Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1866-02-14

The Trial of MIR. Davis.

eVSpooE: 1ll tleS 1hSgp TcNcis.tt
,,e Judgment, &c=lassaarqt Addss.ff !i!sf efGas
xResoltsSs.That pusiis;5lstice apdsaaastionaIssas
] Jefs.san Davis, asssssya atatlveipisE Of thsisss
beliontss6ould haYca fair and impartial triaf in
the highest appropriate civil tribunal of the
country, for TREASON most Aagrant in character, by
him committed, 10 order that tho Constitution
and the laws may be fully vindicated, the truth
clearly established and affirmed, that treason is
criIno, and that the offence rlay be made infa-
In .us and at the snme time That the question
may be jadicially scttledi an'lly and forever,
that no Stato, Of its own viii, has the right to
renounce it's place in tho Union Resotaiio,, of
Mr. laurence IF Ohio. i" the Congress of tar VI
s., 1885, ''''si ''''> '''- =
We mil these two ppsqaious counterfeit coins to
tho ;qOuntsff0r tho inspection and reflection of
the curious. Trulg;war produces sore queer re-
suits !: "The Lien now eatsc,trsw %ithethe o.. ?;
+, HThe, God of battles has prGnouneeacan nm 'irrg-:
S6rsible, judg gmentf tf-ssys Cow 0RR. Nov truly
tEiE sounds strangely in-odr ears. our sim
pIicity We lad thought that NO lived under diy-i
iliaed G5yernatnt. dndii an age Of reason, title
day had passed When. governments. mero, organ
ized ct tho oannon,s mon;h when thc aEord and an
the wager ofbatts were to censtr.s Constitutions
spd,settle their neaping. JfaheYsyst1this:sreat,
Constitutional lnwysrbd corrsct,ssthrh fhs World
bassadly retrOgrsded:in tho last centuties.i
-IH1S408ho " Gr0utKebelltoiijp as sLordc Clarendon
1callSSit broke out in England. Aftor.a bloody.
war Of -kro years, the Republican party PROVED
victorious; the. established Government was oyer.
turaod, tho, Legitimate soxeseigns. Charles l.
brought to tho hlOcki and ntCommoIWehlMy un-:
under Oliver Cromwell, supplanted; the Monarchy:
This was "ths3irrerorsibls judgmeat of tds God
of Battles" in that day. We know however that
the sterling common sense Of the English people
saw fit in twelve short yesrs to rersrse this dir
reversible judgment Of the God Of Battles" and
in 1850 the legitimate Monarch was:rcstQred to
his throne; and reason and right triunphed,pvor
/" : the God.of battles" Tho people Of these lfoi-
ted States are descendants of those same Gavl
and Puritans, and7it is just possible that their
sterling good sonso mAy notbe entirely. extinct
in their posterty, and may yet "crop OUT in D
coming day; nous rerrons. ~'>' -
We confess ourselves better pleased with Mr..
Lawrencos'r mode of dealing with this subject,
,abolitionist though he be and we sincerely hope
that his resolutions will be adopted by Congress;
and that Mr.. DAVIS will speedily be brought to
trial upon the charge of High Treasop.- We
earnestly desire to see this question brought be-
fore tho Supreme Court of the United States. We
have not forgotten that there wa, JctfrOys who
went upon the West Riding after the Monmouth
Rebellion; aud ne will not affirm tkat some of
his Ike may not be found at this; day capable: of
staining the erminc With MS foul infany as did
::Jeffreys. But, peycrthelese, taking tho risk,we
would like to see the queston.trcd: 3 ~
.If Mr.. DAVIS is tried for Trosson, the Court
nust hear argument; and that Argument be
printed, andpublishcd, aud read, not only by the
people Of this country, but by al Che civilized
nations of The world. It will be observed. that
Mr.. DAVIS oannet be held responsible as the inai-
uidual ingtigator, head and chief, Of tho latewar.
Throughout the strugslo,. .hc was but the Repre-
sentative or Agent Of eleysn,. .States,' belonging
to the old United States, eachoue Of which claim
cd SO be sovereign and Independent State, having
.nd enjoying a1l the rights and immunitlcs Of
sovereignty. Tho Court will be. forced to hear
argument on this point; and before Mr.. DAVIS
can be convicted of Treason, it must decide that the
Government of the United States WIS in its origin
q consolidated government; and that the ssid
Government never directly Or indirectly aeknowl-
sdged the sovereignty. Of the separate stateq.,
It may seem TO- some of our readers to be .
forlorn hope that we are spending. our strength
for that'which prOhteth not, in doing battle at
this day in defence Of State Sovereignty. But we
say to our re1dcrt, let no man despair. We have
shown you that in TIE 18th century, in England,
though her Constitution was for twelve,years tram
plod under foot by vulgar tyrant and trailed in
tho du.t, yet the returning good senso of the
people finally restored it to .ia original integrity
Who can foretell- lies in the womb of futu4
rity? "Dum .piro spere."
The Court in ordor to Mr.. DAVIS conviction,
must hold that ON individual State was never pos
,esscd of sovereignty; and especially that the
United States Government never directly or indi-
rectly ackno wledged the sovereignty of the States
Now there ore. some considerable things that can
be said on this question; and some stubborn
facts adduced, which the Court will bare to brush
ont of its way iu reacbiug conviction of Mr..
DAVIS. And though these facts are not new to
we'll informed readers, yet it may servo purpose
to recall them at this day. If it DO ever wise to
recur to first principles, this is The time. We do
not propose to argue this great Constitutional
question, but simply to rsenpinato some. of tho
leading historical facts connected with it. Thefe
facts may form matter of useful reflection for
men in whose hands the destiny Of this country
may lieut. future dny. 81 -
First. It is fact that rheh Great Britain, at
the end Of The war of 1776, acknowledged tho
of her American Colonies, she did
apt acknowledge the. indcpepdsnce of q. .consoli-
lated American Government, but ttheindependencc
Of Thirteen separate and independent States.
There was 90 power on earth ut that day which
had any right or claimed any1right, to forcsthose
State, into aunion of any sort with each other,
,r to frame any kind Of government for them.
rhoy were then left free, each one to thodso'a
for ITSELF, to enter into Q union with
the other States, or to retain separate an6 indie
pendent government of its own. =. o, ,-..,
Second It fact that the Convention of-New
York which adopted the Federal Constitution,
expressly the right Of the State to with
iraw from the Union whenever in her judgment
/ became c1pedient so to do. ~
Third. It is . fact that after the adoption Of
he Federal Constitution BY eleven st.tos, Rhode
Island declined entering the Union for r7si1tssn
nonthsa ~a ga. = a.a,'...-' = ~ e;s .....a,
: Fourth.: II is n fact that North .Carnlfna. re-