The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-06-27

were bound to do, each AZ . supreme sover- |
eign that could not be subjected to the con-
stitution except BY its own consent That
consent was consequently asked and given. - |
The equality of rights, therefore, vas the |
condition of the original thirteen states be- |
fore the government was formed, and such |
equality was mot only not interfered with,
but guaranteed to them as we'll in regard |
to the powers conferred upon the general gov.
eminent as to those reserved to the states or
to the people of the states.
ONCE STATE ALWAYS A STATE.
The same equality is secured to those which
have been admitted into the Union since the
constitution was adopted. In each instance
the state admitted has been declared to be
one of the United States, on en- equal footing
with the original states in all respects what.
ever" The constitution, too, SO far as most
OF the powers 1t confers on the general gov.
eminent are concerned, operates directly up
| on the people in their aggregate capacity,
and on all alike. Each citizen. therefore, of
every state, owes the Same allegiance to the
general government and is entitled to the
same protection. The obligations Of this al
| legianee 1t is not yithin the legal power of
his state to annul or evade. 1t is made para.
| mount and perpetual and for that very reas-
on it 10 equally the paramount duty OF the
| general government to allow to the citizens
of each state the rights secured to them and
| the protection necessary to their full enjoy
| ment. citizen can, no doubt, forfeit such
rights by committing crime against the
United States, upon conviction of the same,
where such forfeiture by law, antecedently
| passed, is made a part of the punishment-
But state Cannot in its corporate capacity,
be made liable to such forfeiture for a
state, as such, under the constitution cannot
commit or be indicted for a crime. No le-
gal proceedings, civil or criminal, can be in
stituted to deprive q state of the benefits of
the constitution by forfeiting as against her
| any of the rights it secured to her Her citi-
zens, be they few or many, may be proceed
| ed against under the law and convicted, but
| the state remains state of the Union. To
concede that by tho illegal conduct of her
own citizens she can be withdrawn from the
Union, is virtually to concede the right of Sc
| cession; for what difference does it make as
regards the result, whether a state can right
| fully secede, Ia doctrine sustained by states
men north as well as southl or whether by
the illegal conduct of her citizens she ceases
to be state of the Union p
In either case the end is the same; the on
| ly difference is that by the one theory she
ceases by law to be a. state of the Union, and
by the other by crime, without and against
law. But the doctrine is wholly erroneous.
| IL
forever she can never withdraw from or
be expelled from it. A different principle
would subject the Union to dissolution at
any moment tits, therefore, alike psrilous
and unsound.
THE ABsURDITY for THE PROPOSITION.
Nor do we see that it has any support in
the measures accommodated by the MAJ or
lty OF the committee. The insurrectionary
states are by these measures conceded to be
states of the Union. The proposed consritu-
tionsl amendment IS to be sub united to them
as well as to the other states. In this respect
each is placed on the same ground. To con
suit state not in the Union on the propriety
, OF adopting a constitutional anne ndment to
the government of tae Union, and which is
necessarily to affect those states only COM
prising the Union, would be an absurdity,
and to allow such an amendment as states IN
: the Union might desire, to be defeated by the
> votes of states not in the Union, would be
alike nonsensical and unjust The very
measure, therefore, of submitting to all the
states forming the Union before the insurrec
ton, constitutional amendment makes the
inquiry whether all at this time are not in
or out of the Union vital one. IF they sre
not, all should not be consulted. If they are
1 they should be, and should be only because
, they are. The very fact, therefore, of such
q submission concsedes that the southern
. states are and never ceased to be states of the
Union.
THE RELATIONS UNCHANGED.
. Tested, therefore, either by the nature of
, our government or by the terms of the con-
sttutlon, the instruction. now utterly and
happily suppressed, has in no respect chang
ed the relations of the states where it pre-
vailed to the general government. On the
contrary, they are to all intents and purposes
as completely states of the Union as they ev-
er were, and In further support of this prop.
esition, if it needed any, we confidently ap-
peal TO the fact that the very measure recon-
mendsd. q constitutional amendment to be
submitted to such states, furnishes such sup
port. For, looking to and regarding tue
rights OF the other states, such q submission
has no warrant or foundation except upon
the hypothesis that they are as absolutely
states of the Union as any of the other states.
1t can never be, under any circumstances, q
''proftless abstraction" whether, under the
constitution, state is or is not state OF the
Union. Ii can never be such an abstraction
whether the people of state once in the Tn.
ion can voluntarily or by compulsion be freed
from the obligation 1t en- joins, or be deprived
of the rights it oonfers or the protection il
It affords. different doctrine necessarily
y leads to q dissolution of the Union. she
it constitution supposes that instructions may
!, exist IN n state, and provides for the suppress
l. sion by giving congress the power to''provide
J. for calling out The militia" for that purpose
= The power is not TO subiugats the state with
l. IN whose limits insurrection may prevail, and
l. TO e1tinguish it q state of the Union; bu
r to preserve it as such by subduing the rebel
s. lion by acting On the individual persons en-
e gagged In II, and not on the state at all. Th'
2 power Is altogether conservative; 1t is Il
protect state. not to destroy it; to proven
m her being taken out of the Union by individ
q ual crime, not in any contingency to put he
at cut.
ie TUE CONSTITUTIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATES.
y The continuance of the union of all tn,
d states Is necessary to the intended existence
of the government. The government i
n formed by constitutional association O
states, and it's integrity depends on the con
tinuance Of the entire association. If On
state is Withdrawn from it by any cause Il
o. that extent il the Union dissolved. Thos
Q. that remain may exist as government, bu