The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-03-16
THEAsHAD DNONn WEDNESDAY, MORNING aMABeHr

the Reccgnftfsna OF Sovetelgn.
u Of tine statessthe Only Rdad 60
The cardinal doctrine of American polite.
is the sovereignty Of the States. At the for
nation Of the Federal compact this subliuns
convictioH, thoroughly penetrated the minds
Of all our statesmen. TEe experience OF ouI
history, now, that the Federal Union no lon
ger exists, teaches us this stern fact: Our on,
II hope for the preservation of our Liberties
depends on an immediate recognition efzthe
absolute sovereignty of the State. A State
is a sovereignty. The "Unione is artificial
and accidental in ali its elements. Artificial
because it possessed no powers not delegated
expressly by sovereign States. II was formed
by several States or nations gniting for deh-
mite purposes Just as Great Britain and Franc
may unite for specific objects, and thus form
an artificial union. It was accidental be-
cause of the peculiar circumstance which in
-duced the States to form O league, offensive
and defensive. The existence Of this artlhc-
ial union depended on the good faith Of the
parties to the compact, its capacity to secure
welfare and ~saretyaofall. The peculiar position
of the several States when England had ac-
k~nowledged them TO be separate and in tepen-
dant nations, at that time weak, contiguos,
with unadjusted claims, in connections With
the friendly association established in time of
great danger, led them to form q confedera-
ton for mutual protection. Here were .fhir-
teen independent and sovereign States, n i
Their of them individually capable of defending
and protecting itself against the intrigues of
foreign nations. They called a convention of
the States, each being represented by delegates
These delegates after many weeks of CONSUL
t%ation, produced what -sshas since been called
the Federal Constitution. This Constitution
created an artificial Union, called the Federal
Union, that is, united or confederated seyer-
The great difficulty to be guarded against
in forming this confederation was to so frame
it as not to violate the sovereignty of the sew
eral States aud make it so explicit that the
agents necessary to run the machinery of the
Federal Union, shouldibc forever and effecfual-
ly prevented :from consolidation by a peryer-
sion of the delegated powers. This they set
tied by refusing to make the Federal Union,
the supreme arbitrator in questions tdecting
che esssntialinterest of the States. It was
commended by those in favor of q 'fstrong gov
ernmsnt," thtt such a union would be like ga
rope of sand" The answer was: govern
ments are Instituted among men deriving their
just poicers FROM the CONSENT of the Gov
LhN Il VIC hdNOu NJ iaOa q
strous consolidated despotism in violation of
the cardinal principles of free governments
The Union must be dependent on the CON-
SENT of the people of the States" And
they emphatically refused to confer ~coercive
power on the "Union;" and this bond, this
consent, is sufficient to preserves coed govern
ment.
The union of sovereign States und.r the com
pact of l77S no longer exists. The great cardi-
nal principles en- which it rested have been vol
lated, the Union ceased to be the instant the
people SO far forgot the principles of free gov.
eminent as to lend a helping hand in the pros
ecution of o war on q sovereign State, to force
her to remain in the Union. That very act
was q dissolution of the entire compact. The
of the United States is Numbered
among the. dead Republics of other years.
Every NORTH ern State has surrendered its SOW.
ezeienty to the usurpers at Washington. The
Union no longer exercises control in
Ohio.-The great State of Ohio, gave up her
sovereignty in order to force the dogma of
on V rginia. The Ntrthern States
Are now a consolidated despotism and if the
war is not speedily ended aud a vigorous cf-
made to repossess our sovereign right to
be governed as we. please, we are lost for
ever.
We must have peace, the war must be
stopped or we are ruined forever. The i'm
mence debt already accumulated, growing for
at the rate of two millions daily, de-
mands at our hands an Immediate Peace.
How shall We obtain peace? We answer by
q knowledging, the States to be sovereign, by
to destroy ourselves and the people Of
hit seeded Sta.es ty waging an uncorstitu
war on the idea of coereing sovereign
back into a ronnteer Union. by retur-
ming to the cardinal principles of the Ameri
can Republic: that, the States are the sole and
sovereign judges of ATTRACTIONS Of their essen
rights and of the mode and measure of re-
dress. by doing now, what ought to have
been done in the beginning, allow the seeded
States to depart in peace. 1t is the only road
by which the u,on itself can be restored.
BY taking this course we do a simple act Of
to ourselves and mankind. We concede
grant nothing, we only return to the
Did theory upon which the Union was formed
hat, " governments deserve their Just popers
from the consent IF the gouerned." Much as
Democrats have long deplored a dissolution of
he Union, the stubborn fact has been forced
Upon onr consideration for three long years
# the most bloody and disastrous civil war,
nd the utter deprivation of our own liberties
nd personal, safety by a train of circumstances
gainst which we long protested and labored
o prevent, but could not control. These are
principles upon which We always depended
or the existence and maintenance of the Re-
public. We are now rs ever convened the
My hope of free government depends upon
he recognition of the sovereignty of the
There is no craftsmanship involved in de-
cuncing the war unconstitutioHal, and sub
ersive of Republican liberty unless, we can
q plan whereby the progress Of the
vii may be arrested. The war ia wrong and
INST be arrested-we must have peace, as
ur only salvation. Yet, all this is meaning
The Democracy are in favor of peace.
do they propose to obtain peace? BY
skiing the South to come back into the Union2
f they refuse to ccme back, as they :nndodbt-
dly will, what then? Fight them to the
end? No. WAR IS DIsUNIoN. You
ave no light to FopcE the pnion ON any neo.