The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-03-16

the extent OF his REVOLUTIONARY principles I'M
der this head, he further declared that each
state must mot only be the Judge Of the un-
constitutionality Of any law of congress,
'.bGt of the rcntedy in such case"
According TO this view of our government
al polity, rebellion and treason against tho
federal government are rendered impossible
crimcs, wherever and whenever resistance 10
made 20 federal authority in the name OF sthe
states and their Sovereignty" Every act |
of secession and every deed of war perpetra- |
ted by the insurgents In their late struggle
was merely the reduction 10 practice of
principles which Mr.. Wade openly avowed
in the year 1855. For did they not claim to
be acting under the authorityof that state
sovereignty" in virtue of which, says Mr..
Wade, "a state must not only be the judge"
of the unconstitutionality of any law, ''but
of the remedy in such . csse?"
Nor was this a mere ob2er dictum or hasty
declaration on his part. For when accused
by Senator Douglas of having once "ridi-
culed" the resolutions Of '9S, while now
protesting TO endorse them, he denied the
imputation in the strongest terms. He said:
(Ibidem, p. DO.
Now,.slet me ask any man ii these resolutions
do not sustain the doctrine which have mar
| tanned today Ineper ridicaled them. al,cays
belered it necessary to inroke their principles
the last resort to defend the liberty Of TIE citt-
zen pho ras to pass has days in freedom, beneath
the protection of the !aDs Of has orn state, and
prevent the controlling and centrdfiSfng poTer OF
| this great government, and betiere at today.
| Would any reader suppose that the man who
| made such deliberate utterance as this could
! be found, few years afterwards, denouncing
measures of vengeance az aiast people who, IN
their worst estate, were only acting up to princ-
| pies he had always believed in ?" Or could 1t
be supposed that this antagonist of 'the controli
7.Nth Ia fns2aR
| ernment in 1855 would be the apologisG and pa
| tron OF every measure of consolidation in 1868
| We merely ask the questions. We leave them to
| be answered by all rejecting men, who can judge
| as well as whether the author oil such dec!ara-
tions has right to be critical upon questions OF
'sloyaty," or to insis. test.oaths for the ex-
clusion of ''rebels" from congress
| Bot perhaps the most unhappy of all Mr..
/ Wade's ayowals iu 1855 was the frank confession
that if his ''hsbts and education" had been SINH
lar TO those of Judah p. Benz amin, che had no
doubt that he would have occupied the same
! position a that interruptions advocate OF slavery
ard secession. By what right, then, does he now
assume to pronounce sentence of condemnation
on men who, as he says, are the mere creatures
of the circumstances in which they have been
trained and educated, insomuch that, but Tor
the accident of his birth in free state, he would
have been champion of slavery propagsudism
Or by what right does he presume to pronounce
any sentence at all upon the political conduct Of
his fellow men when he holds doctrine uude
this head which confounds all distinctions o
morals by resolving them into mere differences
of education and social surroundings: And
above all, what shall be said when we lind one
who, n,utdtis p.utandis, coufesses he would have
been Judah P. Benjamin, now leading the hui
and cry against the president of the Unite'
States who had virtue zoo hardy to be misiec
by the drift OF political "habt and education
! at the south when that habit and education wer
turned to the overthrow of the government jus
as be now has virtue too hardy to yield 20 TIT
menaces and usurpatious of the northern enemie
of the Union in congress or out OF itr Nher
such men rail at the president it only affords Il
! all loyal men fresh assurance of the rightiul
ness and strength of position approved b
them, but disapproved equally by the Judah
, Benjamins of the north and of the south.