Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-03-22

The Hon. John M. Baker, (Rep.)
from Indiana, introduced into the
Lower House Of Congress, this week,
the following resolution:
Resolred, That the people of the
United States constitute one nation.
and not mere confederacy OF States
or nations; that the Constitution was
formed by the people acting in theil
primary aud individual capacity,
through their delegates thereto duly
constituted; that the Government un-
der the Constitution is one of the peo-
pie, by the people, and for the people,
and that in its appropriate sphere the
government of this nation is SOW
ereign and supreme that i'm its nature
it is permanent and indissoluble, ex-
cept by the action and consent of the
whole people that no State has any
right or authority to judge of the
cOnstitutionality of the laws enacted
by Congress, or to nullify the execu-
ton of the same; and that all overt
acts by any State or people thereof,
of secession therefrom, or from re-
bellion against the same, constitutes
treason, and that the late War of the
rebellion for the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of
the Union was causeless and inde-
fensible on any theory of right OF
of constitutional law.
From various members hailing
from the South there have been
views expressed in the House which
show that they have not abandoned
the extreme States Rights doctrines
which were the groundwork of the
rebellion. They have also dropped
many exp essions which indicate thai
they do not acknowledge the commits
sion of any wrong by their acts o1
treason. Conspicuous among thoss
members advocating such sentiments
have been Ben. Hill Of Georgia, and
Randolph Tucker of Virginia. 1t hal
been very evident too, that fair
open expression of the existence o.
our government as nation, deriving
its powers from the people-the gov
erned-and not from the States, coult
not be had from the Democrats il
Congress. Herein lies the very germ
the life-giying principle for futur,
revolutions, and more than all else, i
is the grand dividing line betweel
the two great parties. Before the in
PRODUCTION of the above resolution
similar attempts had been made Il
get direct vote on the question
involved, and failed. Baker asked a
once for suspension of the rule
and vote on his resolution. Imme
diately all was furry on the Demo
cratic side of the House, and tn
Northern Democrats declined to vote
but the Southern. Democrats votet
solidly against suspension of th'
rules, and the Republicans solidly fo
it. Before the vote was announced
the point of order was raised tina
members were sitting in the!r seat
and refusing to vote; still Speaker
Kerr, in one way and another show
ing much anger, declared against TIL
point of order, and the vote was dc
clarcd, standing 81 yeas to Is nays
This showed no two-thirds votin;
for it, and so the motion to suspen,
the rules was declared lost. In tn
meantime Sammy Cox, Of New York
had been preparing to throw himsel
into the breach, and introduced
substitute, which comprised thos
wishy washy resolutions that mean lii
tie or nothing, and they were passes
instead Of the Baker resolution b
nearly a strict party vote. In the resc
lutions of Cox the only place wher
they touch upon the vital question a
to whether the Federal Constitutio
was the work of the States or of tn
people of the whole country, is con
:. lprised in the following language:
ResolUed, That the Government q
the United States is a Federal Uniol
: and was founded by the people of th
l States in their sovereign capacity
There is a double. nm eri = uns,
Q ing IN the a!of., iui in sE,'. e:aai