The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1872-08-24
Secessionism.

| either as an organization or as individuals"
and IN detying the FREE TRADER ito bring
the proof" The proof is before us in such
mass that our only embarrassment is, how to
give it IN a sufficiently contracted form to
bring it within the compass of newspaper
article.
Inc doctrine secession, or qualification"
as 1t was called before the war, for the two
terms mean exactly the same thing, was one
OF the fundamental principles of the old abo
iltion party, and when that party swallowed
up the old wing party and changed its name
to Republican" the doctrine went with 1t to
the new organization.
Its first prominent exemplifcatlon occurred
In the adoption OF the so.called personal liber
ty bills by the northern states to nuify the
fugitive slave law of congress. These bills
were adopted between 1852 and 1858, in four
teen ofthe northern states, or all the northern
states that were under the control of the re-
publican party. In each case, the republican
| legislatures adopting them endorsed the Cal.
each state was independent and sovereign, and
the final judge of every lnfraction of Its rights,
and OF the moto and measure of redress. We
have the resolutions Of all these states before
US, but the resolutions Oft the Wisconsin lesis-
lsture, adopted in 1859, will stand for the
whole of them. These were as follows:
"Ihat the government formed by the con-
stltution Of the L. s. was not made the exclu
slve or final Judge of the extent of the powers
delegated toitself; but that, as in all other cases
OF compact having 10 common Judge, each
party has an equal right to judge for itself, as
we'll OF the infractiOn as of the mode and z1eos
Wre of redsess"
ihat the principle and construction con.
tended Tor by the party which now rules IN
the councils of the nation, (the DEMOCRATIC
party,) stop nothing short of despotism; s. =
that the states which formed the constitution
are sovereign and independent and have the
unquestlonable right to Judge of its lnfraction,
and that positive defiance ny those sover.
eighties OF all unauthorized acl, done under
color OF that instrument, is the aFJhttul rem. |
edy."
And to these resolutions the legislature of
''~N''"'H, OHio, Nth IOIk, MASSACHUSETTS, |
&c, supplemented the Virginia and Kentucky
resolutions of 1898, of which the doctrine of
secession is the very pi'h and essence.
1t this official action by all the republican
legislatures before the war does not settle for
ever the views of the party at that time, In
Gods name what will:
But these views were not only held and !
practically enforced by the party in the
states. bat were endorsed by tie administra.
ton Of President Lincoln after he came into |
power, BY al official circular" Secretary
Seward announced to Europe that the fed
eral Sovernmcn: claimed no rightiul authority |
to coerce u state" and ''thc President is not
disposed TO reject the cardinal doctrine Of
the south, namely. that the federal govern
force, even although hc were disposed to
question the position; but in fact the Presi-
dent wilIingly accepts 1t as TRUE" Stewards /
Circular, Apii! 10, 1861
In this Lincoln was only consistent with his
celebrated declaration in congress, that Amy
Ilr'.' "' ""'''' '',"s ~ ino,'''eo' nave '"c
right to rise up and shake off the existing 90
w. anu '.'1'''' e"'r'es 'nc "oc-
van. w. Wv NN'e", Va ewing Paf' Vi state
"n1, ''0 app oons' "'ooe'
Both Congress, page o..
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