The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-03
SUNDAY, JANUARY s, 1904.
The Right Of Secession.

/
The Montgomery Advertiser takes Tho
i Dispatch to task for saying that
In 1861 the Southern States had the right
to secede. but that they had no such con-
/ sututional right now. "Wo admit says
4 our contemporary, that tho question of
n secession is now a purely academic one
< Nobody, SO far as we know. wants to
again put 1t TO the test. and we cannot
now conceive Of any circumstances which
Z could or would require such an extreme
remedy, but If, In the future. slo people
y OF any State should unite In the detcrmi-
nation TO secede, they Will do So They
have precisely the same right now that
4 they had In 1861. The government coulu
y force that State back. just at 1t did the
Confederate States, but that would settle
q nothing except as to the relative strength
Is OF the two. There would still be no change
in the matter Of right. The AdVertlsef
does not believe that tho secession or
= any State Of the American Union could
succeed, and Heaven knows we never
wish to SEQ another attempt made. but
we assert that If the right Of secession
ever existed It still exists
Just what The Times Dispatch means
by saying that the Constitution, as
amended. takes that right away from the
individual States Is too hard for u.s. We
4 have read and re-rcad that instrument
as carefully as any one can and have
not yet found any article or amendment
+ denying the right OF secession, nor IS
there anything in 1t as amended which
tanes the right away from the Individual
States. So far as the Constitution OF the
United States is concerned, the question
is just where 1t was forty or more years
riuht fc IF Il
was, and we presume thnt 1t will never By.
removed
I'm to tho war between the States, 1t
\ was question Of dispute as to whether
citizens first duty was to his State or
to the government, Mr.. Charles Francis
Adams says that II this question had been
put in 17sS, or, indeed, at any time an
terror to 1925. the immediate ceply OF nine
men out of ten in the Northern States.
and of ninety-Dine out Of one hundred in
the Southern States, would have besn
that, as between the Union and the State
ultimate allegiance was due to the State.
And he further says. "in l7SS allegiance to
the State had only a few years before
proved stronger than allegiance TO the
crown or to the confederation, and no
one was foolish enough to suppose that
the Executive or the. Union would try to
force law against the wishes of a
sovereign and independent State. The
very idea was deemed preposterous that
this new government; this upstart of yes
terday had the power to impose its edlcts
on unwilling States was a political
Bolecis,c. to which they could In no wise
assent" Ana still again: In studying the
history of that period, We arc again
confronted by n condition and not 4
theory; but, as read the record and UNI
derstand the the real facts of that now
forgotten social and political existence, IN
case OF direct and lnsoluble issue between
sovereign State and sovereign nation, be-
tween 17SS and 1861, every man was not
only free to decide, but had to decide for
Il himself; and. whichever, way he decided,
lie was right, The Constitution gave him
two masters, Both he could not serve; and
the average man decided which to servo
In the light Of sentiment. tradition and
environment, OF this ! feol as his
torically confident az / can feel OF any
fact not matter of absolute record or sus-
ceptible OF demonstration"
But al that has been changed, The
right of secession was put to the test, and
1t was lost and abandoned al Appomattox,
& This whole subject was threshed out by
the Grand Camp of .nia in 1898. Ii was
then declared In the report of the His
tory Committee, Of which Mr. VIM. L..
Royal was chairman, that our children
are to be taught that nothing is palmer
to him who understands the Constitution
OF the United States and tho history OF
Its fornation-than that the States had
reserved the right to secede, and that
their fathers were not rebels and traitors
In seeding from the Union, but indie
pendent. self-respecting, fearless citizens
exercising their rights under the law o!
the land, and In defiance OF all the threats
of coercion that greatly superior ply.
steal power made against them Blu
they should be taught that, overcome b3
physical power. the Confederate soldier
laid down his arms at the end OF the war
Z with pledge Of his honor that he aban
doped the cause OF secession for all time,
The righl OF secession under Me Cor
stitution was question of construction
the North holding one way and III
South tho other. This question was sub
mitted to the "srbisrament OF the sword,
and the- South lost. The right OF Eeces
sion was then abandoned The souther
States came back into the Union vii
that understanding Each State repeale
the ordinance OF secession, and Yirgini
Esat 50 far - ~ incorporate TIL