The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-06-03

eTIy INTERESTS Ill IHelT Slaves, anu Tile
said court also held that it was uncon-
stitutional for congress to decree free
dom for territory of the United States.
With all this, and the further benefit of
the fugitive slave law, the south was not
happy. And as an aid to the extension
of slavery, and as club to use against
the free north to compel it to obedience
to southern mandate, the doctrine of
state rights was magnified and proposed
as weapon of coercion, notification or
secession, as the south felt inclined. And
this doctrine of state rights and all to
which it might logically lead, became much
more of menace to the nation, than
slavery itself-though slavery and its
issues were at the bottom of the state
rights theory.
In a twenty minutes address, I can
not 60 into details of the subject of state
rights. 1t was differently understood by
southern statesmen. The best exposition
of that doctrine in existence, is the great
speech of John c. Calhoun, on the multi
fication force bill, delivered in the Unit
ed States senate, February Is, l6 and II,
1888. The position taken by such men
as Calhoun, Toombs and others, was,
that the only power and authority the
general government had, was such as
was delegated to it by the several states.
That if, in the exercise of its powers any
state believed the general government
exceeded the authority given it by the
states, any state interested could put
it's veto upon the exercise of that au-
thority. This theory brought on the
notification acts of South Carolina, and
in opposing those acts, President Jack
son became the friend of his political
! foes and the execrated enemy of his
southern admirers. This same doctrine
of state rights held that any state could
at any time, withdraw from the general
government the rights and authority
delegated to it by such state. In other
words, the Union of the states, was
sort of political co-partnership, be-
tween the states for certain purposes,
from which partnership any mem
Der might withdraw at any time. The
principle thus embraced the doctrine of
secession, in its rankest form.
The north opposed the doctrine of
state rights, and contended that the
national government was greater than
any state. The best answer I know of
to the southern contention, as expressed
by Calhoun, is the speech of William H
Seward, on "The Irrepressible Conflict, y
delivered at Rochester, New York, Oc-
tober 25th, 1858, in which he reviewed
concisely and at length the issues which
had come down through the years, and
were soon to bear their fruitage of re-
bellion.
Jefferson Davis, in the speech he made
in the United States senate, upon sur.
rendering his seat to join the southern
confederacy, January 2lst, 1861, sus
tanned the position of former President
Jackson as to notification, but Endorsed
the doctrine of secession. That is, he
denied to any state, the right to resist
or set at naught, any national law while
in the Union, but that such states had
a right to violate all national laws by
the act of secession. This view was
shared by many other southern states
men. Davis then stated that he not
only acquiesced in the action of his state
(Mississippi), in seeding, but had coun
selled and advised that action. Other
retiring southern senators were equally
insolent. They were guilty of conduct and
language that should have placed then
behind prison bars instead of being al
lowed to depart and join the counsels Of
the enemies of the Union. Do you know
) there are some pages in our nationa
) history that 1 am not satisfied with
We read in connection with the murder
| of our sainted president, that woman
was hanged upon unsatisfactory circum
stantial evidence of being connected
with the conspiracy to kill Lincoln. We
also read that the arch traitor, Jeffer
son Davis, who violated his oath of al
legiance to the laws of our country as &
high official, and who conspired against
the life of the nation, and did more
J than any man to drench our soil will
| human blood, was never brought tt
) trial for his treason. I have nothing tt
, say of northern democracy which UNI
der the lead of Douglas, remained true
to the Union, and fought and bled for it
No words of condemnation for the boys
in gray, who fought for local pride ant
local principle and prejudice. Two year:
ago the Goth of this month, the Con
federate Decoration Day, 1 stood in Old
Alexandria, Virginia, in sight of the
building in which died the gallant
Ellsworth-stood and saw the decora tior
of the graves of southern heroes, while
conversing with an old lady, cousin
of General Lee. And 1 felt then as
feel now, that if a few men like Davis
Toombs and Slidell had been hanged by
the neck until they were dead, that it
would have saved much misery north
and south. And failing in that duty be-
fore the war, the government should
have adopted that remedy, after it.