Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-03-03
Letters from Center Township.

Editors of Journal
Although there are few men, if any,
in the Union who hold in higher estima-
tion and admiration the character and
usefulness of Andrew johnson of Ten
nessee than | do, yet / cannot agree
with him in his strongly expressed views
on the reconstruction of Southern States.
| think, upon close examination of the
subject, it will be evident to most per-
sons, that it is not certain tracts of lands
and their boundaries alone that consti-
tute States; if so, all our described and
bounded Territories, from here to the
Pacific, would be so many States. But
such is not the case. 1t is the citizens
the patriotic population required to
form a State government-tha form,
constitute, and establish a State. Gov.
Johnson's own position in Office reasons
virtually but forcibly against his ex-
pressed opinions He did hot obtain
his office through State Rights (for not
one of those seeded States is now a
body polite" within itself, except in
the Southern Confederacy), neither did
he obtain it by election, or by virtue OF
any organic State law All ties that
bound them to the Union, and all modes
and forms Of State government, were
entirely dissolved and cancelled by and
through the rebellion. All States and
parts Of States, South, which may here
afte4sge reorganized or reconstructed by
the Government, must be organized un-
der territorial form of government,
and must take the same routine to get
back into the Union that our new Terri
tories now have to take before they get
admission into it
When the seeded States (now Terri
tories) apply for admission, they must
| come with State constitution exclud-
ing slavery for all time to come, also
with their representation of Senators
and Congressman. Where could they
obtain all these except by previous
territorial government, and by having q
full quota, at the time of admission, ot
loyal Union population, required by our
present national laws?
There is now no such thing as the State
of South Carolina, Georgia, or Alabama
the opinion of Governor Johnson to the
contrary Notwithstanding. There are
their lands and their boundaries as ever;
but the very moment the citizens o
either of those States rebelled, by Sc
ceding from the Union, they violated
their compact with the Government, and
it reverted back as United States terrific.
ry The different States, (or those that
were formerly States are invited, if
/ mistake not, so soon as there are one
/ tenth of the Union votes that were giver
in 1860, to adopt some system of Govern
ment under Government protection ant
assisted by Government officers; bu
what will this be else than Territoria
form of government, for they could no
be admitted into the Union with ever
the population required by law, withou
first holding a convention and framing
ne'c Constitution excluding slavery.
Governor Johnson is now, by virtue o
his appointment by the Government, {
Territorial Governor, and Congress-
may or may not, at discretion, Civ,
those Territories the same names ant
boundaries by which they were designa
ted when they were States. We hav,
now Vest Virginid, for instance, whiel
was reconstructed not only with an en-
tire new Constitution, but with a change
of name and boundaries even. Treason
and rebellion works forfeiture of State
and State rights and everything else, a
well as forfeiture of property. All grants
and gifts, and pardon also, to traitors
are free gifts, for by their own acts thel
cancel every obligation. Congress mus
have taken a similar view of it and con
sidered Virginia reverted territory; 9th
erwise they could not, according to tn
Constitution, have divided it. See Is
clause of Section Sd Art. 4th of tn
Constitution. A Territory may form
convention, frame a Constitution, elec
its Senators and Congressman, and be
State in prospect, but it is never Stat
in reality until the moment
gains admission into the Union
and whenever its citizens seced
from the Union it becomes Territor
again, and its relative position with tn
Government would be the same as befor
its admissions. otherwise, it would e,
hibit the novel spectacle of an indepent
ent State which had thrown off its n,
tionality.
As part Of the. original States wei
admitted into the Union with SLAYER
by the trainers of the Constitution, sue
of those States as seeded Cancelled thi
compact, and virtually blotted it out 70
ever; but such States as did not secet
are entitled, in good faith, to the fulfil
. ment of that covenant, the same 1
, though the other States had remained
the Union. All States, the citizens
which have seeded, should, by unar
nous resolution of Congress, be declare
United States Territory, to be receiv,
into the Union on the same terms as ne
(free) States 1t is not difficult to di
= cover that all those who have seced,
and formed new Government, have Sc
cred all the ties that bound them to t
Union, or the Union to them, the san
:. as though they had never formed a pa
IT of it. Z.
CENTRE TOWNSHIP, Feb. 81, 1864.
!. EB At q Democratic caucus at Ha