Year: 1874

remarked; they can exercise no polit


ical rights except within the State


wherein they have q residence, an,


then only in compliance with tn


laws of said State, and not by author


ity of any law of the United States
l now call attention to the 5tl


article of the Constitutions not tina


any new proof is thereby exhibited o,
needed but as serving to confirm
what has already been said in refer
ence to the great central idea per
vading the minds of the trainers o.
that instrument, that this Govern
ment of ours then being fashioned
by their hands was to be q confeder-
ate and not national government
The 9TH article provides for the
amendment of the Constitution
whenever two-thirds of both branch
es of Congress shall deem it neces-
sary, or on the application of the
legislatures of two-third of the
several States, Congress shall call n
convention for proposing amend
ments, which in either case shall be
valid to all intents and purposes as
part of this Constitution, when rdti-
fe6 by the Legislatures of three
fourths of the several States, or by
conventions of three-fourths thereof,
as the one or the other mode of
ratification may be proposed by
Congress-" &c. If it had been the
intention of the authors of our Com
stitution that the government they
were then framing should be "
National Government of the people
of the United States as contradis-
tinguished from the people of the
several States, why did they make
the ratification of that constitution,
and of all subsequent amendments
proposed thereto dependent upon
the people without regard to States2
This right the States would not yield.
Why? Because they well knew the
danger that awaited them from an
overshadowing central government.
liable at any moment, and upon the
pretext of necessity, to assume des-
potic sway, should they deed away
their only safeguard--that sovereign
ty by which alone they could protect
themselves from encroachment and
oppression; hence it is that the
States, as such, shall pass upon all
amendments proposed to the Con-
stitution. Suppose the Constitutional
Amendment lately adopted should
have been approved by twenty-six of
the most populous States, and ten of
the smallest should have refused to
ratify them; of course the proposed
amendments would have been defeat
ed though they each might have re-
ceived three-fourths of the popular
vote of the Union.


l think further proof of the fedora
tive character of our General Govern
ment will hardly be demanded by
the most ultra cohsolidationist.- =
Whilst I am fully aware that l have
not exhausted the subject, 1 think l
have persued it far enough to make
apparent the proposition with which
I set out, and in doing this I have
necessarily done one other thing,
and that is to demonstrate that our
State governments are Republican.


l have referred to but few of the
leading incidents in the history of
our country, ut, and anterior to
the formation of our federal system,
and to but few of the more promi-
neht features of DUR organic law
bearing upon the questions sought
to be discussed, and it may be that
these features are brought out in an
imperfect manner, exhibiting in
many respects want of order and
method in their Arrangement, yet l
trust | have made myself understood,
and that the premises l have assum-
ed will be found tenable and my
deductions the necessary result Of
the premises and the proof.


In arriving at the conclusion that
our State governments are Republi-
con in form, and that the United
States Government is Federal sys-
TEN, l wish to add that, wisely
administered, it is the mildest and
best system of government that ever
blessed mankind; when each is adj
within it's constitutional
limits perfectly harmonious and con-
sistent in all il practical workings,
it is the only system of government
euited to our extensive territory,
diversified climate, soil, productions
and varied interests; and I feel
further to add, it is the
only system of government under
which the American people win be
able to maintain their liberties -
under no other can they be free.


In my next l propose to institute
the inquiry as to whether the princi-
Piles shown in these letters to under-
lie our political superstructure have
for the past thirteen years been
adhered to or departed from.


Yours,


HtfTr r A \ FT.uvUT,