, 1880-02-09
jackson ON State Rights.

The Cincinnati Commercial OF january
Sth printed fac simi1e OF the handwrlt-
ING of General jackson while President.
1t is in tue form of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
to Amos Kendall, defining Jacksons
views of the rights of States. 1t says:
Notification is revolution-and it a
State attempts to nullify the laws OF the
United States by force, it is rebellion.
and if she possesses the physical power
to resist successfully, then she has hight
to establish her own government, and II
the balance of the States have the phisi-
cal power, they have perfect right under
this confederation of perpetual Il perfect
Union. to coerce her to Obedience. For
a State to 60 out of the Union peaceably
she must obtain the consent of that num-
Der OF the States which the Constitution
gives the power to alter, & amend it
The people being the fountain of al sove-
reign power have right to alter u
change their governments; and the con
federated s. perpetual union formed by
themselves, upon which the more perfect
union, the constitution of the United
States is based, provides how it can be
altered or desolved-any other mode to
alter it is, recolutisn, d aoar."
The Oregonian publishes the foregoing
note with the comment: 1t will be no
ted that this from Old Hickory is signif
icant-the clearcst statement that has
been made of his views of the rights of
States, and reads like prophesy. The
original MS. is in the possession of the
OHIO Historical Society"
Had the editor read the current histo>
ry of politics in the United States from
the days of Jefferson to the present, with
no prejudice or design to misrepresent
for party purposes, he would not have
any cause for presenting the sentiments
of jackson, as declared in this simple
statement, as either novel, prophetic or
startling. The same sentiments were it
Grated and reiterated from the times Of
jefferson to those Of Jackson, by the par
" whose views they represented respect
lively. Thenceforth the declaration of
jackson: "The Union-it must and
shall be preserved" was watch word
in every Democratic camp, a slogan in
every political battle, and was emblazon-
ed upon every Democratic banner. The
nullifers--the followers OF Calhoun
were but faction, acknowledging no
allegiance to the Democratic party, and
only acted with that party as an aiterna-
tive, never allowing their faction to be
represented in General Convention in
such manner as would commit them to
the support of the nominee. In 1S4S
but one Delegate from South Carolina
appeared in the Democratic Convention
at Baltimore, and he represented Orr's
district, which uniformly elected a Union
Democrat to Congress. At the election
which followed, Rhett, Yancey, Moses,
and nearly all the openly avowed nulli
tiers and secessionists, zealously support
ed Taylor in opposition to Cass, express
ly on sectional grounds. Pending the
same election, the Free Soil party, SUBJ
sequently merged in the Republican par
ty, was started and fused with the aboli-
tionists, both agreeing in the doctrine
that paramount sovereignty resided in
the States and that the Federal govern
ment only possessed delegated powers
subject to State revision. The Republi>
can party, the immediate successor and
legatee of the Free Soil party, in nearly
all local and State Conventions, adopted
the doctrine of State sovereignty to the
EXTREMIST limit contended for by the
most ultra nullifers. The ablest speakers
and writers of the party secuted the idea
of "a more perfect union," and in their
officia! publications distinctly declared
their purpose to put down slavery OF di-
vide the Union. That purpose they fol-
lowed to its Legitimate conclusion. AS
fast as a State was gained by the party,
an act was at ence passed nullifying the
so-called "Fugitive Slave Law" Fous-
teen Republican States adopted these
notification acts in she teeth of the con :
stitutlonal requirement for the rendition
of fugit;ves from labor, and after the
Supreme Court had affirmed the consti-
tutionality of the acs. Recorded history
proves conclusively that nullihcation and
secession were of New England origin,
and that any time before 1860 there were
more avowed nullifers and secessionists
in the Northern than in the Southern
States. The spirit of disunion was man.
ifested on the question of adopting the
Constitution. it became rampant and de>