The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-12-30

No More Buncombe.
In the proceedings of the United
States Senate of Wednesday. the 18th
inst, We find the following:
.Resolued,, by the Senate. the House
Of Representatives concurring, That
of the people of the United States
constitQtc . Natlon-are one people
in the sense of National unity:
"Resolved, That the Government of
the United States is not a compact be-
tween States in their municipal and
corporate characters, but was formed
by the people Of the United States in
their primary capacity that the rights
of the States are defined and guaran-
teed by the Constitution, aud not by
any outside theory of State sovereign-
ty /; and that the rights Of the States
cannot be enlarged or diminished ex-
cept by an amendment to the COnsti-
tuition:
"ResOlced, That tho rights of the
States have the same sanction and se-
curity in the Constitution as the rights
and power Of the National Govern
rnent, and that local domestic govern
ment by the States, within the limits
of the Cons titutiOn, is an essential of
our free republican system:
. .Resolred, That the doctrine that
State has tho right to secede from the
Unien is inconsistent with the idea Of
nationality, is in conflict with the
spirit and construction of the Consti-
tuition, and should be regarded as hav-
ing been forever extinguished by the
suppression Of the rebellion"
This affords us an opportunity
which we have desired to give ex-
preston to certain decided sentiments
which we entertain. Mr.. Morton's
resolutions. propose no legal action,
They are net the parent of any .pecial
law. Their adoption 10 nothing but
the individual opinion of Congress-. 1t
counts fer nothing in the way of fu-
tnre statutes. This is enough to make
any sensible Congressman yste against
| it. Congress is chosen for the purpose
Of enacting laws. That which can not
be made the immediate subject Of law,
and which is not followed by it in
some statute, should be at once re-
jectsd. 1t is humbug and a fraud,
enc may be sure. Let US LOOK at SEN
ator Aorten's resolutions. We will
suppose that they are true. If SO,
they need no. affirmation. II they are
net true, they ought not to be adopted.
In any event, an expression by
Congress, of its opinion is net
worth the paper upon which it is
written. There is only one thing upon
which we desire the statutes of Cen
gress. That is acts. Its declaratory
resolutions are buncombe. We ad-
wise every Democrat in Congress, as
also every Republican. to vote against
them. They first set out with the
proposition ''thst the people of the
United States constitute . Nation
are enc people, in the sense of Nation
al unity" live are Nation, it does
not need to be proclaimed. If we are
net, then q thousand resolutions, of
Congress would not make as one. We
are Nation in one sense in another
We are not. We are Republic; but
to use the language Of Kossuth, we are
q "Republic Of Republics" We are
united for some purposes. Those pur-
poses arc few and defined. The great
mass of the sovereignty is not vested
in the United States Government. 1t
is reserved by express terms to the
States in the. Federal Constitution.
| Mr.. Morton's resolutions say that the
| Government of the United States is
not compact betw States, in their
primary capacity. This is simply
false. 1t is known to be false by every
one who has read the Federal Consti-
tuition and the proceedings of the Con-
yention which made it. The Consti-
tuition itself aays that when ratified by
nine States it shall 60 into effect and
be binding 6et,ccen the States so rati-
flying the same. There we're then thir.
teen States; four of the States had
more people than the other nine
Where then was the voice of the peo.
pie Of the United States? But what
does Mr.. Morton think of the little
word s.between ?' He says that the
Government is not a compact between
the States in their municipal and cor.
porate character. If it is not, how does
he interpret the words, "Detween the
States SO ratifying the same" We
never heard of the word betveen be.
ing used except where it referred te
more tAan one party. "The people o.
the United States,2 in their primary
capacity" to use the language OF the
resolutiOns, never existed. They had
no being except through the action Of
the several States, in which minority
could outvote majority. We are told
that the rig hts OF the States are defined
and guaranteed by the Constitution
just the reverse is the fact. 1t is the
rights of the Federal Government,
which are guaranteed and defined
The States were in existence before the
Constitution. The stipulatiens in re.
gard to the Union were theirs. 1t was
their product. They did net define
their own powers, which is falsely
asserted. 1t is the rights ef the Fed
eral Government which are defined
1t can only act in the exercise Of con.
stitutional powers. This would be
the decision OF the United States Su.
preme Court. As to the :. doctrine
that State has right to secede from
the Union being Inconsistent with the
idea of nationality and in conflict with
A the spirit and construction of the Con.
a,itution" !" IL IL sufficient that we meet