The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-08-19
EXECUTIVE MANsroy.(
WaahinOtOn. March IL 1884

Z
Until further orders, yor are hereby invested
with the powers exerclsed hitherto BY the Mil
:" Yours, 80 ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
This Michael Hahn is no officer of the
United States; the President, without
law, without the advice and consent of
the Senate, by private note not even
countersigned by the Secretary Of State,
makes him Dictator of Louisiana.
The bill provided for the civil admins
tration of the laws of the State till it should
be in fit temper to govern itself, repeal
ing all laws recognizing slavery, and max
ing all men equal before the law. OH 81,
These benifcent provisions the Presi-
dent has annulled. People will die, and
marry and transfer property, and buy and
sell, and to these acts of civil life courts
and officers Of the law are necessary
things and the President deprives them
of the protection of the law, g'6, elg IL g..
The Presidents purpose to instruct his
military governors 6 to proceed according
to the bill "a makeshift to calm the dis
appointment its defeat has occasioned-
is not merely q grave usurpation, but q
transparent delusion.oaa .iJiY .7,i,nsf7rs
;. He cannet proceed according to the
bill after preventing it from becoming a
law. ,...-, '.,,, -I-,., .I,,..-... ..,...
n Whatever is done will be at his will and
pleasure, by persons responsible to no law,
and more interested to secure the interests
and execute the will of the President than
of the people; and the will Of Congress is
to be "held for naught, "''unless the loyal
people Of the rebel States choose to adopt
it, afa@1 ST I.F =" .o.'e.. t4 .s5~st -
If they should graciously prefer the
stringent bill to the easy proclamation,
still the registration will be made under no
legal sanction; it will give no assurance
that majority Of the people of the States
have taken the oath; if administered, it
will be without legal authority, and void;
no indictment will lie for false swearing at
the election, or for admitting bad or re-
jecting good votes; it will be the farce of
Louisiana and Arkansas acted over again;
under the forms of this bill, but not By
authority of law.
But when we come to the guarantees
Of future peace, which Congress meant to
enact, the forms, as well as the substance
of the bill, must yield to the Presidents
will that none should be imposed.
It was the solemn resolve of Congress
to protect the loyal men of the nation
against three great dangers, % the return
to power of the guilty leaders of the re-
belli0n, (2) the continuance of slavery,
and 60 the burden of the rebel debt.
Congress required assent to those pro-
visions by the Convention of the State;
and if refused, it was to be dissolved
The President "holds for naught - that
resolve of Congress. because he is unwill-
ing s'tO be infexibly committed to any one
plan of restoration, and the people of the
United States are not to be allowed to pro-
tect themselves unless their enemies agree
TO it. f"' d.
The order to proceed according to the
bill is therefore merely at the will of the
rebel States; and they have the option to
reject it; accept the proclamation on the
9Th of December, and demand the Presi-
dents recognition.
Mark the contrast. The bill requires
majority, the proclamation is satisfied with
one-tenth; the bill requires one oath the
proclamation another; the bill ascertains
voters by registering, the proclamation by
guess; the bill exacts adherence to exist
ing territorial limits, the proclamation ad-
mits ofothers; the bill governs the rebel
States by law, equalizing all before it, the
proclamation commits them to the lawless
discretion Of military governors and pro-
vost marshals; the bill forbids electors for
President, the proclamation and defeat of
the bill threatens US with civil war for the
admission or exclusion of such votes; the
bill exacted exclusion of dangerous enc.
mics from power and the relief of the ma
ton from the rebel debt and the prohibi-
ton of slavery forever, so that the sup
preston of the rebellion will double our
resources to bear or pay the national
debt, free the masses from the old dOmin-
alton of the rebel leaders, and eradicate
the cause OF the war the proclamation Sc
cures neither of these guarantees.
1t is silent respecting the rebel debt and
the political exclusion of the rebel leaders;
leaving slavery exactly where it was at
the outbeak of the rebellion, and adds no
guaranty even to the freedom of the slaves
he undertook to manumit.
1t is summed up in an illegal oath, with
out sanction, and therefore void.
The oath is to support all proclamatiOns
of the President, during the rebellion,
having reference to slaves
Any government is to be accepted at
the hands of one-tenth of the people not
contravening that oath.
Now that oath neither secures the aboli-
ton of slavery nor adds any security to
the freedom of the slaves the President
declared free. 'a
1t does not secure the abolition of
slavery; for the proclamation of freedom
merely protested to free certain slaves,
while it recognized the institution.
Every constitution of the rebel States at
the outbreak of the rebellion may be
adopted without the change of letter
for mono of them contravene that procla-
tion-none of them establish slavery.
1t adds no security to the freedom of the
slaves.
For their title is the proclamation of
freedom.
If it be unconstitutional, an oath to sup
port, it is void. Whether constitutional
or not, the oath is without authority Of
law, and therefore void.
Tf;t ho ,,o1;J and ohcorva1 - avaofs M