The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1864-04-13

tcipatcd all this, they would doubtless have mate
rally changed their progrmnnc, aud every vacant
| chair in Congress would have been lllcd frurn the
outbreak Of the rebellion to this hour with tbe
open or secret ouemies oC the Government all Ia
| boring for It's destruction, N
Mr. Speaker, Know, aud alas, we all know tob
well, that Southern statesmen, for the pas thirty
| years have mad good reason to be familiar with ths
stupidity Of Northern Representatives in Congress-,
| but, sir venture the assertion that no Southern
man, in the maddcst hour Of his passionate con,
tempt for the North, ever conceived that Nortbe,,
mon would be guilty or the stupidity OF claiming
| n-uay, that south Carolina or any ether rebel
stare mas a state Goyernmcnt In existence, which
entities It, under the National Constitution "a oyer
| else part ef the governing power of this nation.
Gtntlemen may insist as long and pcrtnacioRsly al
they please, that states not dissolve their po-
| ical rlatiunS 90 the National Government and thaL
when they are once States they are always States
| The Nct that states, with the approval of maior-
| ity OF their citizens, have abolished their State
Constitutions, rcnouuccd their allegiance In tho
| National Constitution, and made war upon tho Ma
tlonal Government to destroy IT, Is as notorious as
the tacthat our armies engaged in putting down
the rebellion. hold that no act of rebellion and
leVymg war ON the part Of the constituted autlori.
ties OF State, and no ordnance of secession pass
cd by State Legislature, or convention IN any
state, with the approval Of every eootor in t. can
legally or constitutionally affect the rghtful inris
dictun OF the National Government over the neono
and territory Of sHoh State, but such ordinances
OF Secession and acts Of rebellion, and leyvnu war
ON the part vt the constituted authorities OF said
state, sustained by majority OF its citizens, Do
shoys, as matter OF fact the political oruaniza-
! ton, known and recognized rs State by tho Ma
uonal Constitution; and no State thus in rebellion
can maintain constitutional relations To the General
uovernment until u is rcorganiztd by tho loyal
pcoplc, SUBJECT tn aud In conformity with the Con.
sttution and Laws of the United States lleForo
they are thus roorganfod and until Congress rccog
nizes thcm as States, aud admit their Scnntors nnd
5 hIpye5s'nIaiyes' NJ The governing power hcre,aloro
lodged IN them as political organizations having,
ny their acts OF treason and rebellion lapsed, re-
MAINS IN The people Of the States WhichArc nithnul
| to tho National Constitution
nhSn hrSt advanced this theory IN 1891, and
again by The bl inTpduced by me in March, 1892
prolsssedly loyal editors were not wanting in my
own STATE, who wero SO parrow-v -visioned m TO
charge me with lndorsug the doctrine Of secession
mitted two reports to this House. at the first regular
session ol tue last Congress-, making substaniaIls
tho same charge. 1t might he both amusing and
instructive at this time tojreyiow those reports,
ulu tuno permit. ASK gentlenen, IL thepe can bS
any greater contrast between the doctrine Of seccss
sion and that which then claimed and now claim
as rightlully belonging to the supreme sovereign
power OF the nation, | held then and hold now.
that the HoVernment of the United States, has tho
constitutional right to maintain its authority oyer
every state, in defiance OF State secession and
State rebellion. Tho object of the bin introduced
oy me- more than two years ago, was 10 aid in en-
forcing this right. That Ia che object of the hill
now before u.s. Gentlemen who can discover in
tins recognition of tho right of secession are evil
IDENTIFY remarkable logicans and should he known
NJ once To the great masters, in order that their
not born to die" wv "~'T
The leading ideas embodied in the bill rrported
by me from the Committee on Territories. In tho
Inst Congress, aud nt which many gentlemen on
the other side rroicsscd to he 50 greatly shocked
have all been adopted. as they know MS pnrt of
the policy of tho Government. Even the liberation
OF millions of slaves by proclamation has becn acs
! comphshcd, and many of these liberated slaves
"A AMI tiN,,y Nf tl,.,..
given to them for homcstealls in accordance with
tion "sl lives" 'FS -"
Tho National Government not only lives nm I,
Is powerful enough to put down the rebellion, and
these rebel State governments. Having done this
II VIII Doubtless fad constitutional power 10 oto
scribe such conditions as shall keep them down
cltlhcn and evory foot Of the national territory
until such time as the loyal citizeus of enoh Stats
shlll reconstruct new State governments, with re.
publican constitutions and they shall haze heen
recognized by Congress. I. -
might iortity my position still further if it were
necessary, by showing that both the Executive and
Legislative branches of the Government have. by
er repeated nets, recognized the ihpt that lhe old
Constitutional State Governments yyer, dcsfrnv,ds
or had been abolished in all the so.cnlled sectdeE
states. There are many clover theories ON ,hjs
subject one is that these State Constitutions and
governments still exist, Notwithstanding they have
been abolished by the actions of their citizens and
the new State Governments are al var with thc
National Government This legal crotohet nossess-
es the minds of some gentlemen who nsist thnt
the old Constitutions and Governments still ycmaiu
because the action uf the majority IL llepal and
therefore null and void. To this iuterpose the
stern fact that majority of te legal elec,6rs have
abolished their State Governments and thar iheCe
arc no Goyernols, Judges or Legislators recognized
by the National Constitution in those States that,
therefore, those States, MS political ORGANIZATIONS
are dead. Gtutlcmcn may parade before us tho
EhoS'S OF thcSo dead States, and call them living
ana palpable but they are no more States, with con-
StithtlonS and laws, which can be recognized bv
Congress- than the artificial ghosts which ara used
to Illustrate the drama, the ghosts of dcpartcd
saints or sinners. The State organization, with lis
Governors, Judges and Legislators, and its written
Constitution. Is gone. lhiloSnphicaliy snehkinp
perhaps, as Mr.. Brownson suggested in the january
number of his Quarterly there must be, with every
people sufficiently numerous and ncllis ent to MAIN
eaIn republican HoHernment, an unwritten, be-
icfe therc can he written Constitutions and In this
sense Constitution may be hid to exist in every
state, But all the rebel States haze written Con,
sttullcns. They may not faithfully reflect the
H,Wru'en constitution OF the people Of the rebel
StAles. We shall see how that is when they co,,c
70 act under the provisions of this b in rsurgan-
izing their State Governments, and making another
written Constitution, II the action of Tie consti-
tutcd authorities Sf the rcbcl Satcs sustained by
q majority Ol their electors, ia ahoighing their
state Constitutions and GovtrnnieDts, has not
changed the legal relations Of these States to tho
United States, then the National Government has
So '"uNt VI collnldint against these STATES.
The I'ct is, however despite all theories that tho
constitutional relations Of these States to the Ma
uondl Goyernm Mt arc changed, aud there Is not
day passes in which this stern fact is not in sopse
way acknowledged by every Department and oi6
Ger of the QoYerBmeGt. .l %
need rot elaborate Che NTH proposition. Il
VIII not be denied that the majority or the legal
electors OF State may refuse To maintain State
d"vcInmenf, ahd they may refuse to send Senators
ohl Representatives to Congress, apd aay pro-
hlbh the minority from exercising the functions of
a state Goyernment, by abulishng The State Con-
sptption; by refusing themselves ta eStab-
llsl, ~ to permit Gthors 10 establish an
other in its stead. The Government OF tho
United States can not compel the people of State
against 'helr wishes To mafptAin aud periol4l tue
| functions 0i State Government nader tho Con-
| sutulion' They can not coAlpe the people of a
state 10 send Scnaters and Representative to tho
Natlosal Congress, and the n,ly alternative left to
| ne uovcrnGlegt Of the United Stated, when State
| CONSTITUTIONS are abolished, or the peane refuse
60 maintain State Goverpment subject TO the Com
stituuon and laws Of tn United States Is Tor Com
gress representing the supreme sovegesrnfy Of the
nahnn, To- provide by law Cor the p.oiectit sof tbs
lwes and properly Of IFS citizens, aud fcr govcIn-
l ihg The t9rtgy forfnrTly within the local jnris-
dichol o ihe state, until such time as a Constitl-
/ tiunal state uovcrpmeut can be formed and recog-
nized by Congress And here. sir dismiss tlis
| part of my suliceE .fr
Mr. Speaker, do nrt claim lint this lIill is per-
! feet. Under the circumstances. hcNevcr be
] lleye u IS the best we can get. do bot think h
safe beyond question, 10 authorize the organization
| OF State governments, whom only one-tt Of tho
electors arc loval 10 the United St,ries. admit
that this provision was in the hin, Introduced by