Perhaps others may manage better and cheaper from taking note of my
experience.
THE CONFEDERATION AND THE NATION.
When the States which are now in war against the Government, declared
themselves no longer bound by the Constitution, and no longer parts of
the nation, they rested their action, so far as they deigned to account
for it, on the ground that the United States were nothing more than a
confederation, constituted such by a mere compact, which could be broken
when the interests or the whim of any party so dictated. The loyal
States, on the other hand, straightway took up arms in defence of the
integrity of the nation, constituted such by organic law, which is
supreme forever throughout the length and breadth of the land. Now,
while there are in our midst men base enough to endeavor to seduce the
unthinking portion of our community to the idea that the traitors are
entitled to those rights, and to be treated in that way conceded only by
one nation to another, it may be well to consider, in the light of our
own history, the argument as to the nature of our Government; for it is
only by granting the correctness of the view advanced by the rebels,
that we can for one moment entertain any proposition for compromise, or
any of those vague but pernicious ideas brought forward by Peace
Democrats looking to a disgraceful settlement of this war. With this
purpose in view, we propose to briefly examine the main points in the
Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, and by thus comparing
the frameworks of the two governments, to show the definite and
irreconcilable difference which exists between them.
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