curity of their liberties, and their mutual and
general welfare, binding themselves to assist
each other against all force offered to, or at-
tacks made upon them, or any of them, on
account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or
any other pretence whatever."
With whom and by whom is this compact
made? It was made ''between the States of
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island
and Providence Plantations, Connecticut,
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Dela-
ware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, and Georgia." They came
together as separate and independent colo-
nies, fur the mutual defence and protection of
the whole. Is there anything to change their
relation? Was there any change effected in
the organic laws of those States? I should
like to have gentlemen, with all their inge-
nuity, show where the relation of the States
towards the General Government ever under-
went any change up to the formation of the
Constitution in 1787.
Then what change took place? The change
that took place in 1787, was simply that they
had gained their independence, and they
wanted to establish a government upon a
firm basis, carrying out the original pur-
poses and those purposes only, for which
the articles of confederation were originally
formed.
Did the gentlemen ever refer to the treaty
between Great Britain and the States now
forming the United States at the close of the
Revolutionary war? That very treaty is not
a treaty with the United States, it is a treaty
with the States of New Hampshire, Massachu-
setts, &c., just as they are enumerated here.
The independence of what was declared by
that? The independence of those separate
States as States, and in no wise as a whole,
because they are particularly named in the
treaty between Great Britain and the States
at that time. Then where does the precedent
come from ?
What is the necessity for this change?
The gentleman has said that it is necessary,
at this time, that we should give more power
to the Federal Government. Have not they
power enough? Have not they spent more
money since the commencement of this war
than ever was spent before, all together, since
the formation of the government? I have
no doubt that this debt will rest upon the
people of the United States for all time to
come; like the debt of England, it never will
be paid. I have been trying to estimate it.
Taking the whole non-slaveholding States,
(leaving out the bonder States, because they
are unable to pay because of the ravages of
war, and can scarcely prodoce enough to feed
their people,) taking the income of every
abolition State of this Union, at the end of
the next fiscal year the debt will be so great
that the income of every man in every one of
these States will not pay the interest on the |
debt. This is the calculation of Mr. Voorhees,
and he shows it by figures. Is not that a most
melancholy fact?
Gentlemen talk about leaving the country,
if this rebellion is not suppressed. I will
not say of them as wag said of Swartwout
when he went to Texas some years ago: that
he left his country for his country's good.
It may be it would have been for their coun-
try's good had they left it years ago. I
might well leave it for my good, rather than
remain to be hardened with such taxation.
The question of paramount allegiance is
the vital question here. To whom do we
owe it? Do we owe it to the State, or do
we owe it to the General Government? At
the time of the formation of the Constitution
and its adoption by the several States, there
were certain powers delegated for the pur-
pose of forming a Federal Government, for
the mutual benefit and protection of all the
States. The Constitution itself sets forth
that no powers, except those expressly given,
are to be exercised by the federal bead. The
10th amendment is;
''The powers not delegated to the United
States by the Constitution, nor prohibited
by it to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively or to the people."
The delegates of these States when they
came together in Convention, found that in
order to have a government on a solid basis,
certain powers must be delegated to the fed-
eral head for specific purposes; and such
powers as were necessary to carry out those
specific objects were delegated by the States
to the federal head All other powers were
expressly reserved to the people of the several
States; and they have up to this time exer-
cised them under all circumstances.
Look at the Constitutions of the various
States. To show you that this is an attempt
at making a change never known before in
the formation of the organic law, there is not
a State in the Union that in the formation of
its organic law does not make provision in
relation to this subject. Massachusetts de-
clares by her Constitution, that
"The people of this commonwealth have
the sole and exclusive right of governing
themselves, as a free, sovereign and indepen-
dent State; and do, and forever hereafter
shall, exercise and enjoy every power, juris-
diction and right, which is not, or may not
hereafter be by them expressly delegated to
the United States of America in Congress
assembled."
She expressly reserves every power not
granted to the federal head, and you will find
it so, I think, in all the Constitutions. But
Massachusetts goes further than that. She
does not require her officers to swear alle-
giance to or to support the Constitution of
the United States. They have made, years
ago, several efforts to secede. Whenever ter-
ritory was to be acquired by the South, they |
