The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-04-11
SENATOR BUFFERS SPEECH.
An Able Defense of the Bill TO Pension
Confederate Soldiers.

and III / had O66n Ola enough snOuiO
have been in the t~onfederaCe army by
his side; but I have v considered
myself a traitor nor the son Of a traitor.
Ny father did not rebel against moi
take I'D arms against the T ,deral Gov
of the States. He was a citi
zen of q sovereign State which IN 1861
saw fit, or rather, I should say. was
forced, to exercise ius constitution
al right TO Withdraw from the compact
of 1887.
North Carolina acceded to the com
pact OF 1857, and soc did iG as an Inde-
pendent and sovereign State. In her
sovereign capacity she coded to the
Federal Government created under the
compact called the Constitution Ger
tain powers to be exercised Oy the Fed
eral Government of ali the Sta'es IN
consideration of certain advantages 10
be gained by being a party TO the COM
pact and a member of the federation
of States; but she reserved all the pow
ers not expressly coded, and all OF the
powers thus expressly reserved she
continued to exercise and had a right
to continue to ExsFcise in her sovereign
capacity. One of the many powers ex-
presslV reserved, because It was not
ceded, was the right and power to
withdraw from the compact whenever
it was no longer advantageous or de.
sirabIe to remain in it.
Let no one misunderstood me. lam
not c~ontendIng that the States still
have that reserved right. We are now
living under a new compact the Ap-
pomattox compact of 1865, which de-
MES that right. / am discussing the
right OF each State under the compact
of 1877, and under which our govern
ment was conducted until 1861
Now, let US go back a moment the
original compact, known as the Con
federation, for it throws much light
upon the nature of the compact Of
1877.
In that compact, which formed the
first Federal Government, and which
lasted for six years, it was expressly
stipulated that the compact should be
perpetual. North Carolina and all the
thirteen original States had acceded to
that compact, but North Carolina and
other States withdrew or seeded from
it when it was not advantageous or
desirable 60 longer remain IN It, The
States that seeded or withdrew from
the Confederation found themselves so
embarrassed IN withdra wing from a
compact which had expressly declared
that the compact should be perpetual
that IN forming the new compact
known no as the Constitution of the
United States. they took care not TO
declare that 1t should be perpetual.
Nothing 10 clearer than that the con
vention o. 1857, which drew up the
new compac5. purposely left out the
declaration and agreement that the
new compact should be perpetual, and
did so because the parties to the com
pact did not desire to make such an
agreement. A proposition was made
in that convention to try to make the
compact binding on sll the States when
a mai nrIty or even two thirds had &C
ceded to it. But this proposition was
considered monsErous, or, | might say,
it was not considered seriously at all.
Each State in its sovereign capacity
acted for itself and by itself, and the
compact was Co be binding only on the
States that sccsded to it, and then only
to the extent that the powers expressly
coded were to be exercised by the gov
eminent to be formed under the com
pact.
I5 was some time before the State Of
Rhode leland acceded to the compact
and acted as one of the Federation of
States. There was 10 right nor power
in the opinion Of the trainers OF the
compact to force Rhode Island to &C
cede to the compact or to be any way
controlled or governed by the Govern.
ment of the Federation Of States, I'M
less Rhode leland should of her own
free will and accord go elect. Rhode
Island stood out as separate, independ
ent, and sovereign State for some time,
and she could have so stood out with a
separate government of her own, as
independent and sovereign So any
country or government in the world,
to this day if she had so desired. No
one will deny this.
Then how could Rhode Island lose
her sovereign rights and powers to
withdraw from the compact and re
sumo all of her independent, sovereign
functions and powers when she had
mayer coded thesa riphts and nnwers