Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-08-15
A Nation, Not a Oonfederaoy.

anu Is cloJneu with ample authority Il
enforce its laws, protect the rights Of
its citizens, and preserve the purity oI
its elections. These declarations are
exceedingly significant, and mark q
movement which must enlist the atten
ton of men who are interested in politi-
cal controversy chiefly for its influence
on the broader currents of cuntempo-
rary history which mold the destiny
of the country and affect the form and
spirit of its government. The fact that
the most intelligent of the two great
! partiaS, In widely sePosl aJcu oudJe5; mas
thought it necessary to reassert q doc
trine which few years ago was sup
posed to be placed by the lessons of the
war and by the Constitutional amend
tnents beyond the reach of assault,
challenges attention. How general and
emphatic this fresh assertion of Ma
tional authority has been will be seen
by glance at the platforms of the
principal Republican conventions held
within the past few months.
The Ohio Republicans, meeting in
May, before the close of the extra ses-
sion, declared as one of their cardinal
doctrines, "the unity of the N alton and
the supremacy of the National Govern
ment in all matters placed by the Con-
stitution under its CONTROL A little
later the Maine Republicans an
nounced their belief that this coun-
try is Nation, and not Con-
federacy of States, and that the Ma
tional Government is supreme in all
subjects lodged with 1t by the Constitu-
tion." Iowa followed soon after, and
the Republicans of that State added to
an assertion of the national idea plain
| explanation of Tho -.s-,'o;- II +L-J-
deamad it Important to place it at the
head of their platform. They said:
"We declare that this country is Ma
ton, not Confederation of States; the
Democratic party denies this doctrine,
which was settled by the war, and is
therefore an unsafe party TO trust with
| the National life." A few days ago the
Republican Conventions in Wisconsin
and Pennsylvania expressed with clear
ness and force the same principle. The
Wisconsin platform says: "The Re-
| public of the United States is Nation,
not a Confederation of sovereign
States, and its Government is clothed
with permanent authority for the regu-
lation of all subjects of National con-
Germ" The Pennsylvania platform de-
clares that " the United States of
America is Nation, not league. It's
| Constitution and all laws made in pur-
suance thereof are the supreme law of
the land, anything in the constitution
or laws OF any State to the contrary not
withstanding.
The meaning of these declarations is
R5t are aarnmRedf &c wfat tbey BetRRs
| " bv ---l 1--r5a- ~ tho dootsilao of
National supremacy and perpetuity, es-
tablished at the cost of terrible civil
war. True, the heresy of State Rights
has not been formally revived in any
Democratic platform, but the whole
course of the Democratic party in Con-
gress during the last regular session and
the extra session which followed was a
practical reassertion of the Calhoun
dogma. The attempt to break down
the army, the bold declaration of q
purpose to nullify the election laws, the
threat of refusing appropriations to the
whole civil department of the Govern
ment, and the adjournment of Congress
without making any provision for the
Federal Marshals, who are the right.
arm of the National Judiciary, all
showed a disposition to cripple the
National authority in the exercise of its
constitutional functions. Then it is re-
membered that the South, which now
owns and manages the Democratic
party, has never recanted its State
Rights opinions. Not a single Southern
Democratic leader has ever said upon
the stump, or would venture to say to-
day, that those opinions are obsolete.
Not single Southern Democratic news
paper tells its readers that the war con-
verted the Southern theory that the
Union is league of independent States
into beaten heresy without any living
force in current politics. The South
still clings to its pernicious doctrine,
and still hopes to establish it as consti-
tutional law by the help of the North
ern Democracy, and thus to justify the
rebellion.
When the Republicans look at the at
titude of the Northern Democrats they
find no evidence of a disposition to OPP
pose the South in its reactionaEy scheme.
No Northern Democratic Convention
declares for the supremacy of National
authority. On the contrary, every
such convention held this year has
indorsed the attempts in Congress
to undermine that authority. The
Northern Democracy is evidently
in thorough accord with the purposes
of the Solid South. This is not to be
wondered at, for if there is one object
the Democratic party has constantly
labored to accomplish it is to reduce the
General Government to a rope of sand
which any State can break at it's pleas
I1rn Whau tho raha11iCYN brnla ont
that party insisted that the Government
could not coerce sovereign State.
When Chase issued the greenbacks it
declared that the Government had no
power to put out paper money. When
Lincoln emancipated the slaves it de-
nounced the act as an infringement of
the rights of the States. 1t opposed
the draft laws, and claimed that the
Government could not compel its citi-
zens to defend its life. When the war
ended it denied the right of the Gov
ernment to reconstruct the rebel States
and prescribe terms for their readmis-
sion to the Union. 1t resisted the adop-
tion of the Constitutional Amendments,
and declared them revolutionary, null
and void" because they infringed upon
the rights of the States TO do
as they pleased with suffrage and
representation. OF late years it has
been occupied with attacks upon
the National credit, the National
currency and the National banking sys-
tenn, until, finding itself in control of
Congress through the work of the bull
dozer and the tissue-ballot in the South,
it boldly declares its purpose to wipe
out all the legislation of the war period.
The Republican conventions have
sounded no false alarm. Their patri-
otic impulses have not led them astray.
They have aimed at the heart of the
vital question of the hour. The doc
trine of National supremacy, welded in
the Constitution by the blood of thou
sands of Union soldiers, is in danger of
destruction bV a bourbon reaction. III