The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1879-12-31


-[Harper's Weekly.
JEFFERSON DAVIS, THE PATRIOT.
HIS BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE TO THE CON.
sTlTUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES.
j. B. Danforth, of Rock Island, hav-
ing addressed jeff. Davis to the effect
that "Somethlng should be done at
once by Southern leaders of public
opinion to counterfeit the efforts Of
Republicans who are endeavering to
make a solid North OH the idea that
State rights mean secession that the
people of the South are still for scces-
sion /; that there is no freedom ofspeech
or Of the press in the South, and that
the South has been made solid by
means of the shotgun" the reply
comes, aud is published in full, as fol-
iows:-
BEAUvIoR, HARRISON COUNTY, Miss. I
November %, 1879.
j. B. Danforth, Esq:
My DEAR SIR-I was gratified by
the receipt of yonr letter as token of
your remembrance of me when in for
mer and i'll happier days we we're Off
cially connected with each other. l
was also gratified by the receipt Olga
copy of your paper, the Rock Islander.
1t so happened that, at the time, a
local candidate had called to visit ME,
and tho conversation turned upon the
time honored doctrine of State rights.
Like many others in our section, he
| supposed this to be a creed which pc
culiarly belonged to the Soath. l;
who have known, and am happy to re-
member, men OF every section true to
the theory Of union voluntarily form
cd by sovereign States, endeavOred to
explain that it was not q Southern
idea, but historical fact; that 1t be-
longed to no section, but sprang from
the brain of the men who declared the
independence of the colonies, and
formed the compact for more perfect
union Of the States. To prove my po-
sition I read to him your article head
ed "What is Meant by State Rights I"
and was pleased to see the effect
which il produced when he knew that
| it came from the State of Illinois, and
high up on the Mississippi river. II
there is anything which, more clearly
than another, the trainers of the Con-
stitution did mot intend to do, it was
to submit the people of the States to
the unbridled will of a majority of the
people of all the States. Sectional
majorities have changed; they may,
ahd probably will, change again; and
the bulwark which alone can protect
minorities from the usurping tendency
of a general government, is strict
construction of delegated powers, and
a fair observance of the reserved
rights of the States and Of the people.
When the States delegated certain
functions to a general government, the
purpose was DECLARED to be to secure
the blessings Of liberty to themselves
and their posterity.
The confederation, which had been
declared perpetual, was terminated to
form a more perfect nnion Of those
States which should agree to enter into
it. Being without any precedent in
history, but taught by the examples Of
all ancient. republics of the rocks and
shoals on which they had been wreck.
ed, a compact Of ANTON acas formed
achick laaast erer stand, a model Of ,ris
dom on the part Of those rho framed it.
The reservation of rights, as you
have forcibly presented it, only marks
the limit between tho powers of the
general government and those which
the States and the people thereof
would continue to exercise. This was,
to secure liberty to their posterity, not
to elevate a new master to the throne
from which George III lad been de-
posed.
In the many years that have passed
since the formation of that Constita-
ton, with the many chief magistrates
the South has given to the Union, il
seems strange that, in this day, belief
IN the doctrine on which the Union ,ras
founded, and which was uniformity
ayowed nv the men who illustrated lis