The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-06-02
DAVIS AND LEE:
OR,
THE REPUBLIC OF REPUBLICS !

THE REPUBLIC OF REPUBLICS F!
An attempt to ascertain, from The Federal
Constitution, from the acts Of the pre-
eristent States, and from tie contenepo-
raneous enpositioas Of Tie Fathers, the
SOVEREIGNTY, CITIZENSHIP, ALLEGIANCE.
and TREASON Of the United States, The
obligations of lie Presidents Constitu-
honal oath, and thsyeasons whq the
trial Of the Confede,ate Chiefs w0s en-
died. By one Of tie Counsel Of Jefferson
Darts.
Chapter Tp-sEcEssIoN AND COERCION.
It is incontrovertible that the federal
system is states united, and that these
must always be sovereign, and superior to
the governments they create 1t is equal
ly plain that the national unity" the lab
solute supremacy" of 'sthe government
and the allegiance of the states thereto,
which are asserted by the Massachusetts
school, are absurd and pernicious, as we'll
as traitorous falsehoods.
This federal system" is precisely what
Montesquieu and other publicists happily
call republic of republics" Natural
persons by social compact form the society
called the state, which is republic. Such
state is a moral or political person, as con-
tra-distingnished from a natural one. For
mutual protection, and general government,
it joins other such political persons in fed
eral compact, thus forming the republic OF
republics, or union of States" as the fed.
eral compact characterizes the system
formed by it. Community of commuui-
ties" confederation of republics "united
states" ETC., ETC., are other phrases of pub.
lie writer's, signlfying the same political
system.
Natural persons, then, form states, while
these, as political persons, form the fedora
ton called "the United States" The
Constitution contemplates these political
bodies as solely the sources of power, and
of elective right. Every voter acts for the
state, and gets his special endowment of
authority to vote from her alone. She
settles the matter, as a sovereign, in her
organic law. Hence we see that the rep
resentatives are elected by the states, as
are the senators and the President; and
that all OF these, together with the officers
they appoint, are "hbe government of The
states under ''k1e constitution
0fMe states"
Emitting from the above constitutional
phrases the particpal adjective which, with
the sense of Joined or associated, qualities
or describes states, we easily distinguish
between the political entities that form the
federal system and their mere qualities :;
and see that the only nation we have, or
can have, is sef-united or associated states
The system being properly described rs a
republic of republics" or a "uaon of
states"
NO CONSTITUTIONAL COERCION OF STATES.
Our states being equal and voluntarily
joined. the Constitution being the express
sion of their will, and the federal govern
ment being their agency, in the very nature
OF things no coerciee power over them
could be derived from the Constitution
Moreover, if they were once voluntary par
ties, they could not have become involun-
tary ones, without their own action; for
they have the sole power of amendment
tsee Art. W and, to cap the climax, the
fathers were unanimous in excluding the
power of coercion from the federal CON-
pact, and, out of abundance of caution,
guarding against it by amendment, all of
which will be hereafter fully shown
Buchanan, Lincoln and Others argued that
the ieceat exertion of federal force against
certain states was not coercion of states
but was military coercion of persons. ban
ded to oppose the federal laws, or, in other
words, the putting down Of "a rebellion !;
but such views are dignified by calling
them weak sophistry. For tho said states
acted as bodies in making the Constitu-
ton; they moved as such in seeding and
they varied as such in resisting coercion.
And, in each case, they respectively exer-
csed that right of command over the citi-
zens which results from the social com
pact, binding each to obey the collective
viii; and which is sovereignty itself. On
the other hand, the federal functionaries
were lighting to enforce an ordinance which
the state had originally ordained, but had
repealed, and made 1t reasonable to obey,
namely, the ordinance of ratification, which,
as to the said state and her citizens, gave
to the said Constitution, aud the resultant
government, their only possible validity
and warrant
THE ONLY BASIS OF COERCION.
To coerce state is unconstitutional !;
but it is equally true that the precedent of
cnercing states is established, and that it
IS defensible under the law of nations. If
this be correct, all will agree that such
akima ratio should be placed at Once on
its own ground, and it's limits defined, so
that our Constitution may be vindicated
and held sacred in the future, and the co.,
science of the people of the victorious
states be relieved of the charge of violating
the supreme law of the land" in corcing
the states that ordained it and killing their
people for defending them; for nothing
can more demoralise. and finally demonize,
the people, Individually and collectively,
than the consciousness of having commit
ted such crimes, the determined enjoyment
OF the fruits thereof, and the constant ma
king of false excuses to their consciences
and to the world.
Where the Constitution does not pro-
vide treaty stipulation, or conventional
rule, by which to settle question arising
among or between our states, the law Of
nations is to be resorted to, for the Con-
stitution only displaces such law pro tanto.
This law would, ifthe federal compact were
annuled, at once govern all questions
among the states of Europe. The truth is,
the purpose of the federal compact was the
settlement of such international questions
as it provides for and closes, such ques-
tons having been, as long as they were