The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1865-11-25

the Constitution, and instead of it the
g Government of the United States wa.
substituted 1t is In its origin and na
Iture Federal, having been framed by the
States as parties, and depending for its
existence on the aefion of the States.
The letter addressed to Congress b,
George Washington, President Of the
Gonrention, and agreed to by that body
by paragraphs, speaks of the & Fedora
lGovernment of these States" and not Of
a National Government The word Fed
eral indicates that the Constitution is 8
compact between the States. The term
q National Government" is used in pop.
ular sense.
TIE PERPETUTTY OF TIE UNION.
Was the New Confederacy or Union
expeetcd TO be permanent The Union
of the old New England Colonies estab
Iished IN 1ft4S, ihoues solelnaly declared
in the Constitution to be perpetual,
was dissolved. The Union, under the
British Constitution, of the Colonies with
the mother country, which vas supposed
to be organic, and claimed to be perpetu.
al, was dissolved. The Union formed by
the Federal Constitution, or 1: Articles oi
Confederation aud Perpetual Union,' and
which was in that instrument solemnly
declared TO be perpetual, was dissolved.
Was the new Union, like those three
Unions, expected to be dissolved and
pass awayg
/ The States were familiar with the idea
that % Governments derived their iusl
powers from the consent of the governed, y
and that when any form of Government
becomes destructive of the ends for which
il was established, it is the right of the
people to alter or abolish it, aud institute q
new Government" By an article in the
new Constitution, " the ratification of the
Convention of nine States shall be suffi
cient for the establishment of this Consti
tuition 6ctceen The States ratifying the
same = thus justifying the doctrine, thai
, nine States might secede from the remain
ing four, notwithstanding the article in
the old Constitution, namely, g And the
Articles Of this Confederation shall be in
violably observed by ercry State, and the
1 Union shall be perpetual nor shall am
alteration at any time hereafter be made
in any of them, unless such alteration be
agreed to in a Congress of the United
States, and be afterwards confirmed by ths
Legislatures of every State"
i In the new Constitution there is nj
declaration that the Union shall be per
lpetual, no promise on the part of tn,
States to abide in it, and no power dele
Igated to the Federal Government to retain
them in it by force. VIII they stay in it
i Many of the Fathers had their fear
land misgiyings Even Washington hard
i y dare TO look into the EataFe e Let ex
lpericnce," said he, " solve the question
To look to speculation in such a case wer,
criminal" He evidently feared to reaso,
on the subject, lest he. should be carrie,
to the conclusion, that the Union coul,
not be Preserved, however much h,
loved it.
!. John Adams expected q dissolution O
the Union. In pEoof of this, Thoma
Jefferson in letter, December l3, 1903
relates the following:
The Rev. Mr. Coffin of New England
who is now here soliciting donations for
College IN Greene county, Tennessee, tell
me that when he first determined to en-
gage in this enterprise, he wrote lctte
recomlnendatory of the enterprise, whicI
he meant to get signed BY clergymon, an
. similar one for persons of a civil char
acter, and at the head of which he wishc
to have Dir. Adams put his name, he be
ling President of the United States, an
the application going only for his name
and not for donation Mr. Adams. Al
ter reading the paper, and considering
, said he saw no possibility of continuin
the Union of the States that their dis
!, solution must necessarily take place tha
he therefore saw no propriety in recon
/ mending to New England men to promot
an institution in the South that it wa
j in fact, giving strength to those who wer
: to be their enemies, and therefore h
/ would have nothing to do with 1t.
II