Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1871-04-22
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From Senator Summers Speech of April 10.
! The questions presentcd .in this debate
have been of hcttnd of constitutional law.
II is insisted On &he side that condition of
things exists iukceitain Statcs affecting NE,
liberty, properly, and tlie enjoyment sof
Equal Rightstwhi can, be corrected only
BY. the national arm. On the other side
this statement is controvcrted, and It is
argued also that such Intervention is incon-
sistent with the Constitution Of the United
States. ION both question, iwhsther of fact
or law, 4 cannot hesitate.e Toofpy mind,
outrages are proved, fearful IN character ;
nor can doubt the power under tic Con-
stitution to apply the remedy sfT
So long as Slavery endured n State was
allowed to playstle turtle, and, sheltered
within its shell, tocscape the application of
Those master pfinciples which are truly
national. The DccAration offrdepehdencc,
with IFS Immortal truths, were aBcy vance;
the Constitution itself were Interpreted
always in support Of Slavery II lnever
doubted tlms this Interpretation was wrong,
not even HI the days of Slavery; but 1t, is
doubly, trlply wrong, now that the Decla-
ration of Independence is ut last regarded,
and that the Constitution not only makes
slavery Impossible, but assures the citizen
in the enjoyment of Equal Rights do
not qnete' these texts, whether ofthc Decla-
ration or the Constitution. You know them
by heart. But they are not vain words,
Vital In themselves they are armed with all
needful powers ocarry thcin intocSecntfob.
As mother days Slavery gave its character
70 the Constitution, filing it with its own
denial Of Equal Rights, and compelling
the National Government 10 be lis instru-
meni, so now do insist that liberty must
give its character to the presence and COM
pclling tho National Government to, be its
intsra.rcnt. Once the Nation served Slave
T, land In this service ministered to. State
Rights; now It must service Liberty with
kindred devotion, even 10 the denial of
state Fights u An this Iinsist is plainp i c-
cbrdirg 70 rules of, interpretation Simple
anl commanding. 70 iAI1i . in3,,ffo 2', . I.
WHAT makes us us nation 2 Not armies,
not fleets, not Qualifications, not commerce
reHcliing every shore abroad, not industry
: filing every vein at home, nor population
thronging the highways; none OF these
made our Nation, Tile national life df this
Republic is found IN the principle of Unity
and in the Equal Rights Of allour people;
Ill Of which being national in character arc
necessarily placed under the great safe
guard Of the Nation, Lct the national
iinity be assailed and the nation win spring
to its defense. Let the humblest citizen in
the remotest. Village be assailcd in the
enjoyment, Of Equal Rights, and the Nation
must do for that humblest citizen what it
would do for itself And this is only .ac-
cording to the original promises of. the Dec
regent promisesof fthecopstitutional amend
ments, the two concurring in, the same
NATIONAL principles. ...'i ,,' Az i''''ii'''s.
Doyou question the binding character
of the great Declarationp Then do invoke
the Constitutional Amendments. But you
cannot turn from either, and each cstab-
fishes beyond question the boundaries of
national power making it co-cxtensive with
the national unity and the Equal Rights
of all originally declared and subsequently
assured. Whatever is announced in the
. Declaration is essentially national, and so
also is all that is assured. The principles
of the Declaration, re-enforced by the Con-
stitutional Amendments, cannot be allowed
, to suffer. Being common to all, they must
be underthe safeguard Of all; ;nor can any
I State set up its local system against the
universal law. Equality implies univer-
salty; and what is universal must be ma
= tional. Ifcach State is left to dotemine
the protection of Equal Rights, then will
protection vary according TO the State, and
( Equal Rights will prevail only according 10
: the accident of localklaw.1 There will be MS
, many equalities as States Therefore. in
obedience to reason, as well rs solemn
mandate, is this power in the Nation r
" Nor am / deferred from this conclusion
by any cry ccntralism, or it may be OF
imperialism. These arc terms borrowed
from France, where this abuse mas become
tyranny, subjected the most distant COM
. munities exon in the details of administers
. ton to central control. Mark,Iif you
please. the distinction. But no sacli aty.
I1lpny is proposed amon us: nor any inter
: ference of any kind with matters local in
character The nation will no. enter tho
STATE, Except for thes safeguard of rights
national in character. and then only as
tn sunshine, with bcneficent power! and,
like the sunshine. for tho equal good oi
all. AS we'll assail the sun because it, is
ccntral-because it is imperial. Here is a
Just ccntralism; here il generous mpe'
, iasiism. Stunning with patriotic care that
injurious centralism and that fatal impe-
rialisnl, WHICH have been, the Nemesis o
% Frances, hail that other centra lsin which
supplies nu equal protectionto every citizen.
and that other imperialism which 1makes
3 Equal Rights the supreme law,to bc main
! tanned by The national arm -in'all parts %
{ theand. Centralism! Imperialism! Give mt
y the eeutrnlisnl OF liberty. Give me the lm
peralism of equal rights. And may tbl'
I national Capitol, where we arc now ASSEM-
lled, I've the emblem of-our nation. Plant
, cd 0naiill,tnp, with parials opening N0rtl
and South, East and West, with spacious
chambers aud with arching dome rerowne,
BY the image Of Liberty; suchis ourimps
rial Republic; but in nothing is in so trnl,
impartial as in that bcnedcent s0vereigDi5
which rise like n dome crowned by The ia.
! age Of liberty. ...u I.T..l i.aI rly e..
Nor am deferred by any party cry
The Republican party must do its worn
which is notldug less then the Regeneration
/ of the nation according TO the promises a
| the Declaration ol Independence II
maintain the llepublic in its unity aad tn
ITope la their rights, such is tllls transcend
} cnt duty, Nor d0 lnl lear any politles
party which assalls these sacpH promises
even il il falsely nssnma The name of ol)sn,
: nGriL. How poworlcss their ellurls agains
) tlrse ipnloPial principles. For myself
. l,noN no better seryl,se then Ll,at WHICH
F. now announoe, liep have Lhb0reil
: tasty, fpoHl early liin, Bearing ohloany an,
y onmily, aod here again | pledgo tho ener
gles which remain ~ me, even II obloqu.