand on
the same footing, all are entitled to the
same privileges, none hold or exercise
perogatlvcs Of any sort, or may justly
claim the slightest pre- emincuce OF right
or freedom.
What shameless and prcpostcrous as
sumption IL is, then, to assert that any
part of the nation has been divcstcd Of its
rights of self government by a system SO
just, liberal and beueGcent Yet it is
upon this poor aud sorry fetch that JEFF
tcrson Davis seeks to wash hi hands OF
the oceans Of blood shed in this sanguin
ary war
But what Davis means, if he means
anything beyond the effect OF his words
abroad, Is, that the South demands the
right to resist at will any act of the ted
eraI COu4rcss that may seem to il iuju-
rluus or uuncc, Ssary. Secession at viii,
such as he constitution of the Confcd
cracy provides for-bold, naked. undis
guisrd disanion -constitutcs what l.
termed indrpendcnce, or the right Of
self government In the ordinary ac-
ceptatIOU that right means only he right
to an quail share in the control of the
government, such as we have always held
in this cDuutry, but in the gloss Of the
Shareholders it has deeper significance,
and b comss the right to overturn and
destroy the government, BY either peace
able or violent m"thod,
Now we have greatly mistaken the
people Of the North if they will ever con
sent to incorporate So anarchial and de.
structive a doctrine among their consti
tutioual principles The right of revo
luton, as the last resort If au oppressed
people, of 4 people driven to the extrem
ity Of suffering ty wrongs that can be
aVertcd 10 no other way, they will main
tain they Will maintain it, however, as
an abnormal or irregular method, impos-
Cd by necessity, not choice but the
night to annlhilate constitutions as part
Of the regular political procedure they
never will admit until they have lost
alike their morality aud their wits Put
ting tue issue Of the war, then. upon
Davis ground. we do not see how there
can be any reconciliation we do not see
how any party can propose terms Of
pence, which viii not be, in effect, terms
of di>union, To grant the right of Sc
cesslon is to grant diSunion, and the
South will gain by consent what she now
seeks to gain BY war Is there any party
willing to conccdc This. willing to con
cede principle which would sooner or
later di>integrate the nation, and render
anarchy rule, not an exceptlon2 let
Daris demands no less than this as the
oery condition Of negotiation; We must
recognize bis right to self government,
that is, hi, right to annul any compact
tPenY WIN 9G Us Bat, BY bis own showing,
how can he treat at all with one who con
tends that the right to abrogato com pacts
at will IS the very substance of self gov
crnment N Y Eveniny Post, Auyust
1871
How a,n pD1IM ilupysry. TTur