The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-11-18
Correspondence Augushu Constitutiona1ist.
Is Ours a Federal Union or Not?
ALEXANDRIA, ALA. Nov. 6, 1875.

two speeches, delivered before large and
intelligent bodies of voters during the
past Summer. The first one was the
speech of Mr.. A. H. Stephens, delivered
in Atlanta on the 4th of July last. The
other speech to which / allude was de-
livered by Senator Morton at. Urbana
Ohio, very soon after Mr.. Stephens At
lanta speech. In the estimation of youl
writer no speech ever went before the
country that was more appropriate
more patriotic, and more powerful in
the good it was likely to accomplish
than this Fourth of July speech OF Mr.
Stephens. The great beauty of it was
the patriotic and 1 might well say
patriarchal spirit that seemed to inspire
the heart of this great and trusted man
The deep-seated, broad and National
sentiment of the sage of Liberty Hall
breathed in every sentence of this calm
and truthful review of the early history
of the struggles and triumphs of our re,
nowned forefathers. 1t was evident that
the whole soul of the. distinguished ora
tor was warmed up in his effort to bring
the thinking portion Of the vast audience
before him to a proper appreciation and
understanding of the principles OF our
Federal Republic. The powerful effect Of
this speech was in establishing upon the
mind of every impartial heareran reader
that the Government of our Fathers was
Federal Republic-a Union OF States
ratified by the people ofSovereign States,
for the benefit Of the States. But the best
evidence of the telling effect OF this
speech is to be found in the fact that it
had no sooner gone before the reading
public of this country, full of its patrl-
otto fire and soul-moving eloquence, than
Senator Morton-a man of brains and no
little political shrewdnesss in fact, the
leader of the Centralist party in the
United States Senate-undertakes to re-
plyto itand its doctrines in speech before
q large audience in Urbana, Ohio. He
takes this speech as text for a general
attack against the Federative theory OF
our government. In fact, startling as it
NAV sound to any reader of our early
history, he denies, in positive terms, that
our government was formed and adopted
by the States in their sovereign capac-
ity; but, on the contrary, asserts that
it was done by a majority of all the
people in their aggregate capacity.
Mr.. Editor, 1 was perfectly astounded
when 1 read such statement coming
from so intelligent source.
It was a square lock-horns with Mr.
6 net on q speculative point on which
great minds might honestly differ, but a
denial of the great fact, a matter OF his
torv. that the Constitution of his and
our country was ratified by the States in
their sovereignty, but on the contrary
He tells the people that it was ratified by
a majority of all the people in the aggre,,
gate. without regard to State lines. And
I have no doubt but that the most OF
them believed every worasspoken by
him. He then went into an argument
to sustain his position and false assertions,
but it was as futile and ridiculous as
an effort to batter down the granite sides
of Stone Mountain with a boys pop
g,n would be-. The truth of it is,-~Mr.
Stephens speech in Atlanta and Senator
Eaton's in the Senate last winter were
both Summers, and Mr.. Morton knows 1t
will be dangerous for his party to let two
such powerful arguments go before the
thinking masses of the country with
out an effort to silence these two siege
pieces. ,,;,.ao
speeches, as a prelude to what / wish to
saw. Is it not startling and disgraceful
that after the lapse of nearly one hun
dred wears two of Americas most dlstin'
euished statesmen go before large audien-
ees g of intelligent voters and positively
contradict each other as to the most
vital fact in the history of the formation
of our Government? If they are not
nosted in this matter of the history OF
the formation of our Constitution, how
can YOU expect the toiling millions Of
farmers like your humble writerl and
the mechanics, who don't have the time
to investigate these matters, to lntelll.
gently vote. and act on such questions
RiI-ht here, Mr.. Editor, is the answer to
the question, what caused the late war
It was ignorance on the part OF the
masses, Of the true history OF the tor,
nation and theory of our Government
Many speeches and books have been
written since the war trying to elucidate
the great mystery why such a gigantic
and bloody war should have been pos
sible between Sister States and children
of the same family. But the only cor
rect answer is, Ignorance. My acqualn'
tance with the Federal troops during
the war. cenversing freely and in a per
fectly calm, friendly manner with then
on picket lines, with their prisoners
and being myself a prisoner, giving me
freuqent opportunities to Interchange
views with them as to the causes tha
brought on the war, satisfied my mino
that the great majority of them were
lust as patriotic and sincere in fighting u!
as we we (the Confederates) were in repel
ling them. It was simply an homes
difference. of opinion on the part ,pf th'
masses that brought on the war ane
made it so stubbornly contested on bot
sides. Mr.. Stephens, in his "War Be
tween the States" says it was the love o
power, on the part of the Centralists
that brought on the war. Senator Nor
wood, in his great speech at Oxford, Ga
last Summer, says it was from mercenar,,
motives that the war resulted. iBotl
may be right, so far as the leaders AM
politicians are concerned; but the wa
! never would or could have been fought
if. the masses had not been falsely edu
Gated in the theory and history Of ou
Government, Mr.. Editor.
This is the issue for the Democracy +
20 before the country on next year
Let every other issue be put under foo
or laid aside until the great fact is deter
mined and settled by the masses OF yo
tiers in this country, viz: whether tn
government at Washington belongs t
the States, or do the States belong to it
In other words, is ours a Federal Uniol
or not? Let all discord in the party o.
the subject of finance be banished for
ever until this transcendantly more i'm
portant issue is settled by the people
| THE hest patriots and wisest men of tn