the scope and design of this paper
to discuss the question. Enemies of the United States, foreign and
domestic, will continue to believe, or at least to profess to believe
and try to convince themselves, that the Constitution of 1787, which
superseded the Confederation, contained all the defects of the latter
which it was specially designed to remedy,--that the league of the
preceding period was prolonged in the succeeding organization, only to
be the fatal object of future discontent and ambition. Certainly this
doctrine is the basis of the rebellion, and without it no successful
movement could have been made to secure cooperation from any of the
States. Nevertheless, it cannot be considered one of the impelling
causes which moved the rebellious States to action, for it is not of
itself an active principle. It rather served to smooth the way, by
removing obstacles which opposed the operation of real motives.
Veneration for the work of the fathers of the republic, respect for the
Constitution and love of the Union, as things of infinite value, worthy
to be cherished and defended, stood in the way of the conspiracy which
compassed the destruction of the government. It was necessary to remove
this obstacle, and to eradicate these patriotic sentiments, which had
taken strong hold of the minds and hearts of the people of both
sections. For more than two generations the Union had been held sacred,
beyond all other earthly blessings. It was an object of the first
magnitude to unsettle this long-cherished sentiment.

The conspirators were altogether too shrewd and full of tact to approach
their object directly. They adopted the artifice of arousing and
studiously cultivating another sentiment of equal strength, which should
spring up side by side with their love of the Union, flourish for a time
in friendly cooperation with it, but ultimately supplant and entirely
supersede it. This was the plausible and attractive sentiment of State
pride, concealing in itself the idea of perfect sovereignty, with the
right of nullification and secession. With consummate ability, with
untiring industry and perseverance, and without a moment's cessation for
more than a quarter of a century, this fruitful but pernicious seed of
disorganization was sown broadcast among the Southern people. So long as
there was no occasion to put the theory into practice, there seemed to
be no ground for alarm. The question was one rather of curious subtlety
tha