The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-06-03

H..
was the idea that our constitution was a
mere compact between sovereign and inde-
pendent nations.
A MERE TREATY OF ALLIANCE,
offensive and defensive, and that when one
of these states, or rather one of these ma
tions, became dissatisfied with it it had
the right to judge for itself as to the
terms of the treaty and its infrasions, and
the remedy for it's infractions. This doc
trine has been a bane to this country. It
was poisoninfused into the veins OF the ma
! ton in its Infancy, that brought disease and
almost death upon its MANHOOD. It is
doctrine from which 10 party is safe,
not the party / belong to. The
history OF It shows that the doctrine wss
first proclaimed in 179s and applied in 1912
when the governors of Massachusetts and
Connecticut refused to honor the requisition
of the president of the United States for
troops in the war with England, because
ereign and independent states, they
selves whether there was contingency call
ing for troops. They decided not, and re.
fused to honor the requisition. The next
application OF it was in 1914, in the cele-
brated Ha-tford Convention, composed
chiefly of old federslists, composed of men
of almost every New England state.
You will remember that the war
with Englapd, (lSi2), was regarded rs very
destructive to the commerce OF New Eng
| land, and that the New England states were
very hostile about 1t. This hostility about
the war led this party gradually to take up
with this doetrine of the independence aud
sovereignty of the states in that Hartford
convention, which proved the tomb
of every politician that enter
| ediDtO IL. They then resolved that it was
the duty of each state ever to so
LEaIsLATE AS TO PROTECT ITSELF
against the levIes and conscriptions
ard the drafts of The general
government, except in cases where each
state decided for itself that it was proper that
such draft, levy or conscription might be
made. There was strange feature in the
history of parties about that time. The old
Federal party started out in favor Of s
strong central government, Washington be-
| ing a member, and Alexander Hamilton
at the head of it. In its opposi
tion to that war, gradually driited around
and placed itself upon this doctrine of state
sovereignty and denied the existence of the
nation. Onthe other hand, what was called
the republican party of that day. the demo-
cratic party if you please, which had been
imbued with this doctrine of state SOW
ereignty, first by Jefferson but still sup
porting the war, gradually drifted
around and took the place formerly
occupied by the old federal party and so
becoming the national party. In 1919.
III think it was, the state of
Ohio through its legislature declared
the states to be sovereign and independet,
and the government OF the United States a
nero compact of which the states only were
parties in their corporate capacity,
and in which the people OF
the United States were not a
party in their aggregate capacity. /
tuiuk in 1929 the great state of Pennsylv2-
mia, through its legislature, by concurrent
resolution, declared that the government
was a compactip the nature of n treaty be-
tween sovereign and independent nstions.
Then we come down to 1882, and then we
find South Carolina nullifyiDg law OF the
United States, the tariff law, because in the
opinion of her people that law was
DESTRUCTIVE TO THE INTERESTS OF SOUTH
CAROLINA,
and again is this doctrine of
the Independent sovereignty of the
states asselted. Coming down
to still later, to period Just before the war
of the rebellion, and we find many of the
; old anti-slavery men, in their, hatred of the
fugitive slave law, asserting the same doc
triDe. Then We come TO the war of the re-
bellion. That doctrine was at hand.
The South seized upon it. It was
ready made instrument of de-
struction seized upon by slavery. Il was
that doctrine that enabled the South to TAX G
eleven states, for the time being, out of tAe
Union, and org2niza that cOntederscy that
cost so much of blood and treasure.
? know that it is a common idea that the dec
trine was invented for the benefit CT
slavery and that it persisted with slavery
: and was buried in the same tomb. 1t IS not
correct, historically or logically. 1t wau de-
: clared, asserted, set up and applied long be-
fore the slavery question was ever raised
, TO disturb the peace of our nation.
! That doctrine is formidable threat against
the life of the nation. It is poisoned
dagger ever at hand to be clutched by des-
perata factions. 1t is ready made instru-
[ ment of destruction TO be seiZsd upon By
any portion of the country that may,
; for the time being, be estranged, or by
any party. Our country is now gradually
. . extending from the tropics TO the arctic re-
! gi0ns, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Con-
slider the Pacific slope, separated from us by
I 800 MILES OF DESERT AND OF MOUNTAIN
far off country with a different commerce
: from ours. Their commerce is with
: Japan and China and the western coast o.
3 South America, and the islands of the
6 Southern Pacific That commerce Is now
but in it's infancy. IL may ye: bs devel.
s oped and change the whole CONNER
2 cial character OF the country. The time
!. may arrive when ambitious demsgogues
Q and dangerous men upon the far of slope
g may desire TO see the Pacific a republic
Thank God, see no sigus of it now. Those
8 states were as loyal during the war.as any
of the states. But consider the whole
= situation. Who can tell what may
l. happen iD the future. There is nc
@ safety for this nation in long time to come
4 while any considerable portion of it shal
continue to cherish and maintain the doc
trine to which IL have referred. What
q is the other doctrine and the other
: theory of our fathers? That oul
/ governments was formed by the people OF
{ the United States, in their aggregate chsrac.
3 ter, that we are one nation with many states
|. based upon the theory that the rights of the
state are secured and guaranteed by the same
{ instrument that secures and guarantees tc
the government of the United States it'
6 rights. Thus the rights of the
: states and the rights of ths