Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/372

 366 Southern Historical Society Papers.

consent of the governed," and that they, therefore, at all times, must have the right to change and alter their form of government whenever changed circumstances require changed laws.

They now know that the English settlements in America were made in separate communities at different times, by different socie- ties; that they grew and prospered until an attempt was made to deprive them of an infinitely small portion of their property without their consent. The whole tea tax would not have produced ,1,500 less than $7,500. That they resisted this attack on their rights as distinct colonies; that as separate States they made treaties with France and the continental powers in 1778; that their independence as separate States, by name, was acknowledged by Great Britain in 1783; that Maryland fought through that whole war until 1781 as an independent and separate State, and never joined the confederation until the last-named year; that North Carolina and Rhode Island refused to enter the union created by the constitution of 1789, after the dissolution of the confederation, and for two years remained as independent of the States united, and of each other as France and England are to-day; and, therefore, they know that these independ- ent States, when they entered into the compact of the Constitution of 1789, never did (for a State never can, by the very nature of its being, commit suicide), consent and agree forever to give up the right of self-government, and of the people of a State to make gov- ernments to suit themselves.

There can be no such thing as irrepealable laws in free society.

Society is immortal. Its atoms arrange and crystallize themselves from generation to generation, according to their necessities, but society grow and expands, and constant changes are required in its organization.

CANNOT ABANDON THE RIGHT.

Therefore, a State never can abandon its right to change it is the law of nature, which neither compacts nor treaties, constitutions nor congresses can change.

When the Constitution of the United States was formed, the insti- tution of slavery existed in every one of the States, though emanci- pation had begun in New England. Found to be unprofitable as an economical organization, it was rapidly eliminated from the northern society, which was and is based on the idea of profit and loss. In the South it developed and prospered.

It produced an enormous expansion of material and consequently