North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1864-01-13

| the Constitution. Under the lead of Jetier
son and Madison, the one the father Of the
! Declaration of independence and the other of
the Constitution, the Democracy rallied
around the banner of State Sovereignty, de
feated the usurpers and buried Federalism,
So deep that it lay quietly in its grave for
more than sixty years. But now Federalism
has come to the surface again, and is waging
its old war upon State Sovereignty with
| fury and malice that threatens to strike the
sun of liberty out of the sky Of Columbus
This is the paramount object of the war
| Opposition to secession is a secondary matter
| with the party waging the war. They know
| the war is neither a constitutional nor pos
| sible remedy for secession, and they have the
irankness to declare they will never consent
to the restoration of the Union under the
Constitution as it is. Therefore the war is
for disunion, for the overthrow of the Constr
tu'on, ard for the destruction of the sover
eighty Of the States. 1t is as much a war
against the organic being OF the Northern as
of the Southern States. 1t is a war upon
State sovereignty, aud thus far in its progress
it has been much more successful in subvert
ing the sovereignty Of the Northern than Of
the Southern States. Behold the pitabIe
condition of Governor Seymour, of the once
proud sovereign State Of New York, now hu
inflated, sitting disgracod and silent in the
dnst, surrounded by Federal bayonets, its
citizens dragged beyond the jurisdiction and
protection of its courts by Federal officers, its
courts superseded by the President its jais
filling up with Federal prisoners tried by no
jury and sentenced by no court of Justice, but
by military commission at Washington. Do
W men of New Jcrse Y shudder at the humiIi
alton of our sister States? Let us shudder
for ourselves, for we are no better oft. We
to-, are reduced to a military district, in
! which the Federal Government, appoints
creatures TO watch US, who always occupied
| lie social position OF thieves in our midst;
and patient people tnat we are, one head has
answered. fach of these saraps for good many
months now, The State of New Jersey has
ceased TO exist; it is only mi ilitary district.
| What made Us a State? Not the sky above
US not the slopes and glades and fruitful
fields within our borders. Constitution and
avs constituted US a State and these have
been suspended by the Federal Admtmslra
ton, and / can take one or ali of you when
ever it pIeases and send you 10 be the equal
Of negro, or 10 a dugeon.
New Jersey is already just such thing as
| lie Abolitioaists Threatened d To MAKE of each,
Southern State, a Federal colony, or military
district. Mr. Lincoln has succeeded i'll doing
tu Us what he has been unable t. do 10 the
peoplc Of South Carolina, suspend the ha6euS
corpus and abolished trial by jury, in such
cases as he Ilcases. Now, the war ha> been
made the excuse tor all thl> outrage and des
t,ptl>m. But we know this drspnrsm Is rea-
lIy the object of the war Every Jerseyman
- favor Of this war Is a foe TO his own State,
and TO the very principle Of government on
which the Union of the States was founded.
Then, show us Jerseyman who dare be any
thing but Peace man stand him up and let
| Us look at him. Mark him well, for the time
must come when he will be held to an awful
responsibility for the part he has played in
carrying on a war that is confessed to be for
the destruction of the Union, and is knwn to
be fof the overthrow of the rights of the
States. We are opposed to the war, because
we are In favor of the Union as it was and the
Constitution as 1t is, and because We are for
preserving the sovereignty and honor of the
State Of New Jersey-nay, of defending that
sovereignty and honor against whatever pow
er dares violate them. If any man says we
are opposed to the war because we mean to
abandon the Union, We hurl the falsehood
back into the liars teeth. We tell him that
ne knows his falsehood, and we charge him
that he is for the war because he is against
the Union ani the Constitution, and becau Sc
he Is an enemy to the sovereignty of his own
State. He is double traitor. He is for al
lowing New Jersey to be reduced 10 the sta
tus OF colony of the Federal Government,
and OF tamely submitting to despotism that
puts Inc property and liberty and lite OF Jer-
seyman at the mercy ola cabal of furious
and BLOODY imbecles in Washington.
Let an inventory be taken Of the dema-
gogues or towards who shrink from any con-
tllct that may be necessary to defend tho
sovereignty Of onr State, and vlndicate the
manhood of our people. Acting within the
limits Of tho Con Stjtution Mr. o,o
not do to much to bring the revolted States
back to their place within the Union. In
such work We should stand by him to the
last hour. Bus may God Almighty never
pardon our sins if we support him in the
bloody business Of driving and barring them
out, and closing the night of despotism aud
African 9arbarism over the fruitful fields -
Bad as secessionism is, it is not SO great