The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-02-06
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ELKTON, FEBRUARY 9, 1869.
A POPULAR FALLACY.


In prefacing his lecture, on Friday
evening, the Goth ult, DR.. McCabe
spoke Of having delivered it, among
other places, in. Richmond, "his own
dearly beloved State Of Virginia.
The DR.. is not by any means alone in
possessing this singular and worse than
absurd fallacy. What peculiar and es-
Unable qualities do the pine trees, sand
hills or alluvial valleys of Prince Will
liams, in Virginia, possess over those
of St. Mary's, in Maryland? Why
should the same constituents of soil and
plants on the south bank of the Poto-
mac be invested with peculiar and
royal excellence supposed not to be
found in those on the north bank of that
stream? This wicked delusion had
much to do in aiding to foster and de-
velop the rebellion, and the men who
propagated this GORGEOUS folly, paid
dearly for the unnatural and selfish SEN
timent. 1t is the wicked and deceitful
subterfuge of the demagogue, who can
expatiate on Estates rights" one of
the worst political phantoms that ever
disturbed this republic. What Of ma
tionality Or sovereignty CAN State
have, which forms but q component
part of this nation? Each State owes
all it possesses Of government and secu-
rity to the protecting agis Of the Fed
eral power The States as individuals
are not known to foreign powers. They
are without diplomacy or intercourse
with outside nations. They have neither
armies nor navies, beyond mere police
force, to insure domestic, or neighbor-
hood order Their whole machinery
of government does not extend beyond
this. This is its whole end and aim
the full extent Of the government power
of any State The entire nationality
or semblance of nationality, possessed
by any State, is represented by her
Senators and Representatives, who
constitute part Of the Federal Gov
eminent, which are entirely powerless
for any governmental purpose if not
joined to like symbols of sovereignty
from all the other States in the Union.
AS the States now exist, or ever have
existed, no State is prepared or able to
protect itself against a foreign enemy.
Such business is all left to the Federal
Government-the true and only gov
eminent known to the world as belong
ing to the United States. This subject
of States rights, although it has elected
an endless amount of talk, has really
nothing in it when examined nothing
tangible to lay hold Of The man who
is Virginian, a Marylander, or Penn
sylvanian, and centres all his patriotic
feeling in one of these divisions of ter.
ritory, which divisions exist solely for
purposes of domestic convenience and
economy-forgetting the while he is an
American, and that his noblest title to
citizenship is in being member of the
Great Republic, the patriotism of that
man is terribly corrupted. If it were
possible for some men to learn, they
would have learned this lesson through
the experience of the war Of what
Account Stota-- authositB..in-.tAs
The consumption officers, armed with
the authority of JEFF Davis, dragged
men from their beds and put them in
the rebel army, without the least regard
to what State they domiciled in. And
this was done in that section which pre-.
tended to 60 to war on the principle Of
States rights. AS soon as the popular
fallacy of these gentlemen came in con.
tact with stern reality, the dclusion
vanished like frost work before the sun
To pirate about love for this or that
State is the veriest bosh that ever vexed
the ear Of sensible man. When an
American boasts of his love for the
United States, and glories in his citi.
zenship Of the same, his patriotism is
properly estimated, his common sense
honored everywhere by the wise and
good; but there is no more palpable
sign of the unmitigated donkey, than
to hear him braying about his State
love!