友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
九色书籍 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

the writings-5-第57章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




engage; and the sum is less than a twenty…third part of the money

value owned by the men who seem ready to devote the whole。  A debt of

6oo;ooo;ooo now is a less sum per head than was the debt of our

Revolution when we came out of that struggle; and the money value in

the country now bears even a greater proportion to what it was then

than does the population。  Surely each man has as strong a motive now

to preserve our liberties as each had then to establish them。



A right result at this time will be worth more to the world than ten

times the men and ten times the money。  The evidence reaching us from

the country leaves no doubt that the material for the work is

abundant; and that it needs only the hand of legislation to give it

legal sanction; and the hand of the executive to give it practical

shape and efficiency。  One of the greatest perplexities of the

government is to avoid receiving troops faster than it can provide

for them。  In a word; the people will save their government if the

government itself will do its part only indifferently well。



It might seem; at first thought; to be of little difference whether

the present movement at the South be called 〃secession〃 or

〃rebellion。〃 The movers; however; well understand the difference。  At

the beginning they knew they could never raise their treason to any

respectable magnitude by any name which implies violation of law。

They knew their people possessed as much of moral sense; as much of

devotion to law and order; and as much pride in and reverence for the

history and government of their common country as any other civilized

and patriotic people。  They knew they could make no advancement

directly in the teeth of these strong and noble sentiments。

Accordingly; they commenced by an insidious debauching of the public

mind。  They invented an ingenious sophism which; if conceded; was

followed by perfectly logical steps; through all the incidents; to

the complete destruction of the Union。  The sophism itself is that

any State of the Union may consistently with the national

Constitution; and therefore lawfully and peacefully; withdraw from

the Union without the consent of the Union or of any other State。

The little disguise that the supposed right is to be exercised only

for just cause; themselves to be the sole judges of its justice; is

too thin to merit any notice。



With rebellion thus sugar…coated they have been drugging the public

mind of their section for more than thirty years; and until at length

they have brought many good men to a willingness to take up arms

against the government the day after some assemblage of men have

enacted the farcical pretense of taking their State out of the Union;

who could have been brought to no such thing the day before。



This sophism derives much; perhaps the whole; of its currency from

the assumption that there is some omnipotent and sacred supremacy

pertaining to a Stateto each State of our Federal Union。  Our

States have neither more nor less power than that reserved to them in

the Union by the Constitutionno one of them ever having been a

State out of the Union。  The original ones passed into the Union even

before they cast off their British colonial dependence; and the new

ones each came into the Union directly from a condition of

dependence; excepting Texas。  And even Texas in its temporary

independence was never designated a State。  The new ones only took

the designation of States on coming into the Union; while that name

was first adopted for the old ones in and by the Declaration of

Independence。  Therein the 〃United Colonies〃 were declared to be

〃free and independent States〃; but even then the object plainly was

not to declare their independence of one another or of the Union; but

directly the contrary; as their mutual pledge and their mutual action

before; at the time; and afterward; abundantly show。  The express

plighting of faith by each and all of the original thirteen in the

Articles of Confederation; two years later; that the Union shall be

perpetual; is most conclusive。  Having never been States either in

substance or in name outside of the Union; whence this magical

omnipotence of 〃 State rights;〃 asserting a claim of power to

lawfully destroy the Union itself? Much is said about the

〃sovereignty〃 of the States; but the word even is not in the national

Constitution; nor; as is believed; in any of the State constitutions。

What is 〃sovereignty〃 in the political sense of the term? Would it be

far wrong to define it as 〃a political community without a political

superior〃? Tested by this; no one of our States except Texas ever was

a sovereignty。  And even Texas gave up the character on coming into

the Union; by which act she acknowledged the Constitution of the

United States; and the laws and treaties of the United States made in

pursuance of the Constitution; to be for her the supreme law of the

land。  The States have their status in the Union; and they have no

other legal status。  If they break from this; they can only do so

against law and by revolution。  The Union; and not themselves

separately; procured their independence and their liberty。  By

conquest or purchase the Union gave each of them whatever of

independence or liberty it has。  The Union is older than any of the

States; and; in fact; it created them as States。  Originally some

dependent colonies made the Union; and; in turn; the Union threw off

their old dependence for them; and made them States; such as they

are。  Not one of them ever had a State constitution independent of

the Union。  Of course; it is not forgotten that all the new States

framed their constitutions before they entered the Union

nevertheless; dependent upon and preparatory to coming into the

Union。



Unquestionably the States have the powers and rights reserved to them

in and by the national Constitution; but among these surely are not

included all conceivable powers; however mischievous or destructive;

but; at most; such only as were known in the world at the time as

governmental powers; and certainly a power to destroy the government

itself had never been known as a governmental; as a merely

administrative power。  This relative matter of national power and

State rights; as a principle; is no other than the principle of

generality and locality。  Whatever concerns the whole should be

confided to the wholeto the General Government; while whatever

concerns only the State should be left exclusively to the State。

This is all there is of original principle about it。  Whether the

national Constitution in defining boundaries between the two has

applied the principle with exact accuracy; is not to be questioned。

We are all bound by that defining; without question。



What is now combated is the position that secession is consistent

with the Constitutionis lawful and peaceful。  It is not contended

that there is any express law for it; and nothing should ever be

implied as law which leads to unjust or absurd consequences。  The

nation purchased with money the countries out of which several of

these States were formed。  Is it just that they shall go off without

leave and without refunding? The nation paid very large sums (in the

aggregate; I believe; nearly a hundred millions) to relieve Florida

of the aboriginal tribes。  Is it just that she shall now be off

without consent or without making any return? The nation is now in

debt for money applied to the benefit of these so…called seceding

States in common with the rest。  Is it just either that creditors

shall go unpaid or the remaining States pay the whole? A part of the

present national debt was contracted to pay the old debts of Texas。

Is it just that she shall leave and pay no part of this herself?



Again; if one State may secede; so may another; and when all shall

have seceded; none is left to pay the debts。  Is this quite just for

creditors? Did we notify them of this sage view of ours when we

borrowed their money? If we now recognize this doctrine by allowing

the seceders to go in peace; it is difficult to see what we can do if

others choose to go or to extort terms upon which they will promise

to remain。



The seceders insist that our Constitution admits of secession。  They

have assumed to make a national constitution of their own; in which

of necessity they have either discarded or retained the right of

secession as they insist it exists in ours。   If they have discarded

it; they thereby admit that on principle it ought not to be in ours。

If they have retained it; by their own construction of ours; they

show that to be consistent they must secede from one another whenever

they shall find it the easiest way of settling their debts; or

effecting any other selfish or unjust object。  The principle itself

is one of disintegration and upon which no government can possibly

endure。



If all the States save one should assert the power to drive that 
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 1
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!