Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-01-31
STATE SOVEREIGNTY.


history of our colonial and State
unions. Therefore we propose in this
paper to give brief sketch of the sew.
eral unions which have existed be-
tween the colonies and State sover-
eighties, in order to give the reader q
clearer idea of the principles of con-
federation on which they have been
pb:scd. This will perhaps help Ger.
tain class of willfully stupid politi.
clans TO a better understanding of the
nature of the present Federal Govern.
ment. One painful conviction crowds
itself upon our mind, and we express
our deep humiliation in confessing il
TO the world, that great majority of
our statesmen, and especially the
members of the United States Con.
gress, are totally and stupidly igno-
rant Of the true character of the Fed.
eral Union. In l643,.we find the first
colonial union formed between the
colonies of New England, under the
title of "7he United Colonies of Nep
England, aud a perpetual league Of
Friendship and dmity." Its design was
common defense against the Indians
of that section and the Dutch of New
Amsterdam, this being then the name
of the New York colony. The Puri.
tans looked upon the Dutch with su-
preme contempt, and regarded them
as an infdel and ungodly people. The
simple reason for such hatred was
that the Dutch were not Of the Puri.
tanic, or satanic, faith, did not roast
Quakers, (they preferred them raw,
drown Baptists, hang witches nor
scourge humanity wherever and when.
ever they got the power
The New England Union, with the
ever grasping instinct Of Puritanism,
had provisions for enlarging it by
taking other English colonies in. But
for some reason it was never enlarged,
and it took five years, limited as it's
numbers were, 10 perfect it, on ac-
count of the jealousy of each in rela-
ton to its perfect independence of the
other colonies, Observe the pride of
State even in these comparatively
helpless communities. Tho union
was a purely fedcrative organization ;
or what its name declared, league,
in which each colony retained un-
trammeled its own internal separate
ness and independence of the rest.
By the influence of Massachusetts,
Rhode Island was kept out OF the
New England union, the ground of
its objection being that the Rhode
Islanders were dissenters from the
doctrine Of the Puritans. This doc.
trino would not suit Grant, for it is
strongly limited that he wants Utah
in purely on the ground of its religion.
In this union no general government
was acknowledged, except "Commis.
sioners, whose duty it was to regulate
the affairs Of the common organiza-
ton. But through the Vaccinations
of Massachusetts, these commissioners
soon began to arrogatc powers which
did not belong to them by the articles
of the compact until finally, this
usurpation becoming intollerabic to u
majority of the colonies, they caused
the expulsion of the union in 1878,
which ended the frst'perpetual union"
Of the American colonies, after short
and restless life of thirty years.
In 1890, Massachusetts, addressed n
proposition to .all the colonies as far
south as Maryland, to meet in con.
vention at New York, to form some
combination or union, This was re.
sponded TO only by delegates from
New York, Connecticut and Massa.
chusetts, and resulted in nothing but
an agreement between these three to
furnish each its share of troops for the
invasion of Canada.
In 1896, Massachusetts and New
York made another effort to form
some kind of union, in order to in.
duce each colony to contribute its
share towards the general defense. 1t
was not proposed to form closer
union, because they knew it would
not spccecd Afterwards several Of
forts were made to have n Captain
General appointed by the King, with
power TO call out the militia, and a
proposition was made by Gov. Penn,
of Pennsylvania, TO form colonial
congress of twenty members, TO be
elected annually, and president, who
should be appointed by tho King, with
power in time Of war to provide for
the general defcnso, TO regulate com.
merce in time Of peace, &c, &c, all of
which was rejected because of the
then existing prejudice against any
sort of colonial union. Even the
slightest approach to colonial union
was bitterly opposed by some of the
colonies, and the whole thing resulted
in nothing except to establish courts
of admiralty among the colonial gov.
ernments.
Again in 1853, when the French
wero making raids upon the soil OF
Pennsylvania and Virginia and all
along the Ohio river, Lord Holdernes
proposed meeting at Albany of all
] Al. al al