——— JR. A TST ET he Talatchman, AR AAAI AAA SANNA AAA AA ANA P. GRAY MEEK, bs IELLEFCRTE, PA. Friday Morning, May 29, 1863. Coercion of States. The rowers delegated to the General Gov- ernment by the States, get forth in that sa- ered and now frequently violated instument,_ the Federal Conatitation seem, to us, to be very imperfectly nnderstood. T he cause of snch a general misapprehension of the prin- ciples of republican government in general, and our own great wise and beneficent feder- sl system in pariicnlar, Is withont a doubt, the false teachings cf those who were, and are, opposed to the application of republi can principles to the government of a people, and the falacions reasoning of men now con- tro'ing the affairs of the States cluiming to le united, and are crushing out the life blood «f the Repablic, by the strong arm of a asurped, tyranical military desspotism. The Constitution, as every man who hag read it and its history knows, 13 &n instru. ment which was framed dy a convention of delegates from the several States. Previ- ous to the framing of the Constitation, it wos plainly scen by the Statesmen of the whols coaniry, and by the intelligent msss- eg geaerally. that under the old Confedera- tion, the grneral Government did not pos- sess powers requisite to enact and enforce Imes, which were greatly needa, and which would be very bendlisial to che people of the several States. But so jealous and con- siderately careful were the three depart. ments of Government—Judicial, Executive and Legislative—of (he rights of the States, and of the people of the States, that they we uid not, in the least jarticulan, exceed or go beyond the powers granted them, by the articles of the old Confedera‘ion, and in sone instances they evin did not make use of puwers which they really possessed, fear- ing that they themselves night be miscon- struing the only authority they had. (What a contrast is seen, when the course of the Fathers of the Republic is compared with the actions of those who now rule but te rainy) “Vhen, however, the Slates became fuily eonvinced thut a change of Govern- ameni, or more properly, the detsils of the gpatem (ney then had, was absolutely neces- sary, they wisely concluded to hold a con- vention, in which each State should be rep- reseuted in its sovereign capacity As A State by a certain number of delegates, oniy to framz & Constitution, for the general govern- ment of the States which would be better adapted to that purpo-e than the old articles of confederation, and which would sezure, (uot grant.) all toe rights of the States and of the peoj le of the several States. Accor- dinglythe Btatesselected their bestandwisest men to represent them, in their individual eapacity as States, in the Convention, The delegates met and framed that great instru. ment, called the Constitution of the United sates, which was once so much revered and fo 2igidly adhered to and ebserved — Bat the Constitution thus framed had no vi- tality, was of no force or cffect, possessed no authority of law, was, in fact, a mere nullity, until 1t was adopted by nine States as STATES, not the people collectively of the United States, Lu! by the authority of the Sates. 1t was made the ru/e by wich we, in certain specified respects, which are plainly expressed in the Constitution itself, were to be governed. It is plainly evident, we think, to any reasoning man, that the framers of the Constitution had no intention, whatever, of making one which even looked towards a Centrahzed Goverument. Cen- tralizalion was the great coil which they wirhed to, and did avoid : nor is there a sin- gle cxpression in the Constitution which even intimates that any powers were intead- ed to be given to the general Government which was not thercin exoressed. Now are there any powers given to the general Gov- ernment by the Constitution to coerce Sov- creign States 7 Tt cannot Le found in Art. 1. See. 8., where the powers granted to Con- gress are enumerated, it cannot be found in those portions of the Constitution giving the Executiiv, Judicial and Legislative de- pertments certain powers: nor can it be found in any place. No such thing as the Coercion of a State vas ever thought of when the Constitution was (reamed and adop- red. A man who would, at that time, have alvocated such a doctrine, would have sub- jected himself to ridecule and been called & Monarehist at once, But let us examme the suljoct a little farther. The General Government must be but a creaturc of tbe States, since from them 1t derived al its authority. ‘They relinquish- ed or delegated to it certain powers which are laid down in the Constitution, and all powers not therein expressed or necessarily implied are re