Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1865-02-04
over the State was 10 most, II not all. national
measarea univ ranllv admitted =

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over the State was 10 most, II not all. national
measures universally admitted.
I III. On The FIRST dsy Of March, 1881.
the sovereignty OF the new nation was lodp
ed, by the people. in the Articles OF Con.
federation. The Government thus formed
was Copfederacy. It's Constitution nigh,
properly be styled a Compact Of Confcd
GRAFTON, though by its terms IL estab abished
perpetual union, and left small ground Ior
the doctrine Of sece sion.
~. On the 2lst day'of June, 1888,
our national sovereignty was lodged. by
the people, 10 the Constitntion Of the Unit.
ed States, where IL still resides, and for
lis preservation onr armies are TO-DAY in
the field. 10 oil these stages Of develop.
ment, from colonial dependence to full orbed
nationality, the people, not the States. have
been omoipoent They have abolished
altered aud anne nded as suited their SOY
ereign pleasure.
For the greater security Of liberty, they
chose TO distribute the functions of govern.
ment. They left to each State the regnla
ton Of its local and municipal effairs, and
high functions Of national sovereignty
They made the Constitution. That great
charter tells its own story best:
We The people OF the United States. in or.
| der 10 form q more perfect Union, established
justice. insure domestic tranquility, provide for
the common defense, promote the general well
fare and secure the blessings Of liberty to our.
selves and our sposterity, do ordan and estab-
| i'll tl.:a r.
America. .ll la sH1rf4t raf srt
Not we, the sovereign States, do enter
into league or form cOmpae, Of eonfeder
alton .u s. alra g1i
| If the gentleman looks, then, for q kind
| Of poll ical apostolic succession of Ameii.
can sovereignty. be will fiud that neither
colouies nor State we're in the royal line
but this is the genealogy frst, the Grown
aud Parliament Of Great Britain second,
he Revolutionary Congress third, the
| Articles Of Confederation fourth and now,
the CJnstisutioD of The United States and
all his by the authority of the people. ls
Now, sno one of the colonies was sover.
eign and independent, when and how did
any of the Safes become so2 The gentle
man must show us by what net it vas deue
aud where the deed was recorded. 1 think
| have shown that bis position has no
foundation in history, and the argument
based upon il falls to the ground. a3als
Ia framing aud esta tablishing the Constitu.
lion, what restrictions were laid upon the
people ? Absolutely no human power be.
you'd themselves. No barriers cou6ned
them but the laws Of nature, the laws of
God, thei' love of justice. and their aspira-
tons for liberty. Over that limitless ex-
panse they ranged at will, and out OF such
materials as their wisdom selected they
built the stately fabric Of our Government
Tnat Constitution, with its amendments, is
the latest and greatest utterance of Amer
can sovereignty. Tue hour is now at hand
when that NJ jestic sovereign, for the
5enignaRt purpose of securing still farther
The blessings Of liberty, is about to put
forth her oracle /; is about 10 declare
that universal freedom shall be the supreme
law of the land. Show me the power that
is authorized to forbid it.
The lapse Of eighty years has not abated
one jot or title from the original Sovereignty
of the American people. They made the
Constitution what it is. They could have
made it otherwise then they can make il
otherwise now.
But my colleague (Mr. PENDLEroN] has
planted himself on the intent of the Con.
sti,ution. On that point ask him by
what means the will Of this nation resch-:
the citizen with its obligations Only a,
that will revealed in the logical and gram
ma,icsl meaning of the words aud phrase.
of the written Constitution. Beyond ihi,
there is, there can be, no legal force or po
tency. If The amending power granted ia
the Constitution be in any way sbridged
or restricted, such restriction must be
found in the jnst meaRing OF the iusirn
ment itself. Any other doctrine would
overthrow the whole fabric OF jurispru.
dence. What are the limitations OF the
amending power? Plaiuly and only these
That no amendment which may be mad: pti
or to the year 1908 shall 10 any manner affect
the first four clauses in the ninth section oI
the first article end that no State without its
consent shall be deprived OF its equal suffrage
10 the Senate .-.9rtic'e y.
The FIRST restriction being bounded by
the year 1903 is of course f4actius o6icio,
and no longer operative the last is still
binding The gentleman Mr. PENDELSr2N]
!, does not claim that any other sentence Is
restrictive but he would have US believe
there is something not written down a
: tsrtium qGid. kind of exhsltion rising ou,
of The depths of the Constitution. that ba
g the power of tself to stay the hand Of b,
. people of this great Republic 10 their at
5 tempt 10 put away an evil that is de,eterieu
= to the nations life.
d He would lead US in pursuit OF these in
y tangible shadows, would place us 10 ,bs
e dominion Of vogue, Invisible powers thai
a exhale, like odors, from the Cons tuition
, but are more potent than the Constitu
e lion itself Such an ignis futEns | am moi
c disposed 10 follow. especially when It leads
G 10 hopeful future for human slavery.
l cannot agree with my colleague, snt
n distinguished gentleman from Massschu
7 selts. Mr.. BoUrsEIL, who unite in de
s claIing that 10 amedment 10 the Cons'ilu
! tion can be made which world be couhic
Il with its objects as declared in the preamble
What special immunity was granted to tina
' first paragraph 7 Could not our fore
fathers have adopted a different preable il
J. 7 iht beginnjnp (louid thev hava emnIoy