The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-05-30

have been pilloried before the world
as Ignorant, barbarous, cruel, traitors,
rebels and, who, without the slightest
justification or excuse, sought 10 de-
stroy the best government under the
sun, and deluged continent in blood.
The charge is still made and reiterated
in conversation, in school books, in
magazine articles, in public speeches,
in public records and in published
histories. 1t is monstrous perversion
of the truth, which self-respect and a
decent regard for the memory of our
heroic dead, compels US to denounce.
This day one hundred and twenty
years ago the men of Mecklenburg,-
first OF all Americans, despite the
doubling Thomases-renounced allie
glance to the British crown, declared
themselves a free and independent
people, and afterwards with their COM
patriots gloriously maintained, on
many bloody field, the declaration
thus gloriously made. A year later
the Great Declaration made by all
the Colonies proclaimed them to be,
not a nation or union, but free and
independent States. They made a
treaty of alliance with France in n177S,
and again in 1882 with the Neither
lands and in 1888 with Sweden, in
each of which each State was named a
party to it. Great Britain, in the
final treaty Of peace in 1888, acknowl'
edged and named them se,iatim as
free sovereign and independent States.
They entered compact Of government
with each other which they called Ar.
ticle Of Confederation, in which, while
it was declared to be perpetual gov
ernment, it was also expressly declared
that each State retained its itssovereignty,
freedom, and independence. They
afterwards seeded from and destroyed
that "perpetual" government, and pro-
posed a new government, from which,
when formed, the declaration of per-
petuity was deliberately dropped
When the convention to form thai
government first met in 1887, and
while only minority of States was
represented, the first attempt was made
to commit the delegates to a decla
ration in favor of national govern.
ment as contra-distingushed from q
federal union, and a resolution wa!
passed to that effect by vote of only
six States; but as soon as full delega
ton assembled this resolution was OBJ
jected to, reconsidered and rescindeo
by a unanimous vote, and the titlt
"The United States was retained
The man who objected was Olive
Ellsworth, of Connecticut, who wa
afterwards Chief Justice of the Su
preme Court of the United States, an(
his words were 81 propose, and there
fore move, to expunge the word ma
tional' and place in room of it, 'gov
| ernment of the United States y
which was agreed to unanimously.
Astounding to relate, the argumen
of those who have denied the ght Of;
State to secede has been largely bull
on this resolution wAieh aoas nnani
mously reseindtdd BY the convention, ane
on the Preamble to the Constitution
which says awe, the people of tn
United States,' which they constru'
to mean, not the people of the severa
States, but the aggregate people o
the whole country as one nation;
political entity which never had an.
existence. A writer on this subjec
after showing how and why the words
awe, the people of the United States
were used, calls attention to tn
amazing fact that Edward Everett, il
a speech on the 4th Of July, 1861, hat
said that "the States are not named il
the Federal constitution, in face Q
the fact that in the second clause Q
article 1, each State is mentioned b.
name; and also calls attention to
similar statement of Mr.. Motley i
the London Times in 1861, that 9Th
name of no State" is mentioned II
the whole document, and that "it wa
not ratified by the States but "by tn
people of the whole land in their ag
)gregate capacity acting through con
ventions' when there stands the ex
press provision of article ! "that tn
ratification Of the conventions OF min
States shall be sufficient for the estab
lishment OF this constitution betwee
the States 50 rn'iying the same!"
The State of Virginia in sanction
ing the call of a convention in 178t
and appointing delegates with VAST
ington at their head, expressly stipr
lated that the new constitution shoul
be ratified, not by the Legislature
the States, but by the States then
selves-that is to say, by convention
in each Sta1e-and this was done b
the several States at differen, times, b.
tween November 1887, and May 29t
1890, and not by the people of II
r whole land in their aggregate capacit
As has been we'll said: "Eve1
iota of the Constitution was decide
. upon and found place in that wri
, ten instrument by a vote of the State
each State having one vote. No ia
: should be more perfectly notorious {
, we'll known than this, for it stands o.
everywhere on the very face of Il
: proceedings OF the convention whit
framed the Constitution" And vi
: ginia in ratifying the Constitution, al
2 nounced that the powers granite
r therein might be resumed whenev
e the same should be perverted to Il
S injury or oppression of the peopl
! New York, in ra,ifying, made 4
T., same declaration, and each declar'
. that every power not granted remain'
to the States. North Carolina, for Sc
g eral reasons, one of which was the 81
6ch and ce~tiona1 cp;rit ,o,,;EaeteS