The mountain Democrat., 1864-05-28
=
Democratic state Com mItteE.
Prsn the SsS Yo'G World
Can we Have n Union

What soy. of political entity IL tie
United States: Most persons will Ray,
any child can an>vcr tha, question. II
so, that child is possessed Of :orc Sn0W !.
edge that many bearded men, Iac Pres
ident in his Inaugural showeAN either his
own ignorance Of history, or bis belief in
the universal ignorance Of his fri'oW.citi
zens, when he asserted that the Union
is much cider than the Constitution. =
So far IS that assertion from historical
truth, that the Union from the presidency
Of which Washington retired, to which
President Lincoln refr4s was two years
younger than the Constitution.
As every man Who votes cx, r,l $ gov.
crnment in some degree, it may not br
useless to dcviatc from the consi icration
of the events Of the day to an tXllnina-
tion Of the principles # our system, for
upon those principles and upon ;heir ap,
plicati0n each man will II" called on t.
act, and ought not merely to act but t.
reason.
On the 81 Of July, 1776, the Conti.icn
tai Congress passed this resolution:
Resolved. That The United Colonies are and
VI IIRut bhkht " pt, lTcS ana
states that they are absolvcd from all allie
glance to the British crown, and that all III,
political connection between them and the state
of Great Britain Is and orght to be totally
dissolved.
This resolution was put in form in the
Declaration Of Independence, in whicI
they asserted that they are, and Of righ
ought TO be, free ard Independent states
In 1888, by the treaty Of peace, "hi:
Britanic majesty acHno vledged the sale
United States,viz New Hampshire, Mas
sachuSetts BAY, Rhode Island and Prov
dencc Plantations, Connecticut, New York
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, ,Soutl
Carolina, and Georgia, to!be free and in
dependent states and he treats with then
as such.n
The states were governed by the ol,
articles Of confederation, in which occurs
this clause
The articles Of this confederation shall be in
Tiolably observed by everv state, and th,
Union shall be perpetual. Nnr shall any alter
alton, at any time hereafter, be made in anv o
them, unless snch alteration be agreed TO IN
Congress of the United States, and be after
wards confirmed by the Legislature Of every
state.
IN spite Of this unmistakable veto pow
er in every state, convention in 49,
framed the present Constitution of thu
United States. which provides that thu
ratification Of the conventions of Mint
states shall be sufficient for the establish
cnent Of this Constitution between tn,
states so ratily;ng the -1ae.'
Eleven states ratified the Constitution
and two states were no longer in th,
Union.
The ratifications by conventions was a.
much revolutionary act as the origina
declaration of independence. Luthcl
Martin, who was strongly in favor of tn,
Gid confederation, said with great bitter
ness to the advocates Of the new:
Will you tell Us that we ought to trust yor
oecaose yon now enter into solemn compac
With usl This you have done before, and nov
treat with the utmost contempt. Willyou nov
make aH appeal 20 the Supreme Being, and cal
on Him to guarantee your observance OF thi:
compact? The same you have formerly dont
tor your observance of the articles of c0nfede
ration which you are now violating in the mos
wanton manner. The same reason which vo,
now urge for destroying our present fedora
government, may be urged for a5olishing th,
syStem which you now propose to adopt
IN whatTeSpect, then, did the new diff
Ter from the old system? In this, that tht