The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-12-16
Correspondence.
The Doctrine Of Secession not Abandoned.

4 secession. the assertion may and can be made
with truth that the doctrine OF secession has
not only not been abandoned, but that there
is All effort to indoctrinate the youth of the
country with it.
This may seem at first blush not to be a
practical question, and, in far as its leading
to another war in our generation, it is not. But
! there are some views in which it does seem of
| vital Importance.
i In the first place it seems to keep up the an
imosties engendered by the late war, because
it produces the impression ON the minds OF
| thousands that the people of the South are
wrongfully retained ia Union, from which it
| is their right to secede at will
In the second place it is disseminating
mischevons doctrine that may in time do mucl,
| barn. and result in changes in our now incom-
/ parable form of government.
| But to return to the argument, Or rather the
| assertions OF Bombastes. He asserts that when
1 Virginia adopted or ratified the Constitution
/ sit was upon the declared condition that the
/ right to withdraw and resume the powers
] granted was reserved to be exercised at any
| time, for proper cause, of which the State was
| to be sole Judge" That Governor of the
State of Virginia should be so ignorant of the
| history OF tie adoption Of the Constitution of
his country as to make this assertion. so utterly
at variance with the facts, is a matter both of
surprise and OF modification.
| BY reference to the proceedings of the Vr-
| ginia Convention Of 1857, it will be seen that
| the only foundation the Governor had for his
| reckless assertion, is contained in a preamble
in the following language We the delegates
Of the people of Virginia elected do,
| in the name, and in behalf of the people of
Virginia declare and make known that the
powers granted under the Constitution, beng
denied from the people of the United States,
| may be resumed by them Qhe people of the
! United states) whenever the same Shall be per-
verified to their injury or oppression; and that
every power not granted thereby remains with
| them, and at their will; etc.
I This, it will be seen, is emily an assertion that
! the powers Oi the government under the Con-
| stitution were derived from the people OF the
United States and that they may be resumed
| by them-tllat is, the people of the United
States. In other words, it is only an assertion
| OF an almost universally conceded right-vi;
| The right OF the people to change their form of
| government whenever it becomes oppressive.
| Now when you come to the resolution of the
| Virginia Convention adopting the Constitution.
| it will be seen that it adopts it unqua1ifedly
| and ancondationGAy So much for Gov. Kem-
| per's assertion OF an expressly reserved right
on the part OF Virginia to withdraw from the
Union at pleasure.
But another equally glaring misrcpresenta-
ton Is made by Gov. kemper in his attempted
defence of the right OF secession ; and that is
when he tries to bolster up his cause by quoting
Mr.. Madison, whom he twice styles The ..father
OF the Constitution" as an advocate of seces
SION Fortunately for the country. and still
more fortunately for his own reputation, Mr.
Madison has put his own opinions on record,
and has not left that duty to be performed by
his eXcrllency, Gov. kamper.
I In 1887 the State OF New York proposed to
ratify the Constitution, upon the condition
that II certain amendments sweresnot efigraft
ed upon that Instrument by a certain time, that
she should be allowed to withdraw. and Mr..
Hamilton wrote to Mr.. Madison, asking his
opinion as to such a ratiieation-that is, as to
whether there could be a conditional rltitica-
tion Mr.. Madison replied as follows:
my opinion Is, that reservation of the right
to withdraw. ii amendments be not decided up
on under the form of the Constitution within
certain time, is 4 conditional ratification that
it does not make New York member of the
| new union, and, consequently. that she could
not be received on that plan. Compacts must be
reciprocal, this principle would not, in such
case, be preserved. The Constitution requires
an adoption IN toto and tofeper. 1t has been
SO adopted by other States. An adoption for a
limited time would be as defective as an adop-
ton of some of The articles only. The idea of
reserving right TO withdraw, was started at
Richmond, and considered as a conditional rat
ification, which was itself abandoned as worse
than a rejection.''
1t will thus DC seen from this extract from
Mr.. Madson's letter, that he utterly denies the
right OF a State to adopt, cond.tionally and
that he also says that the other States (includ-
ing Virginia. had aop ed this Constitution in
toto anu forever, and without any condition.
As Governor Kemper seems to think that
MIR. Madlsou's utteTances concerning the pow
ers of the government under the Constitution,
are conclusive rs to its true meaning, | will
give one more extract from the writings of that
truly great man.
In letter written to Mr. Webster in 1888
Mr.. Madison says: II return you my thanks
for your late very powerful speech in the SEN
ate Of the United States. 1t brushes nullitica-
ton, and must hasten an Abandonment OF Sc
cesson." Really | think Governor Kemper
would have a hard time endeayoring to show
how it was that Mr.. Madison, who according to
| him, was a secessionist took it upon himself to
write u letter OF thanks to Daniel Webster for
| his great speech against State Sovereignty
That there is an effort to revive this doctl inc
| of the right of secession under the pretense of
| defending estate Rights, is perfectly appa-
| rent to any one who has watched the course of
| events since the Democracy swept SO many
States in the Fall of 1874, and When they thought
they were about to come into power again.
! The speech OF Senator Eaton, of Connecti-
| cut, who is a representative Democrat, was a
! studied attempt to prove the sovereignty OF SUI
| prainacy of the State governments over the Ma
tional government. In this speech he attempts
| to rilicule Senator Morton for speaking of the
Nation, saying that the United States did
not constitute a nation, but shat the govern
ment was III the nature Of a treaty between i'll
dependent and sovereign States.
| There are numerous other modes nsed IN or
| der to mslead the public mind as to the true Is
| sue inyoled in the late conflict of arms, which
| it would be too tedious to mention, and will
| only call attention to one very common eX-
preston, and one used by Gov. kemper in this
/ same message. He speaks OF the war be;
| tween the States as if it had simply been a
war between independ .nt States.
Nov. it must have been knownto Gov. KEN
pcr. that the war was waged Oh one side by
| the Government and those who believed that
| their first allegiance was due to tile National
| Cover nment, and on the other, by those VINO
| did not believe in the supremacy OF the Gov
ernment. anf, who were resisting its authority.
! IN conclusion, would remark, that the inn
nortance of this question can be more fully re-
| allied when we remember that the United
States Constitution, so far as the right OF Sc
1 cession is concerned, is now just as 1t was pc
fore the war. None of the recent amends
ments touch that question at all. In other
words, if the right OF secession ever existed
under over u. S. Constitution, it exists to-day
and willie opine that there is no danger o.
any State attempting to exercise That flslt ~
this tay aud generation, yer, with sucii pefhl-
| cious teachinps as those contained III the Gov
ernor,s Message, our children may attempt
the same thing which proved SO sadly dlsls-
trons 70 ms D. s. l..