Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1865-09-13

in yesistk1es,' r - -
PLANS sor SsE4tIsa VI rHn4uSIos.
Mr.. Buchssan had formally declared,
in his Message of December; 1860, That
there vas no constitutional right of seces-
sion. His party ther.upen commenced
to agitate plans by which the South could
be, coaxed back into Union wherein the
right to secede should be legalized. The
most notorious of these schemes was that
introduced into Congress Mr.. Yallan-
bingham proposing a constitutional a.
thendment by which the Union should be
peacefully divided, follows: =
aAricle XIII Section l.. The United
Statesare divided into foor. sections, as fol-
flows: =
rsrheA States of Maine, New Hampshire,
/ Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Con-
necticut, New ork. New Jersey. and Penn
sylvana. shall constitute cnc section, 10
be known as the NORTH. '''1L--5
i' a. Tie States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Michigan. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and
Kansas, shah constitute another section,
to be known as the NEST. Jr7eE g,lsC
"The States of Oreeenand California
shall constitute another section, TO be known
as the PACIFIC.
'.The States Of Delaware, Maryland, vir-
ginia, North Carolina, South Carolina; Geor-
| gia, Florida, Alsbana, Mississippi, Louisiana.
Texas, Arkansas, STennessee, Kentucky and
! Missouri. ........ shall constitute another Sec
tion, to ,,e known as the SouTH. its
"Articte NV No State shall secede with
out the consent of the Legislatures of all the
, States of the section to which the State pro-
posing to secede belongs. The president
Shall tare power to adjust with seeding
States all questions arising by reason CT their
secession; but the terms Of adjustment shall
be submitted to Congress for their approval
Before the same shall be Talid."
This artful scheme for legalizing ,seces
sion was well received by the Democratic
leaders. Mr.. George IL. Pendleton, the
Chicago candidate for the Vice. -Presidcn-
cy, defended it in the House of Repre-
sentatives as late as January, 1863
May 8, 1868, Mr. Wall, Democratic SEN
atcr from New Jersey, in an address to
the Democratic Central Club Of Phila-
delphia, not only did not hesitate to give
It his hearty approval, but declared that
it, or some similar scheme, was the only
alternative to eternal separation
fhe rlan suggested some years ago by Mr.
Vallandigham bears the stamp Of his clear
sagacity and statesmanlke forecast-d:vidiug
the country into four large sections or masses
and requiring a majority of the representa-
tiOn from each to consent to measure before
. i should become law. Mr.. Calhoun, not
! withstandnr the undcservcd obioquy now at
taching to his name, was to my mind the nost
honest and Comprehensive Statesman who
grappled with national problems, and make
bold here to say that no wiser, purer, patriot
ic statesman ever lived. 1t may be that the
South might be will to rett;rn upon the adop-
tion Of some such system CT reconstruction as
this. IL this plan of reconciliation and re-
construction fails, then . separation must be
the fnality. 3. -5- - ,...--
Mr.. Vallardigham's scheme for break
Ing lip the Union having been, rejected
by Congress and the people, other plans
were agitated A Northwestern Confed-
eracy was freely spoken of, and for long
Htile the rsbsls had confident hope of
the success of their agents in that direc-
ton. working in cooperation with their
Democratic allies. 1t was not difficult for
that party to find justification for this Or
any other destructive plct.
Judge Black, Mr. Buchanan's S Attorney
General ever went SO far as to declare
that War made by Congress upon a seced-
ing State you'd legalise secession and
dissolve. the union Of the remaining
States. In an official opinion, dated No
vember 20, 1860, only fortnight after
Mr.. Iincoln's election, and Hhich through
the traitors in the, cabinet was, of course
made known to the traitors organizing
rebellion throughout the South he says :
..If it be true that var tannct he declared,
nor a system of general hostilities carries on
by the Central Govern meEt against State.
then it seems to follow that an Sttempt to dc SO
would he pso facto. on erpuisicB cf such State
from The CTnion, being treated as an alien and
an enemy, she would be compelled to act &C
-cordingly. And if Congress shall Freak rp
the present Union by unconstitutional putting
strife and enmity and armed hostility between
different sections of the country, instead of
tTe "demestic tranquifity"iwhieh the Consti-
tuition was meant to insure. ~iH not all The
States De dJso,eed from taei- Fsernt obtigatsonsP
is any portion of the people bound to contrib
ute their money or their blood TO carry on a
contestrike that % g-.,-
The Syracuse Convention, in August,
1864, under the lead Of Mr. Yallandis-
ham, drew the, same conclrcion from d. #,
erent premises, and openly declared the
revolutionary doctrine. --.t, 4s,
s.Resolusd, That lit 4 the administration
has denied to sovereign States constitutional
righs, and thereby absoired them from all ale
giancr." -.-,..... -
COERCION UNC UNCONSTITUTIONAL.