The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-12-04
ereaiag State goarnat.
MONDAY EVENING. DEC. 4, 1871.


The lecture by the Hon. O. p. Morton,
of Indiana, in Music Hall, last evening, at
tracted large audience. The musical pre-
hide to the lecture was varied by song
rom Faust" sung by Mrs. Wentworth
Stephenson. The lecture was the last but
one ' in the Old Bay State course.
The subject upon which he was to speak,
he said, was hackneyed one, and essen
tally political. lie would endeavor to
sneak from another than partisan stand
noint. A proposition that has been SUBJ
rmitted to the arbitrament of arms and yet
ever reappears like the poison vines of the
tropics is that the States composing our
nation are in themselves nations, possess
mo in themselves oil the powers, rights and
attributes of nations /; that the government
was formed by these States as political
corporation; that the government rests
mon the States, represents the States, is
ibe agent of the States that this govern
ment Of ours is not, as we would fondly
suppose, form of government, but is a
mere compact between sovereign and indie
nendent States. From this proposition two
rrorollaries have been adduced from time to
time with great force of logic. The first is
that this Union is composed of sovereign
and independent States who have simply
entered into a compact for particular pur-
noses. and the Government is merely their
agent !; that any State has the right to with
draw from the Union at pleasure, or when
ever in its Judgment the terms of the COM
nact have been violated, or the interests of
ttbe State require its withdrawal. The Sc
cond is that each State has the right to null
80 L.. &c NH 81, ~, H.
Judgment of the State, is in violation of the
compact by which the government was
formed. This doctrine has been the evil
genius of the country from the foundation
of our government. 1t has been our danger
from the first. 1t is the rock in the straits,
and we fear that the end is not yet. In
giving the history Of this doctrine of State
sovereignty, MI. MoI.on s'ila Illat we ap-
pncatlon OF ine uocsrlle III tie Ieoeiilon
was the inc thlrd OF ioufIl apPiicaeloii thaI
has been mace o, IT, ~ Is perpetual
threat against the ne ~ .'e lia.lol. Inns
nation Is not saie SO ioils a. tnere Is any
considerable NUMBER OF people VINO ehter-
tam tins doctrne' IL IS poiSonesi dagger
always at nand 10 DC ciutcneu py desperate
actions. IL is reauy,lnaue instrument oi
~ - \ -
conspirators OF uel,iasosueS, vi oy any Sc,
ton OF the Union ,liae may oe es'falgeu OF
excited against tne government lor any
cause. Iwo-tnrds oil an the newspapers N
tue southern states OF Iilis cinoh are TO-
day teacnIlig thlS doctrine oi o'ate se s,s
eIgnty. newspapers "a almost en ny otalc
IN the North are teaellliis ". lhe otier
DAY gentleman rom iNei'.ucny sen. n 1,a
school history III use N Tue Schools oi .liat
state, IN wilch TINS doctrine IS taught IN
the most elementary form, ana since the
war alexander IA. o1eplens, VINO was Ihe
Ylce-fresident oi inc eoiieoeracy, mas
pubilsneu q work IN Two volumes 10 estao,
lisl thls uoctrihe OF o.a.e sovereignty ant,
the coroiiaries, tne right OF secession anu
the rlght OF nuiiihcatioh.
Now what can we oppose to this doc
trine !? We oppose what we call 'sthe ma
tional idea., We assume that this govern
ment was formed bv the people of the
United States in their aggregate and in their
primary capacity. We assume that instead
of there being thirty-seven nations, there
is but one instead of there being thirty
seven soycieignties there is but one sover-
eighty. We assume that the States are not
sovereign. but that they are integral and
subordinate parts Of one great country.
NAV be asked the question here, 'Are
there no State rights ?" "Would you
override the States? Would YOU obliterate
State lines ?u | answer, "No." answer
that this doctrine is the only doctrine that
can preserve the peace of this nation and
preserves the rights OF the States. an
swer that there is vast body of State
rights guaranteed and secured by the con-
stitution of the United States, by the same
constitution that created and uphods the
government of the United States; that these
State rights have the same guaranty that
the rights of the National government have,
equally entitled to the protection of the SUI
preme court, springing out of the same in
strument, and that one set of rights are Just
as sacred as the other. Some confound the
idea of State sovereignty and State rights as
being one and the same thing. Others
seem to suppose that State rights are only
consistent with State sovereignty, and can
not exist except upon the theory of State
sovereignty while | assume that State
rights are consistent with national sover-
e:gnty, and are safest under the protection
of the nation. The States have their rights
by agreement with the nation, and they de-
rive their powers from the constitution of
the United States. do not differ so much
with many gentlemen in regard to what
the rights of the States are. | differ with
them in regard to the titles by which they
hold them. say that, so far as State
- AZ r. a.