The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-01-29
AMrRICAN nationality.

t. IA AMEklCAN NAIIVNALlII.
Recently the Hon. y. Randolph Tucker
one OF the members Of Congress from
Virginia, made a speech In the House 81
Representatives which has been much
commended for It's eloquence, and since
Il was On emphatic vindication OF the
old Jeffersonian or States rights doc
trines In regard to the nature and char.
acter OF our Union and government, II
has also been ridiculed in this respect
In so-called Republican quarters
while its force and eloquence are not
denied. We do not propose this morn.
ing to reargue the question or to
attempt to strengthen the incontrovor-
tible, historical and legal facts presented
In our editorial columns on Wednesday
except, perhaps, incidentally Bur
we have thought that, it would
not DO improper to notice the matter IN
connection with striking current events,
under the caption OF q labored ar
ticle in the Chicago Tribune call
ed, American Nationality" The 7ri-
J,tne insists that American Nationality
shall be so construed as in effect to OBJ
literate the States of the American
Union In their original or reserved pc
litical independence as the constituent
bodies or powers which voluntarily
formed the Union under the Constitu-
! tion, insists that the States did not form
the Constitution at all, and that 1t was
created and fashioned by one general
and united people existing as one no.
mogencous nation, and that true and
proper nationality must manifest itself
In the Government at Washington in a
limitless sovereignty over a people un-
protected by States, or Constitution
that shall recognize States as main fac
tors in our great proposition Of govern
ment, with blaze fiercer and broader
than the glare OF the sun, obscuring
all the stars in heaven by its natural
light.
We are aware that 1t is useless to at
tempt to reason with. Republican or
Radical politician on this subject. When
we quote In support OF our view, the
condition OF the country, divided as it
VIGOROUSLY was, into separate British
colonies, before the Declaration of In
dependence: the language OF the arti-
cles Of confederation ; the treaty Of peace
In 1883, In which England treated with
the United States, not In the character
simply Of an undivided nation,
but in the distinct character Of
S0tes, naming each OF them
theoretically as parties to the war first,
and literally as parties to the treaty OF
peace after; the history Of the Constitu-
ton Of 1857 made by the
States assembled at Philadelphia In
those days, and sitting in the Convention
as States, with no regulation as to an
apportionmento Of delegates among them,
but each casting, without reference to
size, or population, or numbers OF dele
gates, one vote for every distinct article
and section OF the Constitution. and this
being done in the same manner in vot-
ing for the Constitution as whole, and
finally with one vote each for the VII
and last article which declares ''The
ratification OF the Conventions Of nine
States shall be sufficient for the estab-
lishment Of this Constitution, between
the States so ratifying the same" When
we further show how the Constitution
was ratified by nine States in that charac-
ter, and that two States remained out of
the Union as established, for two
years, North Carolina and Rhode
Island, and then came into 1t voluntarily
as States; that the people respectively
of the nine States in question, and not
any people Of supposed United States
capable OF any original acts Of sover-
eighty, or as homogeneous, natural
and political population, ratified the
constitution; that the word Congress
means not the assemblage of the Legis-
lature OF any one State or nation, but
an aggregation OF States or nations;
that the Senate represents States dis
tinctly, and not numbers or territory;
that the House Of Representatives
under certain contingencies, which have
already occurred twice, elect the Presi-
dent Of the United States, not by ma
jority Of members, but OF States, each
Outhto, DcAdWuIcs Will OHC ulCIlUtl, ttuu
New York, with thirty-six, having the
same vote as equal States; that when
the election Of President and Vice.
President Of the United States is SUBJ
mitted to vote OF the people Of the
United States" 1t Is not necessary that
they shall have a majority vote OF the
ballots thrown into the ballot boxes,
but only q majority Of the members Of
the Electoral colleges representing the
States respectively; that several Presi-
dents have been elected while in q
considerable minority of the popular
vote returned at the election, and that
Mr.. Lincoln became President, not
withstanding there was within fraction
Of a million of majority of votes in the
country standing against him when in
Quoted into Office. It would be patience
and words entirely wasted to show how
1t was supposed that the first ten amend
ments to the Constitution after Alex
ander Hamilton's attempt to pervert it,
during the elder Adams Administration,
by Congressional and Federal construc-
tions, and other false interpretations
calculated to let In the doctrines OF the
Alien and Sedition laws, and to defeat the