The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-09-16

tween sunset and sunrise teaching slave 70 '
read and write, or giving or selling them books
or stationery keeping "a clerk who Is ]
slave" employing slaves to set types r
crimes punishable yariopsly by fines, imPrison-
ment, and whippings.
6. The universal liceatiOusness of slavery viii
continue to be legazed We viii state only one
fact There is no legal marriage among slaves;
and in all the Slave States, under their laws,
female slave however white. well educated, or
virtuous, may be violated in her person, by the
viest white man, to any extent at any time, in
any place, either alone or before hundred wit
nesses, and there is no law TO which she can ap
peal for the slightest protection or redress. Be
fore the Proclamation, almost 100000 Of fe
males we're kept in this condition 1t is part
Of the - sgsten," which our Southern breth-
ren" love SO well.
Thus, under this State Rights plan OF Recon
struction, all the disturbing, blasting and dead.
ening Influences of slavery will be continued I'M
changed, curse to future ages.
We will now turn to the opposite view Of Re
construction, which, as yet, has received no
name but which We shall call
THE TERRITORIAL VIEW.
We shall merely state our Own understanding
of the argument, and shall, therefore, commit
no one else. IL may be summed up in two pro-
positions:
l. All the seeding States, before their seces-
sion, had Constitutional rights as States.
2. These rights we're all forfeited by their
secession from the Union, and when conquered
by our arms, the people Of those States will have
no more rights Of selfgovernment than any
other conquered people: but may be divided up,
organized anew, governed as Territories, dis
posed OF any way the General Government may
see fit, provided it be not Inconsistent with the
usages Of civilized nations.
That the nine entire States named in the Proc
lamation which have arhoiiy revolted, have for
feted all their rights States, is evident from
considering the nature Of the action they have
taken in changing their governments
l. Their action has not been that Of a mob
Of rude, tumutuous, dsorderly multitude.
Their action regular, orderly, systematic.
2 Their action was not the sudden uprising Of
part of nation under some great oppression
or excitement, like that Of the Poles against
Russia. 1t was premediated, and prepared for
10 advance.
8. Their action was not a mere resurrection
against some one law, without any intention to-
overthrow the sovereign power Of the nation.
Independence Of the national Government was
the avowed object from the beginning.
T. Their action was a rebellion, inasmuch as
it was an attempt to overthrow their lawful gov
eminent.
5. Their action was not only a rebellion it
Was more il was a rebellion completed; it was
a full, perfect absolute revolution it was an
entire change IN the constitution Of government
.. Each State not only changed its own gov
ernment, but became a component part Of a for
eign nation.
7. The revolutionary State governments have
not only been established, but have been main
taired and defended successfully for more than
two years.
s. These States hare done all they possibly
could hare done to withdraw their allegiance
from the Union, and establish new governments
OF their own. And they have succeeded. The
revolution is as perfect in these States after it
has been maintained two years. as it would be
after twenty years. Our refusal to acknowledge
their independence does not alter the fact itself
The American people we're rs much a nation in
1878, as they were in 1888 The acknow ledg-
ment of their Independence by George the Third
was an acknowledgment Of a fact which had ex-
/ ..~1a
our existence as a nation, not from 1888, but
from l776.
Thus, these States having done all they posi-.
bly could to forfeit their rights under the Con
stitutOn, shall still insist that they have not
done it, and that these rights are absolutely inal
ienable'
We may also look at the action of these States
from little different point OF view. The Sc
cedng States said among themselves, Eve live
under an i'll conceived, Anticipated Constitution,
which our fathers made and left us, and which
we utterly despse. There is, indeed provis-
ion in il by which it may be peaceaby amended
TO any extent. But we despise it so much that
we scOIn even to propose an amendment Now
we will take our swords, and hew it to pieces"
So, after three years fighting, they fnd the old
Constitution still over them, powerful and glO-
riOus, and themselves prisoners, wounded, dis
armed, bound, and liable to punishment as
traitors under that very Constitution they had
tried to destroy, when all at once they exclaim
"NOw stop We demand our rights as States
under the Constitution We tried TO destroy it,
but We could not and as our rebellion did not
succeed, therefore nothing is changed, altered,
or modified If We could have destroyed the
Constitution, We would have asked nothing from
il; but seeing We failed, and have thereby be-
come liable as criminals, We nor demand our
eqsAl rights as States. Unbind US, give us our
swords again, and treat US as your equals, as the
Constitution requires"
Shall they be allowed to appeal from the Con
stituton to the sword, and when that fails, and
justice is about TO be measured TO them for the
crime, to appeal BACK AsAIS from the sword to
the Constitution? No. They have appealed to
Cesar; let them abide by Cesars sentence.
But while the rebel States have forfeited
their rights, it does not follow that they should
be treated by the loyal States with unneces-
ssry severity. Not at all. But the loyal States,
| having been deeply injured by the rebellion,