, 1873-06-09


rights as creator, and Bot up another aonoral
govornmont which suited them better. This
WAS tho Justification for socoBsion. Tho doctr1uo
found many believers. Tho majority Of tho cit
zons Of eleven gtntos gayo In thoir adherence to
1t, and believed In 1t ro1giounly that they took
up arms In tho oauBc, contondcd for their aa-
sumed right forcc1y for four years, and eacrl-
feed their property, thoir homoa, and tho'r lives
to cstabllsh tho theory that "the croaturo con In
no caao bo superior to tho creator" at that
time, howovor, and as applied to tho right OF n
State Government to zocall tho powers 1t had
dolcgatod to tho Federal Government, tho FARM
ors of tho North and tho Northwest hnd no sym
pathy with those rotations Of creaturo and ore-
ator which they now adVoonto. They wore
among tho roadiost to respond to tho call OF tho
Foloral Government for volunteers to resist
this theory and to put down Its application.
They rushed to arms willingly md
eagerly to crush out fallaoy which they rightly
concluded would lend to universal anarchy.
They mado tho noblost sacrifices in tho work Of
overcoming lts advocates, and they aro to-day
chcerfully paying taxes to discharge tho national
debt incurred In dofonso Of tho obligation Of D
contract, by which tho States delegated toa Cen
tral Government cortain authority which NUM-
bor Of thom subsequently proposed to recall
We presume TINT no largo number Of tho
farmers havo committed themselves to tho In
consstcncy and folly OF supporting tho doctrine
which will justify secession at any timo. We
profor to think TINT those who havo applied tho
accession theory to tho railroad question havo
dono so unmindful Of its truo import. It is
probable that many Of them hnve taken thoir
cue from tho Chicago Times, which has had o
good deal to aay about " creator" and s'oroaturo.'
But thoy must romembor that tho Times has
always advocated tho doctrine, and favored its
application to tho right Of secession as Wou as
tho right Of recalling privileges granted away In
State charters. Tho Times was in open sympathy
with tho socedod States, and noyor mtasod an
opportunity during the War to oxtond to them
such comfort and MD IS It dnrcd to express. But,
at that time, tho farmers woro all ranged on tho
other slde and denounced tho Robol aontiuont Of
tho Times as vigorously as they fought to
put uoHA tuo 4%oupA AIu3s 4uO 4tHkeS
is, therefore, only following out itH nntivo
inatinct In itB present advocacy Of tho doc trine
that tho creature can In no caso bo superior to
tho croator," but the farmers, in adopting It.,
would forswear tho loyalty which prompted thona
to fight for tho maintenance Of tho Federal Gov-
ornmont. II tho State is in all casce groator
than that which 1t brings into being. thon it is
in all cnscs superior to the Federal Government.
which was the product Of State concoasions. If
tho farmers hold thia to bo truo, tho danger may
prosont itsolf at any time when they will bo
called upon to admit tho right Of every
Stato to Withdraw from tho Union. To this
danger must bo added nnothor, viz: tho invalidi-
ty Of oll contracts ut any timo whoro tho princi-
pal Of tho contracting parties may dosiro to ab-
rogato the agreement. It is supreme folly for
tho farmers to expose themselves to these dan
gors whom tho highest court In tho stnto de-
clares that tho railroads, no matter what their
charters mny be- are prohibited under the COM
mon law from charging unreasonable rites OF
making unjust determinations.