It was Ephraim and his idol repeated.
The South forced the issue upon the people of the country.

The Southerners marched off under the banner of "States Rights"-- a doctrine they have always championed.

They cared nothing for the Union _then_; they care less for the Union _now_.

The State to them is sovereign; the nation a magnificent combination of nothingness.

The State has in its keeping all option over life, individual rights, and property.