, 1876-10-04
Mn. T1LDEN's BEoEssI0N VIEWS.

South.
Mn. TILDEN's BE0EssI0N VIEWS.
In The tribune yesterday VIC published q
portion Of 31r. TupEN's letter to Judge KENT,
dated Oct. 81, 1860, in which he laborcd to
prove that tho Republican party was an or
ganization for unconstitutional purposes
that its SUCCESS and attompt to treat the
Government as that Of nation possessing
national powers would necessarily violate
aud destroy the Constitution, and would lead
to tho Withdrawal, or, as he put it, would
"drivc" the Southern States ont OF tue con-
federation. He founded his argument upon
tho old and familiar doctrine that the United
States aro not nation; that tho Government
Of the United States is not National Coy
ernment that the United States aro but
confoderacy of cqual, Independent, and sov-
oreign States, who have appointed Federal
Agent ut Washington, not representing tho
people Of tho United States, but act
ing rs the agent for these sovor-
eign States, united as q confederaoy
for certain purposes. and which have noyer
surrendered their Independence. A1r. IT,
pEs, in view Of the threatening condition OF
atfairs in October, 1860, appealed to the Re-
publican party to abandon the theory Of
nationality, and Of governing the United
States as nation, and to retrace thoir steps
to the doctrine TINT the United States were a
mere partnership Of distinct sovcrelgnties,
confederation OF States. "vosting only the
powers apportaining to our foreign rolntions
and to certain specified common objects of
domcstionature In q Ttderatige Agency" Ho
argued that tho Southern States were keen1y
alive to tho true principle on which tho Gov
crnment was founded, and they would mover
submit to any other; aud MIR. LINCOLN, ns
tho Executive head of the Federal Govern
ment, "would be in substance the Govern
ment Of one people by another people,; in
fnct, would be to the Bouthern States a
"fo1oign Government" Ho thus defined tho
relative powers of the Suites, ignoring from
beginning to end the existence Of National
Government
Each section Is organized into States With com.
plcta governments, holding The power amt ,ritldfng
the srord. They arc held together only by a COM
pact Ut confederation. =. +. Tho alnglc, slcn-
der conventional tic which holds the State in con-
federation has no strength compared with tho COM
pacted insertwinlny dbFes which bind tho atons Of
human society Into one formation Ut natural
growth Tho masters In political science
who constructed our syHtom preserved the 6tAte
Governments ~ bulwarks of the freedom Ut tadt.
yduals and localities against oppression from cen.
traltzed power. They recognized no right Of con.
sttuttonal secession; lit TIEY LETT NEy0LurEos
0AuANIxEp WHENEVER IT ail0uLp BE DEMANDED nY
THE rupLIo OPINION or \ STATE, -LEpr IT, WITH
TIE rowEn TO sNAP THE TIE OF CONFEDERATE ON AZ
NATION A10iiT YhxAk TNEATr, AND TO nErEL
COERCION A \ NATION MIGHT NEPEL lNyABiuN.
They causctl ua to depend In great measure upon
tho public opinion Of tue 8tatcs, In order to luan-
tain coafedesatcd union.
Tho right Of revolution being left to tho
ssates by the Constitution, he ndus:
No contract governing complicated transactions
or rclatlous between men. and applying permanent
ly through the changes inevitable In human affairs,
eau be elEcctua It either party intended to construo
or execute its provisions in spsEt Of hostility Ia
thu substantial objects Of those provisions, ,-es.
peeias'y il lh* srat Of compaes ef confederation
b<twtta thf Sfafss, EAsrt there can b. no common
drbter tHres!td utth aufhorIies and poEers tqudi.
~ capable rIth oss which courts posstss bstp<en
tadlriduais for determining dai enforcing O jHst
construction and txecatt9p ofshs tnssrumsnt.
Having denied tho power OF the - Fedora
tive Agent "(tho Government at Washington,
to continue anything, or to enforce anything,
aud asserted tho power Of the States te
"Bnap" tho "alonder conventional tic which
holds the Statos In confederation" aud tc
"repel coercion as an invasion, he held
secession aa finality, complete disruption
Of tue confederation, the evils Of which
might possibly be mitigated by subsequent
treaties Of amity between tho separated con
fcdesacies. AL this is in perfect keeping
with his subsequent statement to Judge
UNDERWOOD, TINT ovory soldier who invaded ,
Southern State was trespasser, liable II
damages to the owners OF the soil.
This Mr. T11pEx, who holds this to be th'
theory Of our Government, aspises to b.
P1esident--not President Of the Unitet
States, but, aa he declared Mz. LMcoI,
would be, tho Executive lead Of tho Fed
eral Government" Jxrp DAVIS was tn
Executive head !" Of tic Oonfederatsd State
OF the South. A1r, T1pEN asks to be eleote'
tho " Executive head Of the Confederation
OF Btates." This theory Of a confederate,
aa opposed 10 nation, and "a Federativ
Ageucy :" as opposed to National Govern
ment, and confederation Of States hel
together by "a slondor conventional tic
which my State may "anap" at pleasure, al,
no power anywhere to compel submission t
national authority, Is precisely the form 9
Government now demanded by the "soli