Year: 1861

soon be formed, which shall stand as
a model Of a free, representative, con
stitutional, voluntary republic" You will
thus see what has been and is the de-
termination of these seeding States. Now
it is clear from their conduct and declara-
tions. before and since the act of secession,
and from all the concurring circumstances,
that they never intended and do not now
intend to return unless some unforeseen event
should arise to compel them to do So After
their session of, and extraction from the
Union is complete, We find the leaders of the
movement parcelling out place and power
for themselves. The Roman power divided
up the empire by tripartite division, and
it is not improbable when they first started
in their work of treason, disorganization and
obstruction, they had no definite plan in view,
but were to move along in the current of
events. So it may be here. Selfshncss is
the first law of our nature; it begets treason,
inordinate ambition, disorganization, civil
strife, and is the prolific parent of all those
base and destructive passions which destroy
and vitiate human society. You may rest
assured that even if the leaders of this exit
from the Union, intended at first a return,
when they found their work was so easy.
the instinct of selfshness, working inordi-
nately, would cause them to set up for them
selves and the result has vindicated the
correctness of the proposition. believed it
from the first. Now it so happens you have
co acted with the movement, and the rule of
presumptive evidence, if am rightly in
formed, would make you to have had full
knowledge of what was intended and a con-
federate.


This may be a proper place to notice the
imputation made by you, that I intended to
seek an Office at the hands of the incoming
administration, and to thereby become a
sucker of the government pap. Now here,
you see. you are braying Did you ever
seek that pap under another name or power ?
[ suspect you did, I never did. Those
who have been guilty themselves are most
likely to suspect others. The ass would not
have put on the lions skin had he not known
what it was to fear the king of beasts.


But let us return to the other part of the
proposition quoted from the call--that the
rights of the people are inherent and mali
enable. and therefore they can call ''Sove-
reign Convention whvn they please: .,57w, !,
sir, you are aware, from what you have
seen heard and known, during the period
of pretty long and not inactive life, that it
is often much easier to refutc man than it
is to silence him-and this will depend
again upon the share Of the reasoning facul-
ty he may possess, or the extent to which
he is interested on the other side. Interest
ed partizan leaders have no intention of act
ing upon conviction. where it is their interest
to act otherwise, and their subordinates have
not reason enough to render them capable
of conviction. Now, what are the inhe-
rent rights which you say are inalienable,
or cannot be parted with or cannot be bound?
They are simply the man with his faculties
of mind and body, and possibly property
might be placed among them. as it is the
result of the action of the other two. l
learn from speech before me that free gov
ernment is compact between the members
of the community, and consequently there
is an equality of both rights and obligation.
This compact forms an unqualified guaran-
tee of the protection of life and liberty and
works forfeiture Of either or both for vio-
lation Of the terms of the compact. Now,
the very basis of this is, you shall not vio-
late these inherent rights of your neighbor;
but suppose you do so by committing trea-
son against the government, and consequent
! ly against all the members of the communi-
ty, would you then find that these rights Of
life and liberty were inalienable be


bound, or given up? Hanging is the pen
atty for treason, and have you not generally


found, in the course of your reading and


experience that man holds neither life mol


liberty when he is hung? Are life and


liberty then inalienable? If the guarantee
! is to the extent of the protection of life and
liberty without limit, must it not be equal
lv to the extent Of forfeiture of the same
The government founded upon this unlmit


ed guarantee of the protection and forfeiture


Of the inherent, and what may be forfeited


or alienated rights, belongs equally to eac1
individual to the utmost extent of the guar


antee; and for private citizens or majority


of the people to call your ''Sovereign Con


vention," without the forms and sanction o


the law, is to perform an inorganic act an(


to subject each and the minority to an un
qualified power without any guarantee o


protection and without any obligation OF


their part to submit. This very proposition
is an illustration of that very condition wher
individuals aud miuorities have right tt


resist; for when the agents or trustees o
government have transcended their power


they are no longer agents or trustees o


government, but have become a collection
of private individuals and usurpers ousid'
of the government, acting upon their owr


individual authority, and each individual


Or a minority, can resist their action by vir


tue of their right to the government whicl


was instituted for the good and protection o


each or of the achole. This process of call


ing 'Sovereign Convention" without tn,


forms of law is exactly on the principle o
the abuse of power by trustees or agents o


government, when they have undertaken tt
! do what the government and law does no
L