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Show 72 ROE13UC K. "The rirrht or a St:ttc to withclr:tW fro :n. tlle l!nion when· i 1 °. · ·1rrmcnt it has uc co m ~J O~)prv·.:;tve antl she ever, n ler J u, ·'"J ' • • • 1 • r1eqtt•tte r cmeL1\r is a nr··at wluch OUl' Ltthers ll·1.sno ot WI a, · J' o . '" 1 t to veuen.tc as essen t ial to the preser vatton luwe tn.ng l ns ~ r . · ·. of onr liberties nnder Ute Fct1cra.l systen:· ~ ou !\to ftnnll.tr · 1 tl . sotl"" "Y which it has b eeu Vl mltca.l.eLl. I ncc.l WlL l te Iea .;) u. . 1 • d you of so,nc of those reasons. A c .... on1mg to on y remm · . . , . 1 ·1e·1 rrecl 1 )1·incit)lc of natura.l J usttce and of p n .>IL:~ n.n ac UlOW u 0 • 1 . r sovereirra ..t ", a Slate h:\S a right to <llssol ve her co:np;\.:l3 o • • 1 .... with other St<\tes whenever, m her j ntlgmeut, t 1e1e 1s JU:,t. cause to t1is3olve them. If this right were no~ all~>wcJ,. ~~ . Slate would o(tcn h:wc no j Lt t r e..lrcss fur tlte vw.la.tt~,:l ot .;\ comp<tct by n.nother pn.rly. She. is held tG be. JU5Lllllhltu annu\1\.ng it ill m.orn.1s as well a." 111 la.w, wh·~u 1t h c\S .u!.!cn wilfully v'tolatcu by the other party iu p oints css3I.llu~l to her security ot· welfare. T lte app1ica.tion ol' th.c~c pnnc1ples to the F ederal U niou will not be deuie~l l>y any one w:10 admits tlln.t QLH' Slates nrc sovereign ancl tlw.t the Cvustitn· tion is n. compact between them. But these were tho p!'oposit ions csta.blislleu in n memorable cot~ test-\ l~e 1~l'~t grc:\i Constitutional controversy in the Uuwn. V1rg.nt:1. lla.d a con:;picuons part in that controversy, and h:1.s prescrvod for the instruction of future ages the uuans wcra.lJle proofs sho then arrayed to establish that the States are sovereigtl aml tlle Fut1cral ConstituLioll is a compact between them. '' \Vhcn the Colonies tl1rew off tlleir nllegiauco to Gl'ea~ Britaiu, they assumed the char._tcter of S t.n.tes. Iu thn.t cha.racter they were recognized by eacll o Lher, and by all nations. Iu that character they frarned anc.l n. J opte(l tha l~l.!tleml Constitution, retaining in it the ull.tnQ of U 11itct\ States. Important provisions of tllat instrument rcco;· nize their continued existence as States, witll tho equ:\lity of sovcreirrus and with a larrre and uuclelincd rescrVt\tiou 0 ' 0 of independent powers. lly the most solemn n.cts of ~las· sachusctts and of other States, the sovcreigllty of c~\Cit State iu tlle Union has b een affi.nned. Onr political and judicial history is full of documents supporting the sa.me doctrine, associated with the fuudttmcn t u.l priuciplo that the Constitution is a colll~)act.. Tho rigllt to uis::iol V0 tllc com· • nOEBUCK. 73 prJ,ct, inherent in the Stil.tes "·as not surrendered in the Constitution. On the contrary, it was reserved by Virginia in her ordinance to ratify the Federal compact. "If we nscencl above Constituti ons rmcl historical documents to the sources of nntnrn.l n.n cl eterun1 justice, a nn.tun\. 1, inalienable, iutleftasible right of self-government bHlonp: s to great comi~nmit ies like these uthcrn StatesciYilized, organized communities, capable of fulfilling the clnt.ies of a nn.t ion. This is a right which no constitution or compn.ct ca.n annul, n.tHl no power cn.n Luke away. "ITavinp; the right, Virginia onght to sccetle. The Fe-deral comp:1rt has often been nullit1cc1 or viol at cd by many of the Northern States, wilfully, wantonly, persistently in mntl~rs vitn.lly affecting the out hern States. The power ~Yhich the North has fl.f:qnirctl, a.ncl its p cr:>istencc in wrong, have <lestroyetl a11 h ope of rct1re~s in the Union. 1\oi:my acts of Northern arr~ressiou nrc frrslt h1 yonr recollcrtioo. Each one h n.~ bcc:n met with solemn protest hy the South, nnd every protest has provoked a new outrage. I shall n ot now r ecite the long aucl dreary catalogue of a~grcssion~, for the most recent eveuts demand our exclusivo nttention. History will keep a record of n.ll. " The framers of the Fl!del'il.l Constitution guarded ngainst abnsc of power by the government i.n every way thn.t their wisclom foresaw to be necessary; for they knew that nll goyernments tend to tyrcmny. Tiley protected tho smnll States ng<\inst the ambit ion of the ht.rgor. B ut tho problem of binding two powerful n.ncl unequn.l nations together u nder one government, without p ermitting either to eppress t.he other, w as not prescu t to tltcit· mintls. They <lid not foresee that n. confectern.ry of the mn ·t populous St.a.tes would be formet1 wi thin the Union, constituting a distinct nation, nuimatccl with the u~ual passions of IHtlions, and with animosity ugainst the whole boc.ly of lhe S tates not cmbmcccl in that Confederacy. But this is wbn.t h tts happened. The Uonstit ution, so far from provit1ing secu· rity against oppression in snell a case, ha.s u nin ten tionally fa.cilitu.icd the d esign of the N ortheru Confeueracy to op- 4 |
