Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-01-17
STATE SOVEREIGNTY.

We endeavored to show in our is.
sue of the 10th that State sovereignty
is the life of the federal government ;
that it is tho soul and supreme source
of all its powers, and the grand pivot
upon which the whole federal system
reyolves. To deny this, We must deny
the right OF the federal government to
exist, forit has not single pulsation 10
denote life within it, save what it re.
ceives from the sovereign States for
it is only by State sovereignty, con.
stantly exercised from year to year,
that the federal government is upheld.
Abolish your State legislatures, and
who is to stock the United States
Senate with even such material as
compose it now? Let the people OF
tho States, acting under the laws OF
the States, refuse to send members 10
Congress, who make appropriations,
steal lands, and speculate in gold, and
what becomes OF the federal govern
ment ? What is the cause of the
strange lunacy which has seized upon
the people, and causes them to speak
about "the pcstilert doctrines Of State
sovereignty?" Eight years ago, even
two years after the war had com.
mcnced, such nonsense was not heard
of in this country Then every State
called itself "sovcrcign," and, believ.
ing the teachings Of the fathers and
obeying the Constitution and the law,
they knew no better. Then they ex.
ercised all the functions Of sovereign.
ty, and never, until eight years ago,
was there such a fool on the cont.
nent of America as person who
denied the sovereignty of the States
How long is il since the repudiators
of State rights travelled all over this
country, appealing to the people in
their sovereign rights to resist the
fugitive slave law, on the ground that
il was violation ofState sovereignty
In the United States Senate, Sum
ncr denounced it as "dR ofmSiUc en-
croackment on the rights Of the States !;
and again, "dR assault on the rights o.
the States :" and still again, "not only
an assumption Of po,cer By Congress
but an infrdcti0R Of State rights J" ahC
better than all, he Numbered sucl
Language as this into tho ears Of th'
United States Senators, "And n0O
almost ,chHe / speak, comes the solemn
Judgment of the Supreme Court Of IVis
conSia, A SOVEREIGN STATE OF TIL
UNION, declaring thistO be a UiOldtio,
of the Constitutions" And for years
this was the burden of his song anC
the topic of his argument. But now
listen to tho arch dcmagogue ant
revoluiionist, oxclaiming agains
+ what he calls "tho miserable preten
sion of State sovereignty and th,
pestilent pretonsions OF State rights.
That this puflcd up demagogu
should quarrel with his own record
or bo scoundrcl enough TO ialsify th
truth of former utterings, should per
haps surprise no one, but to fiud sucl
a crowd of idiots following him mus
bo Notifying to every intelligen
man and woman who desires to prid
10 the intelligence Of their country
men.
From tho ever memorable 4th O
July, 1776, down to the election O
Lincoln, the doctrine of State sovei
eighty was held sacred in this country
The thirteen colonies were so man,
distinct political communities, entrel.
independent Of each other. Whe
they tore themselves away from thei
allegiance to the government of Grea
Britain, the sovereignty of each on
became perfect in itself, and they dc
clarcd themselves as "distinct and SCI
arate political bodies, free and indC
pendent States" When they signc
the Declaration of Independence, the
voted MS separate States, and Deli
ware, the smallest one torritorially-
not us large as n single county in th
f largest States-casting an equal vot
I with the largest, her sovereignty wa
as complete as that of the largest, an
lueIelOlG hllC nuu lnu builc IlRll ull
privileges, a right she still holds !
the Senate of the United States. A
the formation of the confederation,
1881, the article Of compact declare
that "cach State retains its sove
eighty" They also defined tho r
latons OF the States to each othor 1
follows "Thc said States hcrct
severaly enter into firm leaugue
friendship with each other" IT
}. Union was league by the scvcr
States. In the formation Of the preset
Constitution, in 1881, the same thir
appears, each State through its del
gates voting as separate and ind
- pendent sovereign State. And Il
Constitution was adopted by u
States us 80 many districts, soparat
sovereign bodies, The seventh arr
Gle of the Constitution declares, th
it shall bo the "Constitulion betwe'
the States To ratify the same" o
o, serve, IL does not say orer, but 81
Is tween" the (sovercign) States. III
act of ratilying was an act of sove
oi,ptx- Tba ontira Iistorv nf tho