The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-03-21
''I1'1naF|:alI$:: A'r 'I'E MI
LETTER PROV "OCCASfONAE'-JOHNh g. TOR-

From the Philadelphia Press, Marcus
FIIf11Eg:ssi WAsHnHGroN, March.
II gives me great pleasure I to state that
the friends Of the Administration and the
war have at last agreed to such consulta.
tiens among themselves as cannot fail to
end ID cordial union upon the several
questions growing out of the success of our
arms. There lie, . general demand for a
"policy !" but the best policy is a determiA
nation among the men WHO agree upon es.
sentiaIs to sacrifice details and non.essen-
tials. This has been, or will be, attained
by q frank and fearless interchange of
thought and opinion among them. If the
leaders of the Republican party will act up
to the spirit of the New York Evening
Post, as displayed in its article Of the 9Th
instant, against the project of reducing the
conquered rebel States to Territories, and
in favor of the wholesome and impregnable
theory that the State organizations cannot
be obliterated without destroying the Re.
public and sanctifying Secession if they
will do this, there will be little danger, Ell
ther of the restoration of the rebel chiefs to
consequence at home, and less of the tri-
umph of gang of bad men, who yet SYM
pathise with Secession, and strive to hide
it by their professions of Democracy. The
Evening Post is one of the most influential
organs of the Republican party. 1t is
greatly trusted by the Republican leaders {;
and excels not only in the candor of its
views, but in its excellence as medium OF
general information. On the slavery ques-
tion its position is in the advance. Con.
Quoted by original Democrats, who sepa.
rated from the Democracy when it was
evident that the organization had become
the mere instrument and slave of slavery,
the Post still retains many of the opinions
that made the Democracy powerful and
hOnored before it fell into the hands of the
slave Despotism. Among these is strict
construction of the Federal Constitution,
and such regard for State rights as never
to allow the theory of Secession or nullifi.
cation to ignore or dissolve that local sove.
reignty which is the basis of a lasting IN.
ion. The following paragraph is taken
from the article OF the Post, to which /
have referred /: ..t..t ss-....
With this deep sense of the enormity of
treason, however, we cannot yet persuade
ourselves of the justice or policy of the scheme
which proposes to disfranchise the Seeding
States until such time as they shall be of bet
ter mind. 1t proceeds, if we understand it,
upon the ground that those States, by the very
act Of >ecession, have abrogated their func-
tions as States, and reverted to the condition
of Territories, in which condition they are to
be held and treated until again admitted as
States. But that is certainly not the theory on
which we have thus far conducted the war. In
the Presidents proclamation, and in all the
subsequent acts of the Government, Secession
has been regarded as the rebellious outbreak
of unlawful combinations of men, and not as q
deed having The least legal validity or force.
Every act or ordinance of Secession, being in.
consistent with the fundamental law of the
land, is null and void from the first. No. State
convention, no legislative body, no popular
assemblage of any kind has authority to over
throw the general Constitution of the nation.
The relations of the States to each other and
to the Federal Government are created by
that instrument, and until that is destroyed
those relations remain the same, whatever
course any single State may see fit to pursue.
If a State could, by an act of its own annul
its own existence, then the doctrine Of Seces.
sion is right, and We Of the North have been
warning against correct principle.
Although the policy marked out by the
Post will be hotly opposed by some OF its
party friends, am firm in the belief that it
will meet the sanction of decided MAORI.
ty of both branches of Congress.
You will notice that the legislature of
Maryland has passed most stringent trea-
son bill against all the disaffected men in
that State. A similar law will be enacted
in Kentucky. Such remedies will go far to
smooth the way for thorough action on the
part of Congress, and add another reason to
those already existing in favor OF union of
all loyal men. If the Border States strike
their own traitors hard and heavy blows,
there will be little difficulty in persuading
Congress to follow the example.
The Presidents message meets with gen
eral approval. 1t will 60 forth to our own
people, as we'll as to the Old World, as an
authoritative assurance that the A dminis..
tration is not blind to its practical duties on
the subject of slavery.