The Placer herald., 1864-09-24


the Secretary Of State makes him dictator
of Louisiana.
The bill provided for the civil administra,
ton Of the laws of the State-tll it should
be in fit temper to govern iself-repeallng
all laws recognizing slavery, and making all
men equal before the law.
These benitcent provisions the President
has annulled. People will die, and marry
and transfer property, and buy and sell
and to those acts of civil life, courts and
officers of the law are necessary. Congress
Iegislated for necessary things, and the Pre-
sdent deprves them Of the protection of
the law.
The Presidents purpose to instruct his
Military Governors "to proceed according
to the bill"-a makeshift to calm the disap
pointment its defeat has occasioned-is not
merely grave usurpation but transparent
deuson.
lie cannot proceed according to the bilf'
after preventing it from becoming a law.
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
to be "held for naught," "unless the loyal
it,"
If they should gracously prefer the strin-
gent 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 indct.
nent will lie for false swearing at election,
or for admitting bad or rejecting good votes;
it will he the farce of Louisiana and Arkan'
sas 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
bll, must yield to the Presidents will that
none should be imposed.
1t was the solemn resolve of Congress to
protect the loyal men of the nation against
three great dangers, (D the return to power
of the guilty leaders of the rebellion, (2) the
continuance of slavery, and (3) the burden
of the rebel debt
Congress required assent to those provi-
sions by the Convention Of the States; and
if refused it was to be dissolved
The President "holds for naught" that re-
solve Of Congress, because he Is unwilling
"to be infexibIy committed to any one plan
of restoration" and the people of the Unit
ed States are not to be allowed to protect |
themselves unless their enemies agree to it. |
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 il, accept the proclamation of the 9Th
of December, and demand the Presidents
recognition.
Mark the contrast! The bill! requires a
majority, the proclamation is satisfied with
one-tentb; the bin requires one oath, the
proclamation, another; the bill ascertains
voters by registering, the proclamation by
guess; the bill exacts adherence to existing
territorial limits, the proclamation admits of
Others; the bill governs the rebel States By
lar, equaIizng all before it, the proclama-
ton commits them to the lawless discretion
of military Governors aad provost marshals;
the bill torbids electors for President, the
proclamation and defeat of the till threaten
us with civil war for the admission or ex
cuson of such votes; the bill exacted eXcu
sion of dangerous enemies from power and
the relief Of the nation from the rebel debt,
and the prohibition Of slavery forever, so
that the suppression of the rebellion will
double our resources to bear or pay the
national debt, free the masses from the old
domination of the rebel leaders, and eradicate
the cause of the wa,; the proclamation secures
neither of these guarantees.
1t is silent respecting the rebel debt and
the political exclusion of rebel leaders, leav-
inc slavery exactly where it was by law at
the outbreak Of the rebellion, and adds no
praranty even of the freedom of the slaves
he Undertook to manumt.
It is summed up in an Illegal oath, with
out sanction and therefore void.
The oath is to support all proclama'ions 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 con-
tlavening that oath.
Now that oath neither secures the aboi'
ton Of slavery nor adds security to the free
dom of the slaves the President declared
free.
1t does not secure the abolltloh OF slavery
for the proclamation Of freedom merely pro.
fessed to free certain slaves while it recog.
nized the institution.
Every Constitution of the rebel States at
the outbreak of the rebellion may be adopt
ed without the change of a letter; for none
Of them contravene that proclamion; none
of them establish slavery.
1t ADDS no security to the freedom of the
slaves.
For their title is the proclamation OF free
dom.
If it be unconstitutional, an oath to SUPP
port it is void. Whether constitutional or
not, the oath is without authority of law, and
therefore void.
If it be valid and observed, it exacts no
enactment by the State, either in law or
constitution, to add "A State guaranty to the