Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-11-02

with them, the Union r1iLsi BY sLarsry ap
plausel; and the Constitution Us it is
means the Constitution recognizing sta
very, and not TO be amended SO as 10 pro
hibit it. and not capable OF being 81
amended, except by the consent of ever,
State. Or, in George 81. Pendleton'
words, spoken in the House Of Represen.
tatives on the 18th of June last, "Nsithe
three foarths Of The States, nor oil the States
saps one, can abolish sIdrery in that disSentin.
State. 6seduse IL Ecs icithin the domdir ressrre'
entirely to each State for itself, and Hpon If III
other States cannot enter"
GEORGE H. PENDLEToN's DOCTRINE EXPOSED
Now. my friends. it is no time lost t.
stop and look into this doctrine. for mo
ment 1t is n phase of State rights here
sizes. which ought not to be overlooked II
our public discussions; for it contains the
very venom of those heresies e6ncen.rs
ted under single fang.
The Constitution of the United States
as every man may read who will refer tC
it. provides for his own amendment II
two carefully defined modes, either o
which may be resorted to.
ANY amendment OF it, adopted in Ell
ther of these medes is ipso .faeto part o
the Constitution, and of as much force a
the original instrument. The Constitu
ton declares itself ''shsll be the suPREHI
LAW of the land. and the judges in eyery
State shall be bound thereby. anything
in the constitution or laws of anv State
to the contrary Notwithstanding" -
The Constitution, with these two fun
damental provisions, was adopted by tbs
people of every State, without exception
and they thereby bound themselves toit
IN all lis purts forever. +. ~! T.
In so adopting it they agreed to abide
by and obey any amendment of it which
might be adoptedin either of the suthor'
lied modes of amendment
They did not except FROM that agree
mest any subject mattersof amendment
but left the whole range of amendments
to the will of the nation whenever, and
in. regard TO whatsoever thst will might
be constitutionslly expressed. - I'D
Nothing in constitutional history OF
construction can be more plain and in
oontrovertible than these simple proposi
items. They defy successful contradlc
tion or honest question. They exempll.
fy in striking manner. what history and
the Constitution both establish, that the
American people are not thirty four dis
tinct peoples. made up into thirty-fouI
independent States. held together by the
Constitution, like so many beads on q
thread; but that they are, in the fullest
sense nf the term, one people and one ma.
ton; having, az such, the incontestible
power to make and amend their own
Consultations, and to bind every State,
! 81 bod NJ
TO that Constitution rs the supreme law.
whatever form the nation may see proper,
in a constitutional mode, to give it
[Great Applause.l 81 a. a1t -.-t
IT Is QUALIFICATION, SECESSION AND REBEL
LION.
Mr.. Pendleton's doctrine strikes down
at single blow the whole grand idea OF
nationality, and invests each State with
the right to nuIlify the Constitution, and
TO resist the will of the nation therein
ordained. 1t goes 10 the very farthest
limits of the doctrine of State Sovereign
ity, and dwindles into nothingness. 1t
says that Arkansas. Florida, Delaware or
Rhode Island is greater than the nation.
1t is the condensation of the State rights,
notification, secession and rebellion into
single dogma, which repudiates the
Constitution, and skaters our whole
structure ot National Government iDto
For, if there is any matter
about which an amendment 10 the Con-
stitution cannot be made, SO as to be the
supreme law of the land, then the Con-
stitution itself is not the supreme law,
and never was. For the power of amend.
ment, unlimited in its scope. is declared
by the Constitution, and is, therefore. as
much the supreme law as any other part
of the instrument; and if, as to any mat
ter whatever. that power is nullity
there is no other power there which may
not also be nullifed, and SO the whole
fabric be swept away. piece by piece. in
TO the blank regions of the blank and
lost. iaI e