The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-08-07
LAMENTAT1oN OF JEREMIAH.

exhumer, under The signature of "B,"
produces a few extracts from "the pop
ular speech of Judge Jeremiah Black,
on the Electoral Commission fraud"
The true inwardness of Jeremiah's
lamentations is easily explained, when
it is remembered how a Democratic
Congress labored and brought fourth
the Electoral commission, which in-
stead OF accomplishing the purpose for
which it was designed, only served as
a trap into which the "poor heartbro-
ken Democracy" unspectingly blum
dered, and in which it was SO firmly
held that to squeal 'fraud" was the
only thing possible.
The returning boards also, furnished
unhappy Jeremiah with material for
his lamentations.
It will be remembered that the
boards were duly organized, under
laws passed by the legislatures of the
respective states in which they were
held, and although perhaps not in
strict conformity with the require
ments of our national laws, yet they
were in exact accordance with Jeremi-
abs "late lamented doctorine" of state
supremacy.
The principal claim to greatness, for
which the memory of Jeremiah is SO
profoundly revived by the moss back
of the present day, was attained chiefly
through his devotion to the doctorine
of state sovereignty.
While we are in this fossil exhuming
business, friend 3d." let us dig "a little
deeper through another strata of
American history, and bring to the
surface another specimen Of the glow
ing words of this great man of yours,
Just to see how it will appear in the
light of to-day.
1t was in the Autumn of 1860, a
presidential election had just been
held, and Abraham Lincoln had been
honestly and fairly elected. The
southern Democratic leaders, stung
with rage because of their defeat at the
hands of progressive Americanism, at
once began preparations for the de
struction of the Union. The seed of
State sovereignty, planted by Jefferson
and Calhoun, and nourished by such
Democratic leaders as Davis, Brecken-
ridge, Tombs, Benjamin, Vallandigham
and Jeremiah Black, had rapidly de-
veloped into the full grown palmetto
tree Of secession.
James Buchanan was at that time
occupying the presidential chair, Jere-
miah was a member of his cabinet,
holding the position of Attorney Gen
eral, of the United States.
When requested by Buchanan for an
opinion of the authority, vested in the
President, by the constitution to pre-
vent secession, he delivered an opinion
which was accepted by the President,
as conclusive authority, for permitting
southern democrats unmoleste1, to
make the attempt of destroying the
Union.
Following are some of the "glow-
ing words" of Jeremiah's opinion:
"Without the exercise of those
functions which belong to the civil SER
vice, the laws cannot be enforced in
any event, no matter what may be
the physical strength which the gov
ernment has at command. Under
such circumstances, to send a military
force into any state, with orders to act
against the people would simply be
making war Or them.
The existing laws put and keep the
Federal Government strictly on the
defensive. You can use force only to
repel an assault on the public property
and aid the courts in the performance
of their duty.
If one of the states should declare
her independence, your action cannot
depend upon the right fullness of the
cause upon which such declaration is
based. Whether the retirement of the
state from the Union be the exercise
Of right reserved in the constitution
or revolutionary movement, it is GER
tain that you have not in either case
the authority to recognize her indie
pendence or to absolve her from hel
Federal obligations.
If it be true that war cannot be
declared, nor system of general hos
tilities carried on by the Central Gov
ernment against state, that it seems
to follow that an attempt to do so
would be tPso faeto an expulsion
1