M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1865-09-14

mouths in the dust, and, like fawn,
ing ay cophants, degrade Themselves
by base servility.
/. | am in taYM Of no change il the
Constitution. | would leave tho
question of suffrage to the States,
because the Constitution leaves it
there. would recognize the right
of the Southern States to their old
poaition in the Federal system, in
stantl7, without delay, without expo.
riment, without condition, save only
that they acknowledge the suprema.
cy Of tho Constitution, and admit its
provisions to be the binding rule Of
the State aud Federal action; and
ithi5 because tho Constitution creates
a confederation OF equal States.
Two theories have alone prevailed
lin this Government from its begin.
ning. One party denied the right
ofseces3iOn;, tho other party mains
taiued it 10th agreed that if the
ordinance OF secession were invalid,
il was utterly void, imperative for
al purposes, ineffective upon either
tho pQop.o or the territory, eitror in
their relations to the Federal or State
Government, They also agreed that
| if it were valid, it severed the tie
which bound the Sta.o to the Union.
The State resumed tho delegated
powers, and became again wholly
independent, as it had been wholly
soyoroign. They both agreed that
tho States were sovereign-wera in
Idependent-eXcept in % far as they
bad consented 10 b5 bound by the
Constitution; end that whenever
lhoy recognized the power Of the
Federal Government as defined by
THE Constitution, they had performed
Ithoir whole Federal obligation, and
that in no event were they subiact to
control or interference with the Or
ganization Of their local Government,
OF the management Q! thcir domestic
IpO!icy. The oao party, however,
claimed that wLaU they denied the
Federal power, and Ob5truciad its
operation, armed coercion might be
used to compel obedience to it's
lawful requirements. This was the
lcxtremo doctrine Of the Federalists-
this was the theory OF those who csl-
| led themselves the friends Of the
Government. This was tho theory
on which the war commenced. This
wa5 the theory Of coercion. This
was the theory Of Mr. Lincoln, when.
10 gaid tuat alter the war the same
questions would exist rs bofore.-|
This was the theory Of tie Critton-
den resolution and the Republican
party in Congress.
This was the theory Of General
Sherman when he entered into bis
truce with General johnson. And
he said rightly, that its observance
would bring peace from the Potomac
TO the Rio Grande-a yerita0le
peace, a pacifoation. Resistance to
the Federal authority wonld have
ceased, armed forces would have
been dispersed, arms and iorts would
have been given up, the Federal laws
would have been eXgcntcl. On the
other hand, the State Governments
would have been lct, intact, the
| fuactions Of civil society would have
been unimpaireed, tne civil law
would have been administered by
ordinary tribunals, tEe Or finances o.
secession would have been repealed
or treated as nuiiiIes, the Federal
Government and State Governments
would, by this time have reyolvoI
harmoniously in their resp .ctivo or
bits, and then to the States would ho
left, as they properly belong, the
lquostions Of Negro Suffrage and
new Constitutions, and the relations
OF labor. think General Sherman
proved himself even more wise in
negotiation than formidable in war,
and that his statesmanship, more
than bis arms, would have maintains
cd the Union.
| But IN these latter days O new
theory has spung into being. 1t is
the offspring Of more than Yankee
ingenuity, stimulated by more than
Yankee fanaticism. 1t holds thai
acts Of secession are both valid and
invalid-valid 10 destroy the State
invalid to destroy the Union. The
State of Virginia ratified the Con,
stitution, not as part Of the people
Of the United States, not as najor
ity Of tho people Of Virginia, bu
in her capacity as sovereign btate
regulating Eer relation to other soy
ereigns, The old Confederation haC
! been practically dissolved, the nev
one had not been formed. Yirginil
was absolutely sovereign, and o
.uob f,asga Ia, ur-,,,k /. ~ yY,l..,