“Does that mean,” said Harry, “that if a state wants to go out of the Union she has a perfect right to do so, and there's no power or right in the general government to stop her?”
“Yes, that's what it means,” was the reply. “The states-rights argument is that the states that were dissatisfied with the election of President Lincoln had a perfect right to secede or step out of the Union, and the Union had no right to force them to stay in or come back.”
“Thank you,” said Harry; “I think I understand it now. And how is it with the border states, like Missouri, and the state sovereignty they 're talking about?”
“The states-rights men in Missouri claim that the national government has no right or authority to call for troops from Missouri to aid in putting down rebellion in the seceded states; that Governor Jackson did right in refusing such troops when the president called for them; that the national government has no right to enlist troops in Missouri to take part in the war, and that it must not be permitted to march its troops into or across or through any part of the state in order to reach the states in rebellion against the national authority.”
“In other words,” said one of the boys, “they want the state of Missouri to be entirely neutral in the war—to take no part in it either way?”
“That 's what they say,” replied the printer, with a smile.
“But look here,” exclaimed Harry; “have n't I read that the secessionists in Missouri seized the United States arsenal at Liberty, in the western part of the state, and took possession of all the cannon, small-arms and ammunition they found there?”
“Yes.”
“And have n't I read about how they planned to capture the St. Louis arsenal, and Jeff Davis sent them some artillery and ammunition for that purpose, and wrote them a letter saying exactly what the cannon were to be used for, and how they were to be placed on the hills behind the arsenal in order to batter down the walls?”
“Yes, you read that, and it's all true.”