The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-04-19

The State Rights Doctrine Developed
Secession, Insurrection, Assn ssin alton.
The pernicious doctrine Of State rights has
been at the bottom of most of the evils which
have afflicted this country. Always the doc
trine of minority, 1t has never been used ex.
cept to the detriment of the nation. The ma
jority of our people have consistently distrusted
] it, and could never be induced to accept 1t as
| Legitimate. Behind it the internal enemies Of
this government have found convenient am
buscade from which to direct their attacks.
Traitors Of al sorts have employed 1t as ser
vceable pretext Like General Lee, they have
tried to make their loyalty to particular State
an excuse for their disloyalty to the govern
ment In this war the doctrine of State rights
has been fully developed, and we see that 1t
means secession, insurrection and assassination.
The State rights doctrine originated in the
first constitutional conventions. There it was
avowed as the individual opinion of few men
who tried to prevent the adoption OF the pre-
sent constitution. These expressions of ind-
vidual opinion, which did not receive the on,
dorscment of the majority, nevertheless became
part of the proceedings Of the conventions in the
records, and thus mere opinion was raised
to the dignity of q doctrine. The constitution
being adopted, the State rights doctrine was
next asserted in the Kentucky resolutions of
1898. jefferson took hold Of it; but, as we
have previously proven, he owed his election
10 a combination of causes with which this doc
Urine had little or nothing to do So soon as
be was elected he forgot all about State rights,
(which were next heard 81 in The reasonable,
lblue-light Hartford Coavention. That move
mcnt failed, and the State right doctrine was
then transferred from the extremists of Hart
ford to the extremists of South Carolina, who
used ii to justify notification, Again crushed
out by Jackson, the doctrine came back to the
North, and was seized upon by the opponents
: of the Fugitive Slave law In course of time il
travelled South again, and gradually developed
ITSELF first into secession, then into insurrection
and finally into assassination.
South Carolina seeded from the Union upon
! the State rights doctrine. Tbs s,her dave
4 States followed to protect her in the enjoy.
\ ment of that doctrine. Our forts, arsenals
1CuStom houses ana OtDer national buildings
and property were stolen by the seceders
!upCn the plea Of State rights. BY virtue
jof the same doctrine Fort Sumter was
Tired upon and civil war inaugurated
When national troops were sent to repossess
these forts and places, the State rights doc
trine WAS employed to justify the murder Of oul
soldiers. Thousands of lives have since beer
sacrificed, and the Southerners have only had
the same Himsy justification. Yet when the
3seceded States formed q coniederacy ant
1adoptcd constitution which recognized THU
doctrine, they soon discovered that it was i'm
4 practicable, and JEFF. Davis was among the frs
Ito tramplo IL under foot Nevertheless th'
Arebel press and the rebel sympathizers at thu
North did not desert IT, In the name o
Estate rights they opposed the war, clamoret
against Capitalization, denounced President Lin
1coln as dcspot, and invoked the dagger o
4 Drutus Their invocaiions were not IMAM
3svercd. The assassin appe rcd and performot
d his bloody work. And as the doctrine of Stat
rights had already proved to be secession AM
4 instruction. IL was singularly appropriate ina