Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-03-06

over Wow oil IT you please, and moth
ing has been touched by tho war but
the external question OF tho right Of n
State to resume tho exercise Of those
powers which it delegated TO the
Federal Government. Therefore, We
say that this sovereignty cannot have
beon legally touched by the war, DO.
cause the right of local self govern
inent, or Of perfect domestic sovcr-
eighty, was never delegated to the
Federal Government. A political
party usurping authority has at
tempted to overthrow il, and a propo.
sition 10 acquicscc in such a usurpa.
tion is to rcpudiate tho Constitution.
10 destroy our system Of government,
and should como only from coward,
fool or scoundrcl. To say that
State sovereignty is dead, is equiva.
lent to saying that the right of self
government, of liberty, is dead. 1t
would declare that tho great Demo.
cratic party, with all its boasts, with
all its triumphs, is composed of sncaks
cowardly enough to become parties TO
the crimes OF her political opponents
in ovcrthrowing tho government of
tho country and tho liberties of the
people. We refer with mingled feel
ings of shame and contempt to the
resolution offered by Mr. Brooks, of
New York, in the bcginipg OF Febru
AIRY, declaring those Infamous con.
grcssional enactments, called the 18th,
18th and 18th amendments to the
Constitution, legal. Mr.. Brooks knew
that he lied when he wrote that rcso
luton. The very fact that suggested
the necessity of the resolution, must
stand as a positive condemnation of
the manner in which the frauds were
obtained. The fools or knavcs who
voted for that resolution, knowingly
recorded themselves as being in favor
of the destruction OF the government
formed by our fathers, by bot,ing out
the sovereignty of the States, on
which alono the government was or
could have been founded
Stripped of all shams and lying dis
guiscs, ii is simply another proposition
to hasten tho revolution which can
only end in the destruction OF this gov
crnment. 1t isa thousand times worse
than all tho follics of secession com.
bincd. If tho seccssionist is traitor,
those who voted for the Brooks rcso
luton arc double traitors, because
they go for destroying tho organic
principles on which our government
is based. The original, inherent and
undclcgatcd powers of State cannot
bc taken away from it, not even by
the ac;ion of all tho other States,
through the form OF altering the Con.
stilution The clause of the Conslitu.
tion giving n certain number of States
the power OF altering the Constitution,
does not by any mcans give the ma.
jorily the right to overthrow the vest
cd rights or to destroy the organic
being of u State. The vote of the
majority to alter tho Constitution,
canno, touch the minority in any
matters that were not delegated in
that instrument, under which the al
tcrations claim to have been made
The reserved or undclcgated rights of
the States are not subject TO any juris
diclion which the States do not thcm-
selves sanction. Suppose that under
the plea of altering tho Constitution,
three quarters of tho States should
vote, through their representatives in
Congress, to reduce all the people OF
the other quarter to state Of bond
age, would that be lawy We do not
believe that Mr.. Brooks of New York
Is such "a fool, or that there is man
in Congress fool enough, TO believe
that under tho plea Of altering the
Constitution tho organic and untrans.
ferablc rights of States can be legally
ovcrthrown. 1t is much easier for us
To believe that Mr.. Brooks and those
who voted with him are rascals, than
to let them off under tho moro chari
table conclusion that they are fools
We leave il to Mr.. Brooks and those
npostates who voted with him TO set
tie il with their constituents rs bos
they can. Let them answer whether
they have been bought and paid for
or whether they have lost their senses
TO suppose for single moment
that tho great majority of tho people
of tho Northern States will patient,
submit to be diSfranchiscd ut the mex
Presidential election, by military cleo
iions and negro votes in the Southern
States, is TO write down our own DO
easements aud can elicit no feeling bu
disgust and shnme from all true Amer
i,ans. Nor can any respectable ant
true Democrat listen for II moment
without just indignation, to the prop
osiiion for the Democrats TO ignor'
those vital doctrines Of State Sovcr
cignty and liberty and of absolute
white supremacy, on which our cniir'
system Of government is founded. IL
accept the criminal or donothinl
"passivc policy you'd be TO aban
don tho government which was iormc'
by Washington and his brave com