The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1866-03-15

n Leaf from the Past.

Il Leaf from the Past.
On the 25th of May, 1859, but little
more than seven years ago, a convention
was held at Cleveland, Ohio. It was
styled Convention Of the Sons Of Liberty,
and was presided over by Joshua r. Gid
dings, lately United States Consul Cen
eral for the Canadas. Upon its commit
tee of resolutions, the chief man was
Benjamin F. Wade, then as now, Uni
ted States Senator from Ohio. That
committee brought forward series of
resolutions, which were adopted, the
principal one being as follows:
+" ResolUed, That tfe@everal States COM
prising the United States of America
are not united on the principle of unlim-
tied submission to their General Govern
ment, but that, by compact, under the
style and title of a Constitution for the
Unitad States, and Commandments there
to, they constituted General Govern
ment for certain definite powers, reserv-
ing, each State to itself, the residuary
mass of right to their own self-govern-
ment; and that whatsoever the General
Government assumes undelegated pow
ers, it's acts are unauthoritive, void, and
of no force, and being void, can derive
no validity from mere judicial interpre-
tation; that to this compact each State
acceded as State, and is an integral par
ty; that this Government, created by
this compact, was not made the exclu-
sive or final judge of the extent of the
powers delegated to itself, since that
would have made its discretion and not
the Constitution the measure of its pow.
er; but that, as in all other cases of COM
pact among parties having no common
ind 9nt hoe ssrpv~% Hr,
Judge for itself, as we'll of infractiOns as
of the mode and measure of redress"
Salmon p. Chase, ex-Secretary of the
Treasury, and then Governor of Ohio,
was present and made speech, warmly
endorsing the resolutions. VIM. Dem
nison, ex- Governor of Ohio, and now Post
Master General, wrote letter approx
ing of the convention, and endorsing its
proceedings.
If Mr.. Calhoun ever stated the South
Carolina doctrines more extremely than
the foregoing resolution we are not a.
ware of it. No officer of the Confederate
Government ever went step beyond it.
Not One-half of the leading Southern
statesmen went SO far And yet Wade
and Chase are crying aloud, to-day, for
the elevation of the negroes of the South
over the white men there, by the sword,
if need be, for no other or better reason
than that the white population risked
life and property, and all that was dear
to them, in vindication of these identi-
cal doctrines. The Southern people,
they say, will not be worthy to come
back to the Union-not fit to sit at meat
with Chase and Douglas and Wade-uu-
til they have repented sufficiently and
long, in sackcloath and humiliation, of
having ventured to assert, at every haz-
ard, what the authors and supporters of
this very resolution-thee especial "Sons
of Liberty dared to promul-
gate, for the base purposes of yesterday,
now dare to repudiate and denounce, for
the baser purposes of to day. These, too,
are the men who would hound President
johnson to the death for the crime of
interposing the shield of the Constitution
between the States Of theUnion and the
undelegated power, which the Danton, 8
of the hour would brandish, to destroy
States and Government together.
Mr.. FIELDS, a London bookseller, i,
known for his wonderful! menlurs and
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