Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1866-02-24


regard to The nature aud legal relationships
Of the component states Of the American
Union. t.ab b...IsI o.. ... -....H
Even my collesgne from the Columbus
district, (Mr. Shellabarger. 10 his very
able discussion Of this question. spoke as
though state Of this Union was the same
as state 10 the sense Of interDa tioual law,
with certain qualities added. j think be
must admit that neatly ell the leading at.
tributes OF such state are taken from IL
when II becomes a state Of the Union.
Several gen'lemen, during this debate,
have qno,ed the we'll known doctrine OF
international law, that war snnuls all ex.
i'ting cowpacts and treaties bstween bel.
l'geren'S; aud they have concluded,
| therefore, that our war has broken the
FedeI al tond and dissolved the Union
This " ould be true, If the rebel states were
states in The sense OF international lsw-il
our Government were not sovereign ma
lion, but only league between sovereign
states. .f..-t t..r.e.,r ..f Pr. .r.r.
oppose to this conclusion the unan.
swerable proposition that this is a nation ;
that tho rebel states are not sovereign
states, and therefore their failure TO achieve
independence was failure to break the
Federal bond-to dissolve the Union.
The word state, which they discussed, i.
no more applica BILE TO Ohio than TO Hamil
ton county. The states and counties of
this Union are equally uuknUwn to inter-
IN lional law. UiH- t-a.a s.
There is another expression TO " bich
have referred, aud which is used 10 gu
equally ambiguous manner. We have dis
cussed the question here whether these
in>urgent sta.es are IN the U uiOo. In the
| Union Wha. do We mean by the phrase /?
lu one sersr, every inch Of soil we own is
10 til" Uuion The territory Of Utah il iu
the Union So is every territory Of the
West n The Union that is, under it's III
tbofity, subject To its right of eminent
domain. On the other hand, when some
genIlCnensay these states are iu the Union,
they mean tu include ull their relations, all
heir rights aud privileges. which is q lie
another thug. From this ambiguity iu tae
use OF terms have urisen most of the differ
ences Of opinion on this subj ct
! would not be undersr ood rs ing that
inte M loual law has nothing 10 do wi h
tue question before us Ii has much TO do
with H. II fu nished US viii The rules Of
civitiz d nations in the conduct Of War, the
rights Uf belligerebts, the treatment OF
prisoners, the rules Of surrender, cartel and
parole. Guided 10y the precepls o: inter
ualiOnul law, We are enabled to understand
the rights aud duties of neural Powers,
and the legal results of successful war
+agaiust domestic euemies and trators.-
Bat when gentlemen quote the doctrines Of
international law ia reference to sovereign
nations, and apply them directly 10 the
political status Of the states Of this U uion
hey lead us in'o error. .la' 700 .t
la vie. Of the peculiar character of our
Government, | ask, in what condition has
The war lvft the rebel states {? Did they
accomplish lheir own destruction? DID
! they break the bonds which bound then
" The Union? answer, they would hav,
done both these things, if anything short o
.uccessiul revelation could do il. 1t Wal
not, as some gentlemen hold, merely al
lnsurrectiun Of individuals. L. was not, n
most civil wars are, q war among tn
atoms, so to speak, a .miug here aud there
as Fl e breaks out in huudreJ places in
city. |. was war Of organz ID popula
mA,ses, or as the Supreme Court. borrow
ing the prophetic words OF Do Tocq neville
. calls il, a territorial civil war, in which vi
granted them beiligereut rigH's. and claim
ed for ourselves both brIltgerent aud soy
ereign lights. We could pursue them VII |
wal as enemies, or t,y them i'y crimna
law as edz.us. aud hang them US cou
demued traitors. tt.
/ cauuoI agree with the distinguished
gentleman f. om New York. ( Mr.. Raymond,
when he holds that We are TO deal with The
rebels. as individuals. They struck atth.
| Uuiun through every instruWenIali'y with
in reach Through personal SERVICE iu thu
army. aud individual contribution Of mon
ey though voluntary associations to rais'
men aud money through popular mas
meetings 20 inf lme the passions and develol
j all the power Of their people through
township, county, aud city corporations
through state conventions IN order The mo-,
perfecIv to sever The bonds which held then
10 The Union aud, 10 make more power
full aud efftclual instrument with which t
eslabl III their rebel sovereignty, through
state legislatures, by laws levyiug take
for The purchase of arms, ammunition. am
all the materid Of war, 10y resolutions de
nnuncing the pains aud penalties of treason
against oil citizens who refused to joi
their conspiracy and ffhally, by coufed
erstion Of eleven states, consolidated into
central sovereign government dc Jaclc
which became the most absolute mIltar
despotism in modern bstory-a despotisG
which Inundated with its Geluge Of iyrann
All state guarantees, oil municipal priv
leoes. aud assumed absolute control OF y
persons aud property within the limits {
i,s territory There was not a conceiva6l
cala,airy " bich could have befallen us as
nation that they did not attempt, with o.
their power aud in every available way,
n bring npou us Individuals fought US
4 indiyiduals, states us safes fought us. ah
! if n state can commit treason, each OF IN
sinful eleven committed il again and again
They utterly subvcrted the governments
their sta es, they. broke every oath b
which they hai bound themselves to th
Union, they let go their bold on the U ulo
and attempted 10 destroy IL. -''i
What was The tie that bound them I
4 the UniouY For example, what mad
a, . Gaia of th,. Eniou2 RAa