Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-06-28
SENATOR HILLS SPEECH.


great speech made in reply to Mr.
Blaine. on Thursday OF last week.
took this correct position: That the
states are absolutely sovereign in
the exercise of their reserved rights,
and that this government has no
power over state in the exercise OF
her reserved rights, and that on the
other hand the samelpeople who made
the constitutions of the states made the
constitution of the federal government
and clothed it with specific powers, and
within its specific powers the federal
government is also supreme, and of
course within the delegated powers; it is
alone supreme, just as the states in their
reserved powers are alone supreme.
After an eloquent speech on the merits
OF these propositions. in support of
which he frequently quoted Mr.. Web
ster, Mr.. Hill closed with these words:
"Would that Massachusetts would give
to the country another Webster. Sir,
cannot hope even to initiate his great
ness; but should like to follow such a
grand man, even if it must be afar off !;
and l wish like him to have ten thous-
and voices to-day; I wish 1 could
command his eloquence for one hour;
wish l could speak as Le only spoke.
l wish every man in America could
hear the words which believe he would
utter with much more forcible power
| when now declare this union was not
the cause of our war this union never
shed fraternal blood; this union never
burned the houses and cities and devas-
tated the soil OF its own citizens. No, no.
All that was the work of dlabolical
sectionalism. l would beg the Ameri-
can people to-day, come back from these
wanderings, these sectional wanderings,
whether IN the direction of secession or
in the direction of consolidation and
despotism; come back to the constitu-
ton as our fathers made 1T, as Madison
explained 1t, as Webster expounded it,
as it now stands unaltered IN character
by the three new amendments that have
been adopted; come back to it as a
union OF States; come back to 1t as
partly national and partly federal
government, such as no other people
ever enjoyed and such as no wise people
will ever abandon. earnestly beg the
people OF the north. If they would pre-
serve this inestimable heritage and trans
NIT its blessings to their posterity, to
disband this sectional republican party
No sectional party ever was or ever can
be union party. 1t is mere, sheer.
naked hypocrisy to pretend so. Noman
and no party can be true to the whole
union who is false to part of it; no
man and no party can be proper ad-
ministrator of this common government
who hates any one section of this coun-
try. L would ring it in the ears of pa
triots, would ring 1t in the ears OF
statesmen, l would ring it in the ears of
all the people north and south, east and
west, if we would save further strife
and further woe, if we would preserve
finally the liberties of this country, we
must disband all sectional parties and
get back to that union under the consti.
tuition which knows no section, but does
know all the States. Without states
there may be empire, and there will be
despotism, but there can be no constitu-
tional union;' while without union there
may be license, and there will be an
archy, but there can be no liberty or
security"