The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1864-08-10

The Phiiaueipnia convention was q Oouy
Of delegates from each State. only authors
lied to draft Constitution. and not en- |
powered to give it the least yalidity.
The draft of the Federal Constitution
was reported by Washington to the Con-
federate, Congress, and by its order sub
mit,ed for adoption to the people OF The
separate States, as separate community
or nation, and. Of course, derives all It's
powers, within STATE, from the consent
Of the people thereof. to whom it occupies
the same relation as that held by their sepr
arate State Governments.
The conclusion to which arrive is, that
the people of each State constitute substan-
TALLY sovereign nation. that each one, by
the adoption Of the Federal Constitution,
created for itself two distinct Govern
ments or agents. upon each Of which it con-
ferred certain specified powers, and that
the powers Of one or both Of these agents
may be revoked by the people Of any State
themselves whenever, in their sovereign
will. such revocation may become desira-
BILE,
Having, as think shown that each State
is really sovereign. and that this is the
main principle, the very corner stone oil
cur system Of government, it necessarily
follows that the call Of Mr.. Lincoln for Sc.
venty. Ave thousand men, and the acauies-
sence of certain States in that call, the men
to be used in war against States which
had asserted their sovereignty. and solely
because they had asserted II, was not merely
an infraetion OF the Constitution, bat a to-
tai notification of such instrnment--it was
a stab ct the heart OF cur political system,
and created an overshadowiRg centralized
power. My fellsw-citizens, beware Of CEN
tralized power. Ii was the great source
Of anxiety 20 our revolutionary fathers
when they created our Federal system,
There vas nothing which they SO Much
DREADED and against which they put 50
nzany safeguards in the Constitution.
Capitalization Of power does not lead 10
despotism, but il is despotism itself. 'Fhe
Federal Government is the agent Of che
States. It was created BY the States. with
q few we'll defined, delegated and limited
Psvers, and was forbidden By the States tC
exercise any authority not expressly con.
fsrred BY them. The great mass Of powel
was left 10 the States, who are the princi
pals TO the Constitution compact.
Ii is the great effort Of this Administra
ten, and it will be the result Of this wa
lift is not speedily stopped, to reverse al
this. TO destroy permanently. all State so
vereigniy and local jurisdiction. and make
the Federal Government as omnipoten
and supreme as that Of Austria or Russia
which even now are its only patterns. i
may be a splendid and powerful eespotism
but splendor and power for the few are bu
poor consolation for the impoverished
aud degradation Of the many. and for III,
loss Of all their liberties. all that ennobie
life and digniies manhood.
The States when they created the Fede
raj systemS as | have already shown, ex
pressly refused TO confer upon it the pow
er SO coeree sovereign State, or party q
the compact
No one then dreamed or supposed tina
after this explicit refusal to place thi
power in the hands Of the Federal agent
that TIE latter would ever have the temer
ity and audacity 10 seek to exercise IL with
cut such delegation Of authority.
II it had been 50 believed not one singl
State would have ratified the cOnstftutio
and joined the Union.
This no one will deny who is eonyersan
with the debates in the'Federal and Sta,
eensenticns that ratified the Constitution
Force and coercion Of State we're OF
OF place and inappropriate in the form {
government they Designed form restin
entirely upon the mutual consent Of eac
and all the parties 10 the compact. n
Unien buta voluntary one could be repuh
icap, and they would have no other. Mort
Carolina and Rhode Island refused to com
into the Union, and we're treated by il
separate and independent nations.
George Washington had been Abrahal