The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-02-17

taiHly indepsnasnSg S,atesss eAcn peees 800
noyeer to at any time get up little sose.
re,cntv ar sts own. But be has founa tBs.
doctrine no longer tenabie Is practicai plo
r,osit;on and abandoned it. Mr.. tucker.
who belongs to the class whom the iosiI "
eycnts teaches nothing, cspogs to the otu sa.n'
In Erancc he would be 40 ally Of Cnsmoosp.
,Uac sits in hts easy chair awaiting 10 oe
crq,wned when the exploded dogma OF the
svine right OF kings once more rtaSerts
Itself. vChambcrd--who learns notninE, 10Y
vote nothing-canuos understand Why the
world laughs at him; and no douot mr..
Tncker,s ewes nearly left their sockes "nen
Mr.. Lamsr. the pupil Of Calhoun, tore HIS
doctrine Of divine right In America ,nto
shreds and patches. and wnHsed theui
through the air. so
we rei:erate, Mr. fuckers speech was
fortunate deliverapce. II has ssown 10 .ne
world that the southern peopE'eodorse M.
Lamar, who spoke not only for bis own
class, but for the majority, who even pe,ore
1850 never believed it any Haore tnan 'ney
believed in the policy OF secession, OUT &C
ceptea the foraer because they were ID tne
habit of following their politlcai ieaoers
without question, and for saaiiar reason, VI
rather want Of reason, were oraggeo 'hto
practical assertion of the latter. Ihere "as
90 independent press in these days 10 can d
halt on the partisan leaders who drove Toe
political chariot, and who tier, as DOW, "eie
bent on subordinating thelpubllc welfare ~
their own eeaEish interests
In examining our southern exchanges we
find no endorsement of Dis. Tucker, but uni
yersal praise of Mr.. Lamar. We moo sucn
leading Mississippi jourrsels as The Vlcks'
burg Hera ID saving of Me. Lsmar's speech
"H we understand his position arlgD.!,
and we believe we do, he occupies the posi-
ton fully endorsed by his party 10 THIS state,
and which should be held BY the National
Democratic party. 1t Is simply that tne
power of the nation id superior 10 tnat OF
sny of the States; that rational sovereignty
ia su:erior to State sovereignty. II Tue
war settled anything 1t certainly settieo
this question. The theories as TO the man
ne- in which the nation was formed oy
separate sovereign States amount 10 no.
thing since the decision OF the SWORD tnat
the power and authority OF the Central
Government shall be supreme. Mr.. Lamar
accepts this fact, and the Democrats OF DIS
State fully approve bis course. Ii we tahe
anv other view we must admit secession;
for if the States are superior to their Centfal
Government, of course it follows that they
csn pass ordinsuces OF secession at any time
they wish TO. We deny that they have any
such right. This denial is adopted by Mr..
Lamar and those who think with him, and
in bis speech urging an appropriation 10
celebrate the hundre6th birthday OF the
nation be has no hesitation ia enunclatlng
his views. He believes, as far rs human
Ingenuity can guard against IL, that the DISCO
luton of the Union is impossible. tie tur-
ther points out the proofs which have been
given Of our great nationality"
Really, this is enough 10 make Calhoun
and Yancey turn over in their collins. HI!
it is the "inexorabe logic of events.
logic to which even Hon. K. NJ. 7. Hunter,
of Virginia. pillar Of State sovereignty IN
the day OF bis po~er-has succumbed. DE
recently wrote strong letter in favor OF the
Texas and Pacific railroad, combating the
old.fashioned apti-goVernment-aid dogma,
and In which be abandons the Calhoun
theory of State sovereignty as vital question,
and moves the Richmond Dispatch to say:
s.It is not simply bis advocacy Of the South
ern Pacific railroad that we are pleased with
Ia MIR. Hunters letter to Mr.. Lamar, but the
general drift and tone of the same. He cuts
loose from old notions, and identifies himself
with the new ideas Of the post.beifum Pc
Rod. He sees that whilst his original theory
as to the nature Of the Federal Constitution
was the true one, yet it would be insensate
folly in him to adhere to that theory now
that it has been totally repudiated by the
whole North, Democrats, and Republican,.
IL Nh. Tucker is right IN adhering to bis ante
bellum potion that the Federal Constitu.
ton is only a compact between independent
soyereignties. and that this is not nation,
and Mr. Hanter wrong In learning the les'
sons of the war, then Mr. Tucker and Mr..
Hunter, and all OF us, are in duty bound TO
claim the right Of secession.
"When the Federal Government tells US
who shall ride 10 our finest cars and steam
boats; when it appoints men to supervise
our elections; when 1t sends armies to South
Carolina to enforce kuklux laws, and TO
Louisiana to keep 10 office the appointees OF
usurpipg Federal judge, and neither MIR.
Tucker nor any other southern man pro-
poses to take up arms against such an exer'
else Of power under the Federal Constitu-
ton, we think it about time for Virginia TO
send to Congress men who will not vote
against finishing the James River canal nor
building the Southern Pacific road because
they can find neither mentioned in the Con-
sHtution."
Thank you, Mr.. Tucker, for giving your
former co-aborers an opportunity to prove
that the world has moved since 1860.