The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-06-23

ity there, that Fort Sumpter, which |
became the scene of the first conflict |
Of arms, would, at an early day, be |
peacefully evacuated by the Federal |
troops then holding it. The war |
was iadlLgaTGtel, if not begun, when |
the hostile deet set out for Charleston
for the purpose of reinforcing that |
fort, 'fIs Ctla gefGS," Hallam has
we'll said that the ''aggressOr in war /
IS not the first who uses force, but the
first who renders force necessary"
And so the facts of history will ever
show how and by whom this late
terrible and most lamentable war
was i1lattgItTGted as well as by whom
1t was begun. They will show who
were the actual aggressors, and who
first violated the organic principles
and laws of our American system of
of self-government by the people.
Whatever may be the ultimate re-
suits of this war, SO far as the fate of
constitutional liberty on this cOnti-
nent Is concerned, the Inauguration
can never be justly and truly charg-
ed upon the seeding States.
Their object in separating frOu
their former associates, with whom
they considered they had been unit
ed in a Federal compact, was not on
ly to remain in peace with them, but
to preserve and peTpetuate the prin-
clpleS of that COnStitu ton which had
demonstrated such WondrouS results
as bond of Union between SOVer-
eign States so long as its principles
had been adhered to, but which they
apprehended, under erroneous con-
StrucLiOn, if not checked, would soon
lead to consolidation and despCtism.
If they were right in their position
that ours was Federal Government,
then the authorities at Washington
were the aggressors in inaugurating
the war to prevent the exercise of
the right of withdrawal if they
were wrong in their position as to
the character of the General Govern
ment if it, in fact, was not Federal
in its nature and character, but was
a Government with a consolidated
sovereignty in the central head, then
they were the aggreSsors in render
ing the Inauguration of the war nee
essary for the maintenance of central
supremacy. The whole matter of
right or wrong in the beginning of
the war, aS well as its disastrous con-
sequences, depends upon the great
question, whether the General Gov
ernment was a Federal Republic or
not, and what, under the Constitu-
ton, was the true orthodox State
Rights principle'' to which Judge
Nicolas refers but does not enlighten
| the public upon. In other works, it
depends upon the true answer to the
question: Where, under our system
does our sovereignty reside? Is it
lodged in the General Government,
or has 1T pessed to the whole people
of the United States as one aggre-
gate mass, or does itstill remain with
the people Of the several States as
distinct political organizations?
The doctrine of the book is that
sovereignty resides just where it did
in 1776, 1878 and 1787-that is, Icith
The people Of the several States! 1t
/ maintains that all that the the
States did by the adoption of the
COnatitutiOn was to delegate, in trust,
/ the exercise OF certain specific and
limited powers to the General Gov
eTnment, while they retained to
themselves, severalIy, s)Veraignty
itself, the great source from which
all political powers emanate.
| This doctrine, L must insist, too,
is not only the true doctrine upon
the subject Judge Nicholas opinion
to the contrary Notwithstanding
Upon the point of orthodoxy in ref
| erence to that matter, I know of
but one standard. erected and estab
lished in the first of Kentucky's
great resolves of 1898. The doctrine
of this chief apostle of State rights
and human rights, then announced,
rescued and saved the country from
consolidation and centralism in 1901.
Under the operation of this most or
thOdOX principle so established, with
the general and tacit acknowledge
| ment of its correctness by all the De-
partments of the Government, we
increased, grew and prOspered for
4 sixty years as no nation on earth eV-
er did before. Whatever disturban-
ces temporarily marred the harmo-
ny of the general system in the inter
val upon the subjects of tariffs. inter.
nal Improvements, the status of the
African population, &c:, grew out OF
departures. or attempted departures,
in the Federal Administrations from
the standard thus erected by Jeffer-
son as to the nature and extent OF
of the powers of the Federal Govern.
meDt The more nearly the princi-
pies taught by him were adhered to,
the more prosperous and happy the
nation was in all parts and mem
bers. ,lx- Ia
use the word nation in this con
nection purpoSely, for, notWithstand
ing the very great abuse of this
word, in very recent times, we are
nevertheless nation in a very prop
er use of that term. Far was it from
volume referred to by Judge Nicho-
J las to show that ''the United State
do not constitute a nation" as ]
have seen it stated by some writer
in what he was pleased to consider
a review of the work. The great OBJ
jecU with me, on the contrary, wa
. to show not only that we are q ma
: ton but GOhGt sort of q nation are we
1t is most clearly demonstrated il
that argument that we are a natioI
of individuals, blended in a common
mass, with a consolidated soYerein
l ty over the whole; but it is shown
3 with equal clearnesS that we are
, nation, the constituent elements o
members of which are separate ant
distinct political Organizatlons,S State
3 or sovereignties ~
{ 1t is shown that ours is a conven
3 tiOnaI natiOn-one created by com
= pact. All federal republics and al
/ considerations between separate an
! distinct sovereign powers are conven
| tlOnal nations. We were a mdtiOl
= under the first Article of Confed
: Grafton; and we are just such natio
= noW-nOt q nation of one people O
D one political organization, but ma
f tiOn of several distinct political OF
1 ganizations. We are "ConfederateC
D natIOn," as Washington properly
1 styled the present Union. That is
4 a nation of States, or what is tn
3 same thing, a nation Of nations. :
l Hence the appropriateness of tn
;. motto adopted by the fathers to eX
t press the idea of their work-"l
r Pluribus Unum."
C In this sense we are not only ma
/ ton, but a nation of the highest typ
l | that the world ever saw. It rise