The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-08-17
f6eoocy in Congress to abolish slavery in
6tstea" "A another reason for not signing the

cry in Statcs.
The bill did provide that ali slaves in the
rebel States should be Inanumtted.
But as the President had already signed
three bills manumitting several classes of slaves
!! il Statos, Is 10 net conceived possible that no
entertained any ecruples touching that provision
Of the bill respecting which he 10 silent.
He had already himself assumed right by
proclamation to free much the largcr number
Of slaves in the rebel states, under the authori.
~ given him by Congress to use military power
TO suppress the rebellion; and IL is quite incon-
ceivablc that tho President should think Con
gress could vest in him discretion ii could not
exercise itself. 500
tits the more uuntclligiblc from The fac.
th.t, except in respect to small part of Vir.
- ginia and LOUISIANA, the bill covered only what
tue proclamation covered-a1del Congress
sional title and judicial remedies by law to the
disputed title under the proclamation, and per.
fectcd the work the President prolessed to be
so anxious to accomplish s- .r
Slavery as an Institution can be abolished
only by n change of the constitution OF the
United States, or of the law Of the State; and
this is the principle of the bill.
1t required the new constitution Of the State
to provide for that prohibition, and the Presi.
dent, III the face of his own proclamation. does
not venture to object to insisting on that con.
dition. Nor will the country,tolerate its aban-
.donment--yct he defeated the only provision
imposing it,
But when he describes himself, in spite of
this great blow at emancipation, as s'sinccrely
hoping and expecting that a constitutional
amendment abolshing slavery throughout the
nation may be adopted" we curiously inquire
on what his expectations rests, after the vote
OF the House of Representatives at the recent
session, and in the face of the political com.
plexion of more than enough Of the States to
prevent the possibility of its adoption within
any reasonable time; and why he did not in--
dulge his sincere hopes with so large an in.
stallment Of the blessing of his approval of the
I'LL would have secured.
After this assignment of his reasons for pre-
venting the bill from becoming ',w, the Pres.
ident proceeds todcclare his purpose to execute
it as law by his penary dictate rial power.
He says:
Nevertheless, am fully satisfied with the
system for restoration Contained in the bill as
one very proper plan for the loyal people ofany
State choosing to adopt it; and that | am, and
at all times shall be, prepared to give the Ex-
ecutive aid and assistance to any such people
30 soon as the military resistance to the United
States shall have been suppressed in any such
State, aud the people thereof shall have suf-
fciently returned to their obedience to the
constitution and the laws Of the United States:
in which cases Military Governors will be an.
pointed, with directions to proceed according to
abe bill"
A more studied outrage on the legislative
authority Of the people has never been pcrpe-
trated.
. Congress passed bill; the President refused
to approve it, and then by proclamation puts as
much OF it in force as he sees fit, and proposes
to execute those parts by officers unknown to
the laws of the United States and not subject
to the confirmation of the Senate.
The bill directed the appointment of Provis.
ional Governeis by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate.
The President, after defeating the law, pro-
poses to appoint without law, and without the
advice and consent of the Senate, MH;tary
Governors for the rebel States
dc has already exercised this dictatorial usur-
patton in Louisiana. and he defeated the bill
to prevent its limitation
Hcnceforth we must regard the following
precedent as the Presidential law of the rebel
States:
"txEcvTivE MANSION, WASHINGTON,
March Is, 1864. {
Ellis Excellency MICHAEL HAHN, Governor of
Louisiana.
''Until further orders, you are hereby invest.
ed with the powers exercised hitherto by the
Military Governor of Louisiana
Yours,
.- "ABRAHAM LINCOLN"
This Michael Hahn is no officer of the Unit
ed States; the President, without law, without
the advice and consent Of the Senate, by pri. |
@ 81 tas
The bill provided for thu civil administration
of the laws of the State-till it should be in a |
tit temper to govern itself-repealing all laws |
recognizing slavery, and making all men equal
before the law.
These beneticent provisions the President has |
annullcd. People will die, and marry and |
transfer property, and buy and sell; and to
these acts of civil life caurts and officers of law
are necessary. Congress legislated for these
necessary things, and the President deprives
them OF the protection of the law!
The Presidents purpose to instruct his Mill
tary Governors ,"to proceed according to the |
bill'-a makeshift TO calm the disappointment |
its defeat has occasioned-is not merely |
grave usurpation, but transparent delusion.
He cannot proceed according to the BILL"
after preventing it frcm becoming law.
Whatever is done will be at his will and
pleasure, by persons responsible to nc law, and
more interested to secure the interest and exc
cute the will of the President than of the peo-
pie; and the will of Congress is to be "held for
naagLt," unless the loyal people Of the rebel
States choose to adopt it,
If they should graciously prefer the stringent
bill to the easy proclamation, still the registra-
ton will be made under no legal sanction; it
will give no assurance that majoritg 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 swe ear
ing at the elections, or tor admitting bad or re.
jecting good votes; it viii be the farce of Loui.
s'ana and Arkansas acted over again, under the
forms of this bill, but not by authority of lay.
But when we come to the guarantees of fu-
ture peace which Congress meant to enact, the
forms, as we'll 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 rebellion, (2) the con-
tsnuance of slavery, and 90 the burden of the
rebeldebt
The President "holds for naught'' that re.
solve Of Congress, because he is unwilling s.to
be infexibly committed to any one plan of re-
storation,' and the people of the United States
are not to be allowed to protect themselves
unless their enemies agree 10 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 it, accept the
proclamation Of the 9Th of December and de.
nand the Presidents recognition!
Mark the contrast! The bill requires ma.
.jority, the proclamation is satisfied with one
tenth; The bill requires one oath, the proclama.
ton another. the bill ascertains voters by re-
gistering; the proclamation by guess; the bill
exacts adherence to existing territorial limits,
the proclamation admits Of others; the bill
governs the rebel States 6y iaic, equalizing all
before it, the proclamation commits them to
the lawless discretion of Military Governors
and Provost Marshals; the bill forbids Electors
for President. the proclamation and defeat of
the bill threaten us with civil war for the ad-