The Osceola times., 1876-09-30

Ot their children, according to the flcsh.
Among them, in every part of the coun-
try, are great statesmen, brave soldiers,
true servants of the church, and virtu-
Gus, patriotic democrats, who are no
more responsible for the crimes of their
ancestors than a peaceable Scotchman is
for the raids and robberies which in past
generations were committed by his elan
upon the English border. But you
acknowledge that you ret your political
ideas from them-you boast that your
party has no doctrines of public law and
no notions of public duty which were
not planted at Plymouth. Therefore, it
is not only proper, but necessary, to
show what those doctrines and ideas
A FUNDAMENTAL REPUBLICAN LAW.
| pass now to later period. You
know that there were two radically diff
ferent parties about the nature of our
government; the north believing and
holding that we were a nation, the south
insisting that we were only confedera-
tion OF sovereign states. IL is not true
that any such theoretical conflict ever
existed between the sections. That the
articles of confederation first, and the
constitution afterwards, united the states
together for certain purposes therein
enumerated, and thus made us nation
among nations, was never denied that l
know of by any party. But this
national character was given to the
general government by sovereign
states who confederated togeth-
er for that purpose. They bestowed
certain pewers on the new political cor
poration then created, and called ii the
United States of America, and they ex-
pressly reserved to themselves all the
sovereign rights not granted in the char
ter. Democratic statesmen had no theo-
ry about it. They saw their duty writ
ten dow in the fundamental law, they
swore to perform it, and they kept their
oaths. They executed the powers of the
general government in their whole con-
vigor, for that, as Mr.. Jefier-
son said, was "the sheet-anchor of our
peace at home and our safety abroad"
and they carefully guarded the rights OF
the states as the only security we could
have for a Just administration of our do.
nestle affairs. This was universally
assented to as right and true. No counter
theory was set up. Difference Of con-
struction there might be, but all adj
mitted that when the line of power was
accurately drawn between the federal
and state sovereignty, the
rights ON one side were rs sacred as
those on the other. But within two or
three years last past the low demagogues
of your party have got to putting in
their platforms the assertion that this is
nation and not confederation. What
do they mean? What do you mean
when you indorse and produce IL? Do
Won deny that the states yvara-snyd'Cfiat
hcs,, sovereignty was wholly merged in
The federal government when they
assented to the constitution Is the
tenth amendment mere delusionY DO
YOU mean to assert that the states have
not now, and never had, any rights at all
except what are conceded to them at the
mercy of the "nation?" No doubt this
new article was inserted in the creed OF
the abolitionists, because they supposed
it would give a sort of plausibility to
their violent Intervention with the in
ternal affairs Of the states. But it is 80
false, so shallow, and 80 destitute OF all
authority that it imposes
upon nobody.
SECESSION A YANKEE PRODUCT.
As part of this conflict of theories,
and resulting from it, you describe the
south rs " insisting that each state had a
right, at its own discretion, to break
the union, and constantly threatening
secession, where the full rights of sla-
very we're not acknowledged" In fact
and in truth secession, like slavery was
first rlanted in New England. There it
grew and hourished and spread ITS branch
es far over the land, long before 1t was
thought of in the south, and long before
g the full rights of slavery" were called
in question by anybody. The anti-dem-
ocrats of that region, in former as well as
in latter times, totally misunderstood the
purposes for which this government was
made. :,
They regarded it as a mere commercial
machine, by which they could make
much gayncfull pilladge," if allowed to
run il their own way, When they were
in this by certain perfectly
lust and constitutional regulations Of
their trade, which the common defense
and general welfare made necessary, they
Immediately fell TO plotting the dlsmem-
hsrmcnt of the union Before 1907 they
organized conspiracy with the British
authorities in Canada for the erection OF
New England into and separate repub'
lie under British protection. (Scc Ca
rcv's "Olive Branch " and the Henry
corres,ondence. Not long afterwards
Josiah Quincy. whose fidelity to the
party which elected him was never
doubted, formally announced in congress
the intention Of his state TO leave the
union, peaceably il she could, forcibly
If she must" Their hatred of the union
depended, and their determination tc
break it up grew fercer,as the resolution
of the democrats to maintain the indepen
dence of the country beca stronger
When the war of 1872 began they were
virtually out of the union, and remained
ont during the whole of that desperate
struggle, not only refusing all assistance
to carry it on, but helping the enemy
in every possible way. 1t was while
England had her tightest grasp on the
throat of the nation that the Hartford
convention was called 10 dismemDer II
and this, Mr.. jefferson says, they would
have accomplished but for the battle O
New Orleans and the peace OF Ghent
John Quincy Adams in 1899, and Abra
ham Lincoln in lsi7, made elaboratesar
cument in favor of the legal right of I
state to 60 out. The later abolitionist
did not attempt TO conceal their rancor
Gus hostility TO the union. No uniol
,;th ulava hollersD was one of thpi