The Shasta courier., 1863-12-19

/ OF the military situation, and re-eonstrue
ton Of the Union, read in connection with
! the proclamation of the Sth inst, found in
another column of this days paper, he says:
When Congress assembled year ago, the
war had already lasted nearly twenty months
and there had been many conflicts on land
and sea, with yarying results. The rebellion
/ had been pressed back into reduced limits;
yet the tone of public feeling and opinion at
home and abroad was not satisfactory. With
other signs. the popular elections then just
passed indicated uneasiness among ourselves,
while amid much that was cold aud menacing.
the kindest words coming from Europe utter
ed in accents of pity that we were too blind
to surrender. Our commerce was suffering
greatly from few armed vessels built upon,
and furnished from, foreign shores, and we
were threatened with such addition from the
same quarter as would sN eep our trade from
the sea AMI and raise our blockade We had
failed to elicit from European Governments
anything hopeful upon this subject. The
emancipation proclamation which was issued
in September was running its assigned peri
cd to the beginning of the new year. month
later the final proclamation came, including
the announcement that colored men of suita
Bile condition would be received into the army
service. The policy of emancipation and
employing black soldiers gave to the future
a new aspect, about which hope and fear
and doubt contended in uncertain conflict
According to our political system, mat
ter Of civil administration, the General Gov
ernment had no lawful power to effect eman-
cipatiop in any State and for a long time it
had been honed that the rebellion could be
suppressed without resorting to it IS a mill
all la n a 1nf
possible that the necessity for it light come,
and that Il il should, the crisis Of the contest
would then be presented. 1t came, and SIS
was porlende,, it.aas followed by dark and
doubtful davs: Eleven months have passed.
We arc permitted to take another review. The
rebsl borders are pressed still further back,
and by the comps opening of the Ms
sissippi river, the country dominated over by
the rebellion Is divided into distinct parts
with no practicable communication between
them. Tennessee and Arkansas have been
Sc substantially cleared OF the insurgents and
their control and influence that the citizens
in each and the owners Of slaRs >and those
who We're advocates of slaveM he begin
ming of the rebellion now 4 gopenly for
emancipation in their resp4 States. OF
these States not included in Ne Emancipation
Proclamation were Maryland aud Missouri
neither Of which years ago would tolerate any
| restraint upon the extention of slavery into
the new Territories The only dispute now
is as to the best mode of removing it within
ltheir own limits Of those who were slaves
at the beginning of the rebellion fully one
hundred thousand are now in the United
States military service. about one-h half of
which number actually bear arms in the
ranks, thus giving the double advantage of
! l., I.,I,, tba ,tSt
cause and supplying the places which other
wise must be filled by So many white men,
So far as tested, it is difficult to say that
they are not as good soldiers as any. No SER
vile insurrection tendency to violence or
cruelty has marked the measures of eman
cipation and arnling the blacks. These
measures have been much discussed in for
eign countries. and cOtemporaneously with
such diSScusion the tone Of public sentiment
there is rluch improved. At home. the same
meast res have been fully discussed, supper.
ted criticised and denounced, and the annu-
al elections following are highly encouraging
to those whose special duty it is to bear the
country through this great trial. We have
.he reckoning. The crisls which threatened
to divide the friends of the Union is past.
On the subject of the reconstruction of the
Union he says:
Looking now to the present and future,
and with reference to resumption Of the
| NaJiJnal authority within the States where
in that authority has been suspended, | have
thought fit to issue proclamation. 1t will
appear, as is believed, amply justified by the
Constitution. Trln, the form of an oath is
giyeI. but 30 man is coerced to take it. \
MAJ is only promised pardon in case he
voluntarily takes the oath. The Constiru-
ton authorizes the Executive TO grant par
dom on such terms a. are fully established
by the judicial and other aSsAarites. 1t is
also proaered, that if any q ates named
assent, a-Government shall = the mode
prescribed, set up; that yernment
shall be recognized and guaNnTeed by the
United States, and that the States shall un-
der the Constitution. be protected. against
invasion and domestic violence. The con
stitugioual obligations OF the United STATES
to guarantee 20 every State in the Union
republican 70 IN Of government, and 10 pro-
tect the State in the cases stated is explicit
and full But why tender the benefits of this
provision only to q State Government set up
in this particular way. This section Of the
Constitution contempiates 4 case whcrn the
element within State favorable to a. repub-
lcan Government in the Union may be too
feeble for an opposite and hostile element ex-
ternal TO and even within The State and such
are precisely the eases with which we are
now dealing. An attempt to guarantee and
protect a revised State Government. con
structed in whole or in preponderaiing part.
from the very element agaiRst whose hostility
and violence it is to be protected, is simply
absurd. There must be n test by which to
separate opposing elements. as to build
only from. the sound and that test IS suf-
fciently liberal one which accepts as sound
whoever viii make 4 sworn recognition OF
his former unsoundness. But ifit be proper
to require as a test OF admission TO the politi-
cal body an oath of allegiance to the Con-
stitution Of the United States and the laws
under It. Why not also 70 laws and procla-
nations in regard TO siayery2 These laws
and proclamatioas were enacted and put
forth Tor the purpose of aiding the suppress
len Of the rebellion. To give them their full
est effect. there had been pledge for their
maintainance. In my judgement they have
aided, and will further aid. the cause for
t. ! ,rbiab +hav rara rlistn1 tn Give mn thiS