The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-04-27
!s.ierry Of the Doctrine Of State Rights.

iUltSDA s::s...ts... ..AFNlL'2e, lSfS
'ssisrry Of the Doctrine of>stase Rights.
ire Rockingham Register of the 2Cth, con
aims very Laf.h and unjust assault upon
sn. J. 3. seher, taking RS its text the re-
j, ak Inscribed to lim-,'all the Southern
s,cs stood united in 1860 to destroy the gov
etument, and they arc united now for the
same purpose the Lynclburg Convention.
We arc satisfied that the Lyncl4burg paper
which first gave currency to the quotation mis-
It ,actstuod Mr.. Sencr. We listened to his
5 'ecc., and have. no remembrance to have
h ,asa such a remark and even If he had
Thought and spoke the sentence, we do not
/ link the prophecies of political disputation
would Justify the: violent personal attack the
Resister has made upon him. ~s:'
But let us examine this sentence in its more
liberal Interpretation, stripped Of its steriness
and abrurtness. = =. .. - ~ :. III. 80
We will premise, with The reniark that we tlo
not believe there'is any combination or party
existing in Virginia for the. asoweti purpose of
destroying thc.go~rnment,',, any more. than
it was believed ten years before the late civil
war that dissolution Of the Onion would ever
he attempted. ssft.nust be remembered, how
ever, that all political revolutions and con-
vilsions arc the. results OF conflicting ideas,
and the AmcrieAms people. are. very free in In,
dulgng in sreculatiohs in regard to govern
mont and policies. Very few of us, who were
cotemporaneous with the recent civil strife
conceived the thought of a war between the
sections even twelve>months before it occurred
Washington and Jefferson and Jackson saw 1T,
however. They traced through the vista of
Time the ideas that came in. conflict in the
formation of our government, and saw ar
raging each its adhereehts, until civil strife
would desolate the country. They discerlied
that the State Rights theory Of government,
was the corner stone OF the, Institution of
slavery, and that it would eventually lead to a
conflict with the idea of national unity, or a
con 'olidation of power.
We are too painfully familiar with the pre- g
ress. elimination and consequences of this
c,nllict of ideas. Its lessons it seems to us,
should be fastened upon the minds of at least
I've present generation, and encourage senti-
ment in accord with the determination of that
bloody issue and siic ideas settled by it. Z
Instead of this: however. we find that lead.
ing Democratic member of Congress from vir-
gina, has recently publicly announced the
most extreme State, Rights, doctrine. and that
the speech ard the gentleman have been fully
approved and endorsed by the Democratic
press of the State. A few days ago Mr.. Tuck
e.. gentleman of acknowledged ability and
"nquestioned honesty Of purpose, proclaimed
that it was within the province of tile States to
exercise police. jurisdiction over the United
States Mails coming to or passing through the
States-in effect, that the laws of Congress
establishing and regulating mail routes and
mail service, were subject to the authority of
the States. Not only in this instance but on
previous occasion. he announced the most ex-
IRENE State Rights doctrine, substantially re-
pudiating the determinations of the war, and
placing before he country the very same ideas
which brought about the var. According to
MIR. fuckers view, there has been nothing
scttled conpasctsd with the cause of the conflict
between the States. He re-asserts the very
same doctrine 'tiat Calhoun aid Yancc1y lnaif,- :
tanned previoussto 1861. Tie proclamation of
the sentiment is applauded by hissowinl party
on the floor Of Congress, and. extravag.ntly
endorsed BY his own party press throughout
his own State.
This does not mean that there is an organi-
zcd party andsa we'll settled purpose in vir-
ginia to destray the Union, by some defined
overt act. tt does not indicate that there is a
sentiment in Virginia in favor of repeating the
tragedy of 1860, and inviting the. bloody hand
OF Mars into the controversy. But what is lis
tendency must be the logical and inevta-
bic result? No one thought, twenty years
ago. that the two, theories of our system of
government, represented by the idea of ma
tional unity and national supremacy and SOW
ercignty. anil that of State Sovereignty and
State Rights, would come in conflict through
the agency of the sword and bayonct. Ger
tainly the great body of the people never con-
tempatcd Such ali abftramcnt, nor did they
dream of the tendency of the doctrine enter
tanned by the men they. entrusted with power.
Step by step it did, however, lead to that. and
it was hoped that tic sequel of that engage
ment had forever silenccd the issue. But it
seems that it has not. Jefferson Davis has
declared that lit settled no principle of govern
ment-that the theory for which the South
centcnded VIII re-assert itself. Mr.. Tucker
substantially amnounccs the same. conviction.
and to allintems- and purposes, invites the
people of the country to face the very same
condition, 1T things, that prcciritated scccs-
sion, war and tiesolaiion. ~ sssss!..
What assurance have we. that the encour-
asement Of tho IDEA ;tasnoiceL by Mr.. Tuck
or and endorsed BY his party organs, will not
lead to the very same result that it did in 1860:
History, tits sif5, repeats itself. Like causes
will produce like results If, therefore, the
idea OF Stste- Sovereignty, as contradistin-
guised from national supremacy, brought |
about waaf Of the sections in 1865. why may it |
not bring about "a similar determination in
some future period of our history as nation ?
Such sentiments as Mr.. Tucker announces
such ideas as he. maintains-uplleld by the
press, thus educating the. popular mind into
their acceptance-willa as certainly be confront
ed by International sentiment OF the country in
all the forms aud attitudes that the necessities
OF the issue may demand, as that effect follows
cause And while there NAV not be Il fixed