Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-06-16
What nre Legitimate State Rightsf

What nre Legitimate State Rightsf
They are thus defined and defended by
SenatorD oolit,le in his comprehensive and
unauswerable speech Of May Sd:
Now, Mr.. President, I will turn to an
other point. The Senator from Nevada
Mr.. Nye,l denounces me, as well as the
honorable gentleman who sits beside me,
Mr.. Cowan.l because we sustain here
what are denominsted State rights. Sir,
[ do stand here TO defend State rights
not State wrongs, but the rights which do
belong to the States under the Constitu-
ton no. a right to secede from the Union,
not a right TO break up the Government,
not a right TO overthrow the authority OF
the Government and form q new Govern
mens; but the rights which the Con.
s,i,ution does secure are just as sacred
10 me as any other right for which
my heart ever aspired or my voice
has ever pleaded. I tell you, strand
that, in my sjudgment, is the great mis-.
take of the men who are continually strain
ing every nerve TO centralize all power
here in the Federal Governmental tell
YOU, if il were the last word l ever utter
ed, that unless we can defend the rights
of the States, it is in vain TO hope that we
can defend the rights Of any individual
citizen who resides within the States. For
the great mass Of human rights, the rights
which I have in my family, in my wife, in
my children, IN my home, in all my sur
roundings, l n my reputation, in my per-
son, in all the great rights which l hold
dear, I find my protection in the power
and independence of the State in which l
live. II is Wisconsin which defends my
wife. my children, my homestead, all those
near and dear liberties that cluster around
and make life on earth desirable. The
Federal Government defends Wisconsin
from aggressious from abroad. The Fed
eral Government defends Wisconsin in
the enjoyment of free and unrestricted
commerce and liberty with the other
States Of the Union. But, sir, when 1t
comes home to the liberties Of the midi
vidual citizen, I tell you that State rights,
and State rights alone, arc their protec-
ton and the man who overlooks 1t does
not understand the very foundation on
which our liberties rest.
Sir, while I would give to this Govern
ment every power which the Constitution
gives, while I am willing to sacrifice oil
tina, I have and all that I am to maintain
It's supremacy, I tell you with jussas much
earnestness that I am for defending the
rights of the States under the Constitution
from being aggressed and encroached
upon BY the insidious legislation OF Con-
gress. lie. no man, therefore, stand up to
charge me with believing in the doctrine
of secession. The right to secede is not
one of the Fights of the States; but 1t Is
one of the rights of the States to defend
and control their own domestic insttu-
tons. I say to gentlemen here who are
pressing every nerve to concentrate all
power in this Government, that they are
sleeping on a political volcano of which
they form no conceptions volcano mai
will sweep them and the party they
sustain out of power, if they continue
to ,respass upon the rights of the States
with as much certainty, and consign them
to as much condemnation as the old Fed
eral party OF 1900 ever received at the
hands Of the American people.