Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-10-30

The good people. 8k MfeNenk-
w TIA. Mr. Garfield lid III he
truth of history. sfuee -Cov.
Bullock, Oh MassachnsN other
lights Of the Repnblicaa haze re-
iteFafed in the main lh;s enE 81
Mr.. Garfield and Iast. sIe 8 least.
the President 0i the Ua.l les. re-
Gently At Youngstown. nsfli-
san speech, told 1|is 81 shis
sheresy Of State f5khI 81
the war betueen i|sz ze<
been fought A1etz s.. - =. So. S
and then. with nn s. s. :
cfeditable TO the executive head Of the
United States, mingled in glorious con-
fusion States rights, modification and Sc
cession. The veriest tyro in political
knowledge is aware ofthe incorrertness
OF this statement as TO the cause of the
civil war and would be ashamed 10 con-
fess ignorance ofthe disiinctIon bsfween
these terms. Notification died years
ago and has not been heard Of since
1888. The claimed right OF psaceable
secession from the Union was spractica-
BILE settled by the appeal toarms but
the reserved rights of the States are as
much a part of the Constitution as the
enumerated rights OF the General Gov
ernment. Both are under the protec-
ting power Of that instrument and both
should receive the fostering care Of
government and people. As long as the
Constitution lasts the reserved rights of
the States will survive. Some OF these
Republican orators claim that the Con-
stitution Is older than the States. and
Mr.. Garfield, as we have seen, alleges
there were no States until the Declare
ton of Independence on the Fourth Of
July, 1776, and that not one of fhe colo
nies declared itself free and indepen-
dent, nor all the colonies, as colonies de-
ciOred themselves free but fhat the gOad
people Of the colonies decLaTedthemseIre
free as one people. That eminent New
England historian, Bancroft, Is a wit
ness against him. We learn from him
that Virginia, as early as The 18th of
May, l776, had proclaimed her separa-
tion from the British crownand instruc-
ted her representatives in Congress TO
declare the united colonies free and in
dependent States Other colonies fol-
lowed in the same direction and on the
I'd day OF July, 1776, (mark the day)
the Congress OF the colonies passed that
resolution the LIST day of Nav, IT, Mas
sachusetts expunged the regal style
from all public proceedings and substi-
trted shaF gaEefnmana nannle. On
The 9Th Of May, 1T16 Rhode Island
more explicitly renonneed allegiance
and made its delegates il Congress the
representatives of an Independent repub-
ic. On the I'd Of July, 1776, the res
olution for independence came up in the
Congress Of the colonies, and ~ colo
nies, without one dissenting colony, re-
solved: That these colonies are and Of
right ought 10 be free and independent
States: that they are absolved from al
legiance TO the British crown and that
all political connection between them
and the State OF Great Britain is and
ought TO be totally dissolved
II is thus seen that il was on the 2nd
day Of July, 1776, the colonies declared
themselves, by formal resolution and
unanimous vote, "free and ndindependent
States" and it was merely the formal
announcement 10 foreign nations of thls
act of independence which constitutes
the famous declaration of July 4, IT76,
made by the Representatives of the
"United States" on that day, or to state
IT in the language of Mr.. Bancroft =
"The resolution OF Congress changed
the thirteen British colonies INTO free
and independent States" So that the
colonies were States before the 4th Of
July, l716, and were States before they
assented to the articles Reconsideration
and were States before they formed the
Union under .he Constitution; Mr. Car
field and his satellites to the contrary
notwithstanding.
We claim that this il Union of
States; that it is a conventional nation
for all foreign purposes and the execu-
tion OF the powers granted 10 the Gov
ernment OF the United States. but we
deny IN toto that this is nation in the
sense that we are one political organi-
zation or aggregate mass. Washington
truly describes us as acoofederated
nation" that is, ga nation of nations"
a union OF peoples under the appropriate
motto, t'E PlUrf6as Unaza
IL this is nation 10 the light Of
Republican theories; II The American
people are consolidated into n aggre-
gate mass. then they have the power
over every constitution, State or Fed
eral. and can abolish States, ohliterate
their government and institute new and
other modes OF governing them.
Congress. as the representative oi this
aggregate mass, can assume I'll the func-
iions Of government, general and local,
il a majority OF the aggregate mass so
wall IL. II Is, therefore, most Important
TO decide the true nature oI our Federal
system, as il now exists, and there i no
duty more Imperative upon the cisizan
than that Of understanding aaa instruct-
ing his servant. he Office holder, a. to
the right character of our insfilations.
II seems to me impossible for any in-
ielligent person, who examines the his
tory Of the Constitution and iss con-
struction BY the highest Court Of the
land, 20 come tothe ccncIusinnsf 10 v lsich
Republican speakers seek 70 lead the
people.
Can we ignore the decisions Oft Su-
preme Court upon this subject Shall
we forget the statement 0f that high tri-
bunaI through its honored Chief Justice
Marshall, when he said. IN America
The powers of sovereignty are divided