s," said I, "Rhode Island and North Carolina refused for a time
to enter into the agreement."

"And suppose they had refused finally. Would, the other States have
compelled them to come in?" he asked.

"I cannot say as to that," said I.

"Do you think they would have had the moral right to coerce them?"

"The question is too hard for me to answer, Doctor; I cannot very well
see what ought to have been done."

"The two States would have had some rights?"

"Certainly."

"What rights would the United States have had over the two States?"

"I do not think the Federal government would have had any; but the
people would have had some claim--what, I cannot say. I do not think
that Rhode Island had the moral right to endanger the new republic by
refusing to enter it. But there may have been something peculiar in
Rhode Island's situation; I do not remember. I should say that the
question should have been settled by compromise. Rhode Island's
objections should have been considered and removed. A forced agreement
would be no agreement."

"When the States formed the government, did they surrender all their
rights?"

"I think not."

"What rights did they retain?"

"They retained everything they did not surrender."

"Well, then, what did they surrender? Did they become provinces? Did
they surrender the right of resistance to usurpation?"

"I think not."

"Would you think that the States had formed a partnership for the
general good of all?"

"Of course, Doctor; but I am not quite sure that the word 'partnership'
is the correct term."

"Shall we call it a league? A compact? A federation? A confederacy?"

"I should prefer the word 'union' to any of those," I said. "The title
of the republic means a union."

"What is the difference between a union and a confederacy?"

"I don't know that there is any great difference; but the word 'union'
seems to me to imply greater permanence."

"You think, then, that the United States must exist always?"

"I think that our fathers believed that they were acting for all
time--so far as they could," said I; "but, of course, there were
differences, even among the framers of the constitution."

"Suppose that at some time a State or several States should believe that
their interests were being destroyed and that injustice was being done."

"The several branches of government should prevent that," said I.

"But suppose they knew that all the branches of the government were
u