Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-10-15
A Battle in the Air.

NOTHING could be more touching than
the pcrtinacity with which Mr. Alexander
ii. Stephens insists that the war was un-
constitutional, and that true regard for
the fundamental law would have resigned
the United States to total destruction. lie
continually argues at great length that the
Constitution is merely n treaty between
sovereign bowers from which each may
withdraw at pleasure; and in utter contra.
vention Of the peace and dignity of Mr..
George Ticknor Curtis, the historian of
the Constitution, the biog1pher of Web.
ster, and u gentleman who believes to n
degree that ought to console MIR. Stephens
that the country has already arrived at
the demnition bow-wows--in utter disrc
gard, we say, of the peace and dignity
aforesaid, Mr.. stephens stoutly asserts that
Mr.. Webster himself changed his views
somewhat after his famous speech in re-
ply TO Hayne
Mr.. Stephens quotes from n subsequent
argument of MIR. Webster In the Su.
preme Court in which he said 81 am
not prepared to say that the States have
no NATIONAL sovereignty" And he de.
'clares that MI. Calhoun reduced Mr.. Web.
stcr TO utter silence, crushed him, pulver.
lied him, on the 26th of February, 1923
Upon that celebrated occasion Mr.. Cal.
houn drew an argument in favor OF tho
State sovereignty theory from the eth ar.
ticle of the Constitution itself, which
speaks of the establishment of the Con.
stitution "bttlneR the States so ratifying.' ,
This blow, Mr.. Stephens tells us, was
overwhelming. 1t left Mr.. Webster, so "a
speak, in hopeless limp and tlabby intel
lcctual condition, and he '"ncver came bacl,
at his opponent" That word "betwecn,'
Mr.. Stephens again informs us, is an argu
ment in favor OF the treaty view of thc
Consultation that never has been and never
can be answered.
Mr.. Curtis replies by hurting Mr.. Madi.
son at Mr.. Calhoun, and demanding,
through his clenchod teeth, as il were,
whether Mr.. Madison was not as good a
Democrat, and might not be presumed To
understand the Constitution quite ms well
as Mr.. Calhoun. He shows Mr.. Madisons :
view of the subject To be identical with
MIR. Webster's, and he follows up Mr.. Ste
phcns airy speculations about "dele.
gated or "alienatod" sovereignty with
the JUNCTION of a Seraphic Doctor pushing
an Angelic Doctor upon the most recon.
dite theological abstraction. Then he
dcscends upon the cX.Coniedcrate Vice
President and asks by what right, upon
his theory of the Constitution, ho com
pmlns OF, inc military deSpOtiSnl, the
Satrapc system, and the "ruin at last"
which Mr.. Webster predicted, which now
weighs upon the country.
Does II never occur to such disputants
that the point upon which they differ was
purposoly left obscure in the Constitution,
rs the great, uneXpressed compromise,
that Mr. Webster and MIR. Calhoun, rea.
soning from the letter OF the instrument
merely, We're both correct, because while
the Constitution declares that eve, the
people "orlain il, it also makes Il subject
To ratification "between the States" and
that such radical difficulty could at last
be settled in one way only, and that it has
been scttletlp The people of the United
States have declared with the most ap.
palling emphasis that they are and win
remain one nation. The only final inter.
prefers of The Constitution have inter.
prcted IL " You are allwrong," murmurs
Mr.. Stephens "Oonstitutinnally Won
ought at this very moment to be a moist,
unpleasant body" II is the most affect.
ing illustration upon record of Scissors,
il die for itw-Hllper's WceGlV.