Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1866-01-13

| authority to those OF whom II IS the dele
gate. This would DC to put the agent
above the principal, or tho servant above
tho master and where a sovereign State
delegates" limited powers to an agent for
certain ends, it is difficult to sec that it
cannot Withdraw them when those ends
are not attained, This right to withdraw,
"to resume" them, was asserted by Nir
ginia when that State became aparty to
the Constitution, and it was asserted in
the solemn form Of an act Of assembly,
law of the State. Virginia, therefore, in
seeding from the Union simply exercised
the right which she reserved by law when
she entered it. 1t may be said that this
law has no force beyond its limits but
they who accepted her adhesion to the
Union with reserved right, solemnly pro-
claimed to the world, 'oanuot now complain
that it is exercised and indeed, it is dil
fcult to sec how any State could have en-
tered into the federal compact without the
power of Withdrawing if its terms were
broken. This was the only possible means
ofredrcss or escape from wrong, if COM
mittod by the majority. Que Of the points
Of the Constitution will illustrate this.
The small States insisted that each,
whatever its size, should have equal weight
in the Senate, and that this should never
be altered to the prejudice of any State
without its own consent. 1t results that
the little strip ol soil, Delaware, has its
two members in the Senate equally With
New York, State exceeding in all re-
; spects several of the Kingdoms Of Europe
Aud if the whole Of the other thirty-live
States should desire it, they cannot right
fully alter this without the consent OF Del
, aware. But suppose they do so with or
f without right what redress has Delaware
She could not out-votc or fight the others,
, and must either submit to breach Of the
I compact without redress, or retire from it.
D This may explain the remarkable state
E meut Of Rawlc-"this right Chat of scccs-
: stony must be considered an ingredient in
. the original composition Of general Gov
o crumcnt, which, although not expressed
=. was mutually understood" That such ar
- understanding existed with tho trainers o
It the Constitution is proved Ivy the fact
S that in the early debates Of Congress I'M
d der the Constitution the threat of secood
;. ing was made more Than once, and th'
{. right to do so was not questioned. In tn
II Constitution there is 10 principle that per
). mits the coercion Of State, When sug
$ gestcd it was deliberately excluded an
II there be nothing that eau lawfully coerc
+. State to remain, wAat can lawfully pre-
N vent its going
"a And if, as De Tocquevill held tn
" right of secession can not be disprovcc
i. it follows that, when the event occurs, til
,o State becomes a foreign pocrw as regard
n the rcsG and if war sue,tho acts of ci
Il i2ons arc acts of war, and net Of treason
9 The difference produced by the step
- very material. Ii a citizen Of Marylan
rs were now to tako up arms against Il
y, Federal Government, he would commit {
~ act Of treason. But if that State shou
at first secede, and call out lis forces 10 r
n. sist invasion, he muat then respond to II
i, call, in obedience to the law Of his Ian
ho Can he commit treason by acting in oh
w diepce to law! According to the Was
II. ington theory, the position OF the Soutl
N. crn man would be hard indeed for if
obcyod the Feleral call, and should
,el found in arms against bis State, he wou
a. he guilty of treason against the law
il that State, and il be obeyed the State ca
d. he is now charged with treason against t
ri. Federal Government Such posti
nd cannot be tenablc, The law Of The St;
lev plainly absolvcs the citizen, who has
his choice but to obey it., Against the St
loo itself, redress may be desired and
did mapdod, but cannot be found rightiully
pa that Constitution from which the coerc
Ie- Of State was excluded A traitor, t
ach takes up arms against the Goycrnm
and that is over him, and attempts to oy
oy- throw it. We can not find that any {
n is attempted to overthrow the Washing
on Government on the contrary, strong
= forts we're made by the South to er
- into amicablo relations with it, But al
raw mcnts Of this kind are not likely 10 obi
must much attention at period of such exc
,ow. ment. One that can not be ovcrlooke
- the fact that state Of war was recogni
Y or by the Federal Government. 1t wa
ere adjudged, not only by prize courts,
over by the Supreme Court, whose dcci
the can not be set aside. Il was reCognj
,op- in the exchange Of prisoners, and var
sim. conventions entered into during the