The Leavenworth weekly times., 1879-06-26

stated the Confederate flag US coas.i,u.
| ously borne il the procession. and that the
graves were Irofusely decorated with this
emblem. The utterances OF the orator, 4
| Senator at the United States from III;
State OF Ala6 anna, which justified the OBJ
jects and desigos, ard cuiogized the leaders
Of the South, were loudly applsUdsd sud
excited responsive enthusiasm. No gen.
erous hesrt could refuse its tribute OF sym
pstby to those who sought to commemor-
ste the valor and perpetuafe the memory Of
heroes who fell iu defense of any cause,
whether right or wrong. But these solem-
mites had wider scope. OEe OF the mon
| uments is said to be inscribed with the dec
lzration that it is erected to the memory Of
those "who fell in defense Of constitutional
liberty and the sovereignty Of the Sistes
between 1861 and 1865"
The orator OF the occasion, among many
similar declarations, said:
The demand of the South was simply that
these IignIs and guarantees should be faith
fully obseiy,d They made no aggression
upon the legal, moral. social, or political
| rights of any other section or State. Nothing
that they demanded was liable to just CEN
kure. 1t was their homes ana their wives
| and children and friends that were their
stake in the war. Their homes they de-
| fendei against desecratlon; their wives and
| children against Insult and humiliation I;
| their friends against wrong and injustice,
aud their country against invasion. For
| these they died. This is the whole story.
Ii this is the whole story, as told by the
orator Of the occasion at Winchester; il
these brave but misguided men fell in de-
fense OF constitutional liberty, for what did
the Union dead give up their lives? II the
South were the champions Of constitutional
liberty, then when they surrendered consti-
tutional liberty fell. If the war vas fought
for the sovereignty of the States, as the in
scription upon that monument declares,
snd its results are acquiesc.d in by the
South, why is the dogma again asserted
with such open an1 aggressive vigor and
| the supremacy of the nstion SO strenuously
assailed and denied?
II the exercises at Winchester reflect the
true sentiments Of the Southern people, and
| if the ideas there advanced are to be en-
forced BY the triumph Of the Democracy,
then the reaction will be complete. TIE
dreams Of Calhoun will be realized, pos
terity will revise the contempcraIeous es-
innate of Wilkes Booth, and The war
waged in de- ssnse Of the Union and Of the
authority of the nation will be Justly stig-
matized az the greatest crime in the history
of the human race.
! The people OF the North believe that
the United States sre nation. not mere
association of incoherent political societies
| The nation exists not at the pleasure Of a
State, nor q majority of the States. nor oi
all the States, but by the will of majority
of the people. Behind every citizen, black
or white, at home or abroad, on land OF
sea, stands the nation, a potential, bene.
6cient energy, pledged to protect him in
the unrestricted exercises OF all the rights
Of manhood and citizenship. None can be
so humble, 80 ob-ecure, so remote as to be
alein from its blessings. II his rights are
denied or Infringsd and reparatiOp is re.
fused, he can confidently appeal TO the ma
ton for restitution and redress.
The Republican party does not deny mol
assail the rights of the States. Had We
desired to destroy the States, the war gave
us the opportunity. There was a strong
sentiment at the North that desired the
| obliterstion Of the revolted States, and de-
mauded that they should be reduced to 3
territorial condition, to be readmitted to
the Union under new names and with
other boundaries. But the Republican
leaders CT nduc,ed the war upon the consti-
tutional theory thst the States were indie
structible and the Union indissoluble, and
that when armed resistance to national
authority ceased, the States would resume
their wonted relations to the Government
subject to certain conditions, which were tc
be obligatory when voluntarily accepted in
The manner prescribed by the constitution
The Independence of the States ia iIdis
pepsable to our political system. To pre-
serve national unity there must be both To-
cal self-government and personal liberty
for We are not a homogeneousp people. The
diversities OF birth, climate. soil production
and temperament forbid it. Maine and
Louisiana have nothing in common. They
require different social and political iusti
tutious. They are as unlike as England
and Italy. A mesn annual temperature oi
seventy degrees and mean annual tenn
perature of fifty degrees do not allow the
same social, moral, intellectual or political
condition. No rigid ipfe1ible rule, ema.
mating from centralized power, could be
successfully applied to our vast and diverse
dominions, and our political history has
alw sys moved in an orbit defined by the
conflicts between State and national author.
ity. The contest aroee when our constitu-
ton wss framed. 1t gave birth to our po.
litical system. which is unique and has nei.
ther model nor prototype. The questions
growing ont of slavery, finance, revenue, in
ternal improvements, tariff, territorial ac-
| quisition, foreign policy, war, reconstruc-
ton, have all been incidental to the great
s!rife which is still going on, and which
will survive as long as our government
shall endure.
| Many Senators have said that secession
and the other sequences of TIE doctrine OF
State sovereignty for which the South con-
tended were settled by the war and were
desd. But have listened carefully and
| sedulously TO hear some one say secession
| was wrong or that it had no warrant in the
constitution. But have not heard that.
| II the right of sece sIon existed before the
war under the constitution it must exist
now, for the constitution has not been
| changed in this respect
Men are not convinced because they are
| varquished. Idess are immortal and can
not be extinguished by force. War proves
| nothing except whicn side has the most en-
durance and men and money. 1t does not
change the convictions of the combatants,
and doubt whether q State south Of the
Ohio river would vote for an amendment to
the Constitution declaring that the Union
is perpetual and indissoluble, and that the
authority of the nation is the supreme law
of the land. Secession was a mistake, not
because it was unconstitutional, but be
cause it was unsuccessful and the people
observe with alarm the renewed assertion OF
those pernicious doctrines which have re-
suited in such INNER surable disaster and
ruin
Much has slso been saIa IN InIs discus
sion about sectional hate and the resurrec-
ton Of issues that were 10 their grave. But
there is 10 sectional hate in the North ;
nothing but cordial kindness and good
will, and an earnest, heartfelt de-
sire for fraternity, union, and peace.
Mr.. RANSOM. Would it interrupt the
Senator for me to call his attention to the
constitution OF North Carolina?
Mr.. INGALLS,. No. air; l would be
glad to hear it.
Mr.. RANSOM. 1t is not in reference to
what the Senator lie now saying, but in re-
gard to a proposition he stated a moment
ago. This is the constitution of North
Carolina which wss ratified in 1868, and
this part of it reaffirmed in 1875:
SEC, L. That this State shall ever remain a
member of the American Union that the
people thereof are part of the American ma.
tion that there is no right on the part OF this
Stat. 10 secede and that all attempts, from
whatever source OF upon whatever pretext,
TO dissolve said UDion or TO sever said nation
ought to be resisted with the whole power o
the State
Mr.. INGALLS,. Mr.. President, am ex-
ceedingly glad to hear that, and / am
obliged to the Senator from North Caro-
lima for calling my attention to it. ltgives
me sincere pleasure to know that in the
constitution of the revolted States there has
been a recognition of the indis.olubility OF
the American ITnion of the supremacy OF