Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-07-12

4~~-E-a
It never ought to have been doubted,
under the old Constitution, that there
was but one mode by which any one
could become q citizen Of the United
states that this only mcSe was by be-
coming q citizen OF s State, the term
Citizen Of the United States meaning
citizen ofsome one Ofthe United States
that g citizen Of one Of the States was
iDso facto a citizen Of the United States +;
that consequently foreigners could not
be made Citizens Of the United States
/ any where except in a State, aud Of
/ course rot in a Territory or the District
! Of Columbia; and that the power of
Congress in this regard was, to pre-
/ serf5e' 10 the States, uniform RULES Of
/ Naturalization 10 be followed, in and
I by each State, in making citizens Of such
/ State, through its courts or otherwise
One thing alone should have been suf-
| fclent 20 satisfy all mems minds on these
points. SuppOze that a citizen Of the
/ United States made suen By nsturaliZa-
/ ton in a territory, were to remove into
Virginia and there claim the rights and
privileges Of citizenship. Under what
provision Of the Constitution would any
obligation rest on Virginia to admit him
/ 70 these rights ndpriyileges? It is only
bou-d 20 allow them to citizens Of other
States. A citizen of one State may sue a
citizen Of smother, in the Federal Courts
but the Constitution gives its courts no
jurisdiction because q % the parties is
a citizen Of the United States
What would become of the citizenship
Of rhsss citizens ~naturalizsd in the Ter
ritories and the District, if al the States
were TO sgree to dissolve the Union, each
returning to its former independence -?
They would be left outstanding, citizens
OF 90 State. # they continued citizens
Of the United States, the United States
would necessarily rtil continue to exist,
sfer the Union wss dissolved, with all
the common property, the laws -ld
treaties.
Yet the Southera leaders never saw
that 20 coucede that there eoutd be citi-
zeus Of the United States, who were act
citizens Of any State, was to coneede the
whole ground claimed by the Federal
lists, and to admit that the United States
was a Nation, or one people, 10 whose
continued existence no consent or sctlon
Of the States was necessary. No won
der that when Secession occurred 1t was
common for those among us who denied
the right OF q State 20 sseede, to use the
argument that a County or . Parish
might as well claim the right to secede
from the other Counties and Parishes Of
a State. And Why were not the cases
parallel? Solely because the Counties o.
the Parishes did not eack being ana as
independent political organizations, Gre
ate and constitute the State, but this was
done by the Z people Of the whole
State. This is fact, not theory and 1t
is also fact. not theory, that the STATES
did make the Federal Constitution. It
wss Only drafted, until the States, each
for Itself adopted it, land this adoption was
its making, just As a deed takes effect,
not by signing and sealing, but by de-
livery.
It is still more strange, thst the same
question remsiued TO be mOOted, under
the Confederate Constitution. For that
Constitution declared the Jaot to be, that
it was the work Of the States and its
He0ry was, that it created only al ALI
snce or Confederation Of the States. To
this theory many features of the Constr
tuition gave the lie; because they dis-
tiuctly showed that, as under the old in
strument, q corporation vas created,
called 1.-THE Confederate states with
its chief powers the same as those of the
United State, bot ia some respects more
limited. That this was 30 was proven
by the single fact hat the debts owed by
the Confederate States were not due by
the individual States, IN solido, as each
partner owes all the debts OF The partEsr-
ship but weIe like those Of a corpora
ton, for which the ~eorpofaLo-s sre not
Individually liable. Yet even this vas
nos expressly declared by the Constitu-
ton. butIsG 70 argument and implica-
tioa.
The word Confederate mas precisely
the same meaning as the words FEEDER
ate and Federal. Il simply means
federated l~0getEer.' OF course the new
name could IA 20 way aid in the con-
structi0n Of the C~opsGEsBop. From the
express declaration that It vas the
States which made the Constitution Snd
created the Government, the right Of
Withdrawal by a State could be inferred.
It could equally be inferred under the
old Constitution; so tnst nothing wa
gained. A Federation or a Confeders-
ton may mean 8 mere league or ALI
ance, or It may mean more. II it were
merely that, each State would have been
individually responsible for every dollar
Of Confederate Treasury notes and for
every Confederate bond issued.
So much the more necessity there was
therefore, for the Constitution to be con-
sistent, and to define clearly and sharply
the nature Of the new Government.
There should have been nothing smblg-
uous in it, and still less anything contra
dictory. Mere general words and terms
settle nothing, in a language where so
many words are synonymous; and q
of the first objects should have been to
prevent the formation Of parties upon
radically different constructions Of the
Constitution. Other questions may in
volve the fate and fortunes OF parties but
these the continuance Of the Republic
itself