The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1865-12-14

, solute acqulescence In the decisions o
: majority" was, at the beginning of TIL
century, enforced by Jefferson "as the vi
tai principle cf republics" and the event
! of the last four years have established, VI,
will hope forever, that there lies no ap
peal to force.
The maintenance of the Union bring,
with it ''the support of the State Govern
ments in all their rights; y but it is moi
one of the rights of any State Govern
ment to renounce its own place in the U
| Mon The largest liberty is to be main
tanned in the discussion of the acts of the
Federal Government; but there is no ap.
peal from It's laws, except to the various
branches of that Government itself, or to
the people, who grant to the members of
the Legislative and of the Executive De-
partment no tenure but limited one, and
in that manner always retain the power
of redress.
"The sovereignty of the States is the
language of the Confederacy, and not the
language Of the Constitution. The latter
contains the emphatic words ''The Con-
stitusion, and the laws of the United
States which shall be made in pursuance
thereof; and oil treaties made or which
shall be made under the authority Of the
United States, shall be the supreme law
of the land and the judges in every State
shall be bound thereby, anything in the
constitution or laws of any State to the
contrary notwithstanding"
Certainly the Government of the Uui
ted States is limited Government, and
so is every State government. With US,
this idea of limitation spreads through
every form Of administration, general,
State and municipal. and rests on the
great distinguishing princir PIE Of the re-
cogn,iOu of the rights of man. The an
cicnt republics absorbed the individual in
the State, prescribed his religion, and
controlled his activity. The American
system rests on tic assertion Of the equal
right of every man to life, liberty, and
the pursuit Of happiness; to freedom of
conscience, TO the culture and exercise of
bis faculties. As a consequence, the
State Government is limited, as to the
General Government in the interests Of
the Union, as to the individual citizen in
the interest of freedom.
States, with proper limitations Of pow
cr, are essential to the existence of the
Constitution Of the United States. At
the very commencement, when we as
sumed place among the Powers of the
earth, the Declaration Of Independence
was adopted by States; SO also were the
Articles of Confederation and when "the
people of the United States ordained
and established the Constitution, it was
the assent Of the State, one by one, which
gave it vitality. In the event, too, of
any amendment to the Constitution, the
proposition of Congress needs the c0nfir-
Eation of the States Without States
one great branch of the legislative gov
ernment would be wanting. And, if we
lock beyond the letter Of the Constitution
TO the character of our country, its capa-
city for comprchending within its juris
diclion vast continental empire is due
10 the system of States. The best securl-
ty for the perpetual existence of the
-ldtCS IL tIIC PiSfII va IhC
Constitution of the United States. The
perIetuity Of the Constitution brings with
II ,na Ter. cc'nitv Of the States the mutu
81 re!4tion Macs u what we are, and IL
oas rallt.2a' system their connection is
in3gsc!ublo.
The whole caunot exist without the
parts, nor the parts without the whole
So long as the Constitution of the United
States cndurcs, the States will endure;
the destruction of the one is the destruc-
tion of the other the preservation of the
one is the preservation Of the other.
| have thus explained my views of the
mutual relations of the Constitution and
the States, because they unfold the prin-
ciples on which | have sought to solve
the momentous questions and overcome
the appalling difficulties that met pe at
the very commencement of my admins
tration. 1t has been my steadiast object
to escape from the sway of momentary
passions, and to derive healing policy
from the fundamental aud unchanging
principles of the Constitution.
found the States suffering from the
effects of civil war. Resistance to the
General Government appeared to have
exhausted itself The United States had
rccGsered possession of their forts and ar
senals. aud their armies were in the occu-
patton of every State which had attemp-
ted to secede. Whether the territory
within the limits of those States should
be held as conquered territory, under
military authority emanatlng from the
President as the head of the army, was
the first question that presented itself for
decision.
Now, military governments, established
for an indefinite period, would have Of
fered no security for the early suppress
sion of discomfort; would have divided
the people into the vanquishers aud the
vanauished I; aud would have envenomed
hatred rather than have restored affection
Once established, no precise limit to then
continuance was conceivable. They would
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