The National tribune., 1903-12-10
THE RIGHT OF SECESSION.

The Southern papers are in a ferment
to demonstrate that the recognition of
| the Republic of Panama is virtual justi-
fication of the right of secession, and
therefore exonerates from all blame those
who participated il the rebellion. They
are quoting the following extract from
President Roosevelt's messages, to try to
convict him of inconsistency
Plainly, the central idea of secession
is anarchy. A majority held in restraint
| by constitutional checks and limitations.
and always changing easily with deliberate
| changes of popular opinions and senti-
| ments, is the only true sovereign of a
free people. Whoever rejects it does, Of
necessity, fly to despotism or anarchy.
''This issue (namely, whether or not
secession is justifablej embraces more
than the fate of these United States. It
presents to the whole family of man the
question whether constitutional repub-
lie or democracy-a government of the
people by the same people-can or can not
maintain its territorial integrity against
its own domestic foes. 1t presents the
question whether discontented individuals.
| too few in numbers to control administra-
tion according to organic law in any case.
or on any other pretenses, break up their
Government, and thus practically put an
end to free government upon the earth
1t forces us to ask: SIS there, in all repub-
lies. inherent and fatal weakness? Must
a Government of necessity be too strong
for the liberties of its own people, or too
weak to maintain its own existence?"
We would urge these editors to bark
back for moment to a somewhat vener-
BILE document known as the Declaration
of Independence, in which a gentleman of
a certain prominence in the history of the
country, named Thomas Jefferson, laid
down very definitely and distinctly the
principles which should govern in these
cases. As probably many of the writers
are not familiar with this utterance, and
may not have copy of the Declaration at
hand, we will quote the doctrine in ques-
ton.
The first postulate laid down in this fa.
nous paper, is that all men are created
equal: that they are endowed with certain
inaiienable rights. among which are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that
governments are instituted to secure these
rights, and when any form of government
becomes destructive to these ends, it is
right for the people to abolish 1t and to in
stitute a new government. 1t goes on to
say:
prudence, indeed, will dictate that
Cn,- -laI IL
be changed for light and transient causes;
and accordingly all experience has shown
that mankind are more disposed to suffer,
while evils are sufferable, than to right
themselves by abolishing the forms to
which they are accustomed. But when a
| long train of abuses and usurpations, pur.
suing invariably the same object, evinces
design to reduce them under absolute
despotism. it is their right, it is their duty.
to throw off such Government, and to pro-
vide new guards for their future security"
The condition so well described above
was fully met with in the case of Panama,
ern States when they decided to withdraw
from the Unien. They had absolutely no
excuse of oppression, or of interference
whatever with their rights of life. liberty
and the pursuit of happiness" unless their
pursuit ofehappiness involved taking slav-
cry into the Territories. The people Of
Panama, on the other hand, had suffered
almost everything that people could be
called upon to suffer, and they therefore
at last determined upon freeing themselves.
They furnished stronger bill of griev-
ances than that we had against the King
of England, and which justified our Revo-
1lution.