P .\l'EI:s OF MrnAHl'"\l.i BroN.\l'AHTE L.\)CAR 5, no11e i11 that i11strumcnt to authorise a war upon any of the parties for 11011-obc<licnce, the offensive acts of course become inoperative in the ~tate <leclaring them null & void. But if the Agent, feeling might, and forgctti11g right, shall attempt to enforce her ma11dates by mili- tary coercion, then the State thus menaced must determine for her- i.e~f, whether she will submit to the objectionable acts- mert force with force- or retire peacefully from the Uuion- Such I believe to be, fundmnentally, the doctrins of the party with which I have the honor to act. Now in strong antitheses to all of this, it is contended by the Union Party, that the General Government is not a Confederation or Union of 1-:;tates; but that it is a government of the people iu their aggregate <·apac·ity. They maintai11 that it is not the Agent of independent com- munities, hut the agent of the people en-mass, with full powers to pnnrnc whatever policy or to adopt whate,·er measure may br deemed con<lncin• to the wc>lfarc of a majority of the whole. Thus the Con- stituti011 i~ mac.le sulionlinate to the will of Govemmeut, or in other words, the will or GoYernment becomes the Constitution. If I am wro11g i11 this statement, the error proceeds from the studied mi!.ltifi- catio11 in whi<:11 tht>y c11clearnr to envelop a theory that will not bear the light of Pxarni11atio11. But upon other fundamental point:-: they are suflicieutly l•xpli(:it. f 11 langua:re which admits of no double con- i'tl'llctio11, they han• with becoming candour, acknowledged to the world as the hasis of their (·reed, that II State lrns no right to arrest in hrr limits an unconstitutional law- that she cannot for nny cause what- 1•ve1· !.ll'Ceed from the Union-.- and that ns the Inst and only hope of redress or ,,·ro11gs, she cannot go into H<molulio11, without tlH' gnilt. ancl punishment of lre.fl.-.:on. 'l'hese are the dodrins or the 11H•morablc Procln-ma.tion of the Prrsi- dent. and reiterated aud sustained as their ow11 h_y the Onion Part,,·. lf a State complai11 that certain act~ are unconstitutional, our oppo- 11c11ts reply, that her opinion of the Constitution is not. to he taken against the opinion oJ the Go,·ernment. 'rlnu; is she debarrecl from judging of its infractions. If the :-:ame State complain that her ri!,!hts arc inrndecl and the property of her people jeopnrdied by unjust and :-elfi:-:h legislation, she is told that her only redress, is to snplirate the people who inflict the injury. Thus is she depri\-ed ur II voice in determi11i11:,.r the mode 1111cl mP11sure ot' redress. If after exhau8ting- evcry fom;· of suplication without prol·uring relief, she should deter- mine that a longer continuance in the Union is iucon:;istent with her we] fare and safety, she is promptly admonished. that having- 0111·c 1·ome into the T:11i011, shE> will not he pC'rmittwl to retire from it. Thus is shl· de11ied the right of (:huosi11~ her o\\'11 <.:ovemmc11t. Goncll'tl 011 to cle:-peratio11 b_v insult and injury-stripJwd of her ~overci_gnty, lllltl lc>ft with no sc>1·n1·ity hut that 1rhiC'l1 rnlor eHn snatch from t_yrn1111_v. :-~tpposc fZhc should l'P~oln, upon thC' la:-:t. drt>adful remedy of J:1·1 1 ulu- lio11? :-;he i:-: at 01H·t• met II\° tl11• l:nion Pnrtv with their f1l\'orit<' clcw- tri11 or tn•11so11 a11d rPhl'llicin. If ,·011 nttC'm.pt n•rnlutio11 (say tlwy) l'\'Pry mnn who pro,·c•:-: n!Cl'P1lllt to the> :-itni1• :-:hall rPn•i\'l' thr pro!<•l'ti1111 uf the U0Yernme11t "·hilst e,·rrv Oil(' who rallil•:- iu it:-: dc•fC'11:-:(•. it will 1,e the plli11fnl clui,· of (;owr;·,11w11t to .-xr<'UtP ii:- /r,,it,,rs. · BP;.;i1h•, ( thPy acld) what l·1;11 a ~inglr S111t<' hopl• for, i11 11 rernlutio11ary <·on-
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