Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-07

! IN the treaty OF peace with Great Britain
made with this league Of States under its
STYLE Of the United States Of America they
were al 10y their several names recognized
as free, sovereign, aud independent
! States"
The monument at Yorktown bears upon
/ It's face as an extract from this treaty:
! Her Britannia Majesty ACKNOWLEDGE tho
| SAID United Statee-viz., New Hampshire,
/ Massachusetts Bay. Rhode Island and
/ Providence Plantations. Connecticut. New
/ York. New Jersoy, Pennsylvania, Della
ware Mnryiend. Virginia. North Carolina.
/ South Carolina and Georgia TO Oe Free,
/ Sovereign, and Independent States.
What possible historical facts could
/ HuswuRfy MABsHAIIs pamphlet have
/ brought into view" TO controvert these
/ facts
/ II Virginia was never on Independent
and sovereign State how could Judge NAL
snAIL, as the representative OF the people
/ Of uenrico. have sal IL convention o. the
! people Of Virginia IN l7ss to deliOerat,
upon the adoption by Virginia Of the Con
stitutou of the United States, And now
could he have urged upon thai convention
( the adoption Of that Constitution
~ tina, time Virginia was % member Of
/ the onion under che Articles of Coniede-
ration with q pledge IN those articles o.
/ each State to the other that tine Union
under those articles should ue perpetual
except SO far rs those ARTICLES might be-
I changed hy the consent Of every state
/ gwen through It's Legislature
! The convention winch framed the United
States Constitution utterly ignored THESE
( articles and this pledge and required its
work TO Toe submitted 70 eacn State ~
/ convention of It's people. As originally pro-
/ posed bv that convention the preamble
recited that We. the people of New
/ Hampshire" &c. lrecItlng 10y name each
Of the then thirteen States 81 do ordWu
and establish tins Constitution &c. DC.
The Constitution, however, provided
that upon ITS ratification by nine States
/ the Union created thereby should be COM
/ plclo between the States SO ratnving IL;
and II further provided thai new States
might De admitted into the Union 10y tine
Congress 10 avoid the hazard of the re-
lection Of the Constitution boy some OF the
old Thirteen. Gud anticipating Che aumls-
sion OF new States the names of she sey-
era States were stricken from rho pream-
bie and the collective term nited
States substituted. No one az thai day
ever dreamed that tins change IL phrase
uiugv could ever be distorted into meaning
that the people of AL tine States collective
ly ordained and established the Coustitu-
lion or be made the basis OF airy couteu-
tiou tnat tho people Of the several States
did not act each Tor themselves Us SOY
ereigu soclety.
No possible theory can be suggested for
the proposal OF the Federal Convention 90
refer the Constitution tor ratification 90
conventions Of the people Of each STATE
seven.lly except that OF the perfect aud aD-
soiuto sovereignty of each State The
ordinance of every State convention III
adopting the Constitution involved neces-
sariiv Il claim Of right as o sovereign State
t. secede from the Union under the Articles
Of Confederation.
IL AZ address before the Law Association
Of New y ork IL October. 1886 Chancellor
kent eulogizuC the services of ALEXANDER
HAMILTON ~ promoting and securing the
adoption Of tho United States Constitution
by his own State, savs
During the sitting o. the convention
information was received tnGt New Hnnp-
shire had adopted the Constitution. and
she mad. the ninth state that had ra,iteo
T.. That great event wrought a. once
momcutous cnGuCe n the condition of the
4 rftsfIt
tlou became thereby ipso 1acto dissolved
aud the new Constitution had become, OF
would toe when organized. the existing
national Government of tue Hlne NteJcs
which had ratified tine same
Virginia like New York. had not then
ratified the Constitution. They did. how
ever, reluctantly do SO in tune q partlcl-
pate IL the organization Of the new gov
eminent But neither North Carolina nor
Rhode Island did. The Government OF
the United States under the Constitution
was fully organized. LIS Congress had
previously assembled. when GEoE0r WASH
iNoroN was iuaugurated In april 1859, as
It's FIRST President.
North Carolina did not ratify the Con
sttuton until November 21 1859, nor
Rhode Island until May ~, 1850. What
was their position ID the mean time
Great Britain had renouuced her
clam Of allegiance. Chancellor Kent,
scarcely less cla7a. e u7era5nr
no1r.en than Judge MARSHAL. declares
the Union undor tne Articles of Contede-
ration had been .pso focto dissolved Toy Che
secession OF then sister States hey had
each Of them the full autonomy of fret
State with their executive. Legislative anc
Judicial departments of government L.
it credible that Judge MAssnALL could
ever have been betrayed iuto the expires
sion OF doubt whether either Of them
was sovereign State
The simple truth IL That the FIRST apostles
" secession ~ our history were l'L0Bof
WASHINGTON. ALEXANDRA HAMILTON. and
their corlfftrts Of the Federal Convention
when tAey submitted ther work for adop-
uou ~ the several States aud p-ps,.s min
yoyss among their disciples was JoaN MAJ
sHAlI when lac gave his voice and influence
for the adoption 10y Virginia of hef Oril-
nance Of Secession from the perpetual
union ol the Articles of Confederation and
the establishment OF new union under