The New York herald., 1869-06-10

General fitzpatrick. United States Minister to
Chile left for his post on the 10th instant.
THE TRUE CAUSE OF THE REBELLION.
Interesting Letter fSam Alexander FL. stc-
LIBERTY HALL,
! CRAwFoRDsvILLE, Ga, June 4, 1859.
| MEssRs EDrroRs NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER, wash
| / noticed in an issue OF your paper some weeks
ago al editorial IN the following words
w. .;,.1s TIE PRIME CAUSE OF THE nEpEnLIos ;
81 Judge ' has S az sSs
close nteiiissn political Affairs lie
and q The Of
movement impair force To these he
sss Of @ half
him.
opinions communication upon such subject from such
nSiie VIE serious rejection. 1'''' ''''
ID the same paper appeared the communication
Of Judge Nicholas referred TO- which is entlted:-.
i NrhE CAqsA CAusANs OF THE LATE REBELLION"
in references % mSsS xniSa g n9s think ought
from The nigh source they do, and being endorsed,
as they are. by so high authority as the Ndtt5aaa!
it, require, that they should not be permitted thus
| 10 pass. must. therefore, ask your indulgence 10
think lie matter deserves. This would have been
done st an early day out or continued severe bodily
ainction. The remarks 10 winch l specially refer
| are as folows:-
The following condensed elabo
ree a1d abs book OF the Hon A. H. stephens on be causes
nceus dosr.s Of secession
ter Union alone be The
causes OF the An these troubles resulted aevilabs
| governing political system
war-the maiu exciting both sdcs-but was not
fs r .Ss s S on II one eide to vndc.e tn.
right OF secession and on the other in denial OF the right and
nature Of the AID where Sndc our syslc u
ms sIsi. sssss. n a s ms % talents
in seuslncaton alder OF The rebeloo. hut he is not
State r.G. priaesIe aid,sIons eIIoiay ss@p. @
the cvl
what Judge Nicholas means by ''the orthodox
State rights pncipie' he has not stated. nor has he
intImated wherein have in the book to which he
refers 'uEintentionally" or otherwise attempted 10
draw upon thu, orthodox principle according TO his
Nothing certainly was farther from my design
than what Is thus imputed to the result Of my
iincaiion barely, as he intimates, but the sndica-
ton OF the only true State rights principles which
consistent with the facts OF the history OF Our
country. ON these alone our entire fabric OF con.
stitutional liberty was based In the beginning, and
In these alone can 1t be maintained and preserved
for the future These principles from the ndsputa.
bic and rreirayibe facts Of history adduced IN their
vlndication, and, ! may say, established beyond
the power Of refutaton necessarily carry with them
the sovereignty of the several states.
Whatever ideas Judge Nicholas may have OF the
orthodox principle OF state rights, venture to af
firm that II would be impossible for him anybody
else to name any single right Of State or any SIN.
gle principle OF State rights under our system when
does not depend Tor Its existence upon the nece5sa-
s no sIIcS ts,ng ne ate I rsbts wtsnsi siate
sovereignty. The states severaliy possess no
power nor enjoy any privilege BY favor grant or
well tnose retained those delegated, inherent
and sovereign. This Is an indisputabe truth. 1t Is
equally true on the other side that the general
ernment possesses no power by inherent sovereign
right. All its rights and powers are held ny delega-
and - In afa
sovereign States constituting It. or course speak
| OF matters as they stood aate oel,,m.
II the lacts OF our history pe set forth In the
volume referred 10 (ald the world is challenged to
disprove them, then the conclusions To which they
lead inevitable, even though they lead to COM
pete Justification OF the sovereign night secession
as the only sure check aud barrier against The
patton OF undeegaed power on the part fine general
, government. la the domain OF reason the conclu-
| SONS OF logic are lnexoraole Tnis is The appro-
pirate doman Of history, Within its limits my
| Iabors were strictly confined.
But my OBJECT IN this note Is not TO Join or raise
any discussion with Judge Nicholas the matter OF
the orthodox state right principle II Will be time
enough for Inc to do this with HIM or anybody else
when there Is any attempt made, by aud argu-
ent, to relute the positions Of the book upon that
| subject. What do not wish to permit 10 pass un.
| noticed is what ne styles condensed cxtracsn from
denscd extracts it is my wish TO enter respectful
protest. Many OF your readers, In this as well la
foreign countries, may see these extracts who may
| main under the impression that am herein accu-
ratey quoted at least they give sufficient attention
1
| think 1t essential TO a correct understanding that
their opinions should be formed from my own Ian.
| guage, and not from his representation Of 1t.
| What said about the chief cause, the origin and
actual Inauguration OF the war Is In those words:-
the black race to The white which existed in all b1t
| one OF the States when tho Union was formed and
N nieen Of them when m the me war began was ungues.
| proximate cause on both sdes-on the one as well
as the Other But i was ,n, not the real cause the
the part OF the federal authorities that the people
OF the several states were, a. you say, citizens
OF tho United states and owed allegien1e to
the federal government the absolute SOW.
ercign power over the whole country. con.
soliJated into one nation The war sprung from
the very idea you have expressed and from the
doctrines embraced In the question propounded to
views az 70 the nature Of the government Of the
| United states, and where, under our system, utl.
mate soyeregn'power or paramount authority prop.
| Considerations connected with the legal status OF
the black race IN the southern States, aud the posi-
ton of several OF the Northern States towards IT,
gether with the known sentiments and principles OF
those Just elected 10 the two highest oiccs OF tho
| federal goyernment-Messrs. Lincoln and Hamlin -
az to the powers Of that government over
this subject, and others which threatened, a. was
ssppossd al aeir vital interests prompted the
the very reason that had induced them at FIRST to
enter into ~ that s, for their own better protection
aud security. Those who had the control OF the ad
minisration OF the federal government denied this
right 10 withdraw or secede. The war was lnaug-
government against those states, or the people Of
these States 70 prevent their withdrawal from the
Union. On the part OF these States, winch had al
lied themselves In a common cause, Il was MAIN
ianed and carried on purely IN defence OF this great
right, claimed by them, OF state sovereignty ana
selfgovernnnnt which they with their associates
had achieved In their common struggle with great
Britain, under the Declaration OF lIs, and which In
their Judgment, lay at the foundation Of the whole
structure Of American ffee institutions.
"rhis Is mccinct statement OF the issue and
when the calm and enlightened Judgment of man
kind, after the passions OF the day snail have passed
OF, and shall be burleq with the many gallant ond
nobl. spirited men who fell both sides I'm the
gigantic struggle which ensued shall he pronounced.
as u Will be- upon the right or wrong OF the mighty
contest must be rendered Ia favor the one side
the other, not according TO results but according
TO the right IN tho issue thus presented nlCons.it.
tuiional view or the Late War Between tie states
vol. L., p. ISL