Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-02-12

North Each person - required 80 swear hdelifY
% the Constitutions and the Union. That = EN-
inenils tight and proper Bn; then he must also
swear thst he all .sabide BY and faithfully sup
port al acts Of Congress" and "aIlrroclam atoms
OF the President passed and made during the ex
i-ting rebellion having reference TO slavery
This language would seem 10 include laws and
prUcla atoms hereafter to be pa-sei and made ~
u ell IS those slready known to- the country
Aud j. Il not most extraordinary. and a cnnei
thing that as condition of general pardon,
~licb the peace and happiness OF the cOuairy
denisnd men shall become bound by oath TO
abide by and faithiully support that which
tbey-casBot knoE.l The great body ct the
people OF the South, and a very powerful eie
tuent ~ Northern society. constituting. ~
believe = decided majority OF the people OF the I
Unnet States, DO not be,ive that much of the
legislation Of the last Congress. and the proc /
iamatons OF the President on the subject of
slavery in the States. are sanctioned 10y the
Constitution: but, on the contrary they believe I
them IN palpabe violation thereof How. then,
sir. i it proper to require Of such men. in the
same oath. 10 swear that they will "heuceiorth /
faithfully support. protect. aud defend the Con
sttution OF the United States, aud in like
manner that they vii! "abde bv AMI faithfully
support" acts and proclamations which they
honestly believe yiolative and subyersise OF that
Instrument
last fall. the President quantity sud. But the
proclamation. as Inv. either IS vali4 or is not
valid Ii il IS not valid. il needs no retracton
Ii il j. valid, Il cannot be retracied any more
than the dead can be brought 10 life Ii hot
valid, men ought not To be sworn 20 it, support;
and il l. "a horrible condition of pardon that "A
man shall be sworn TO the support OF an Invalid
and unconstitutional proclamation. But u valid.
the President claims tor it the force and effect OF
- fl..fff al A rgfr nv he
instant freedom of the slave: and it 80, Why in
woke to It's aid the oatt~ OF the people 40 to re
gard III IL indicates n doubt. If not corvic
ton. Oh the part Of the President adverse 10 its
validity. when he appeals 10 the shareholders by
the hope and assurance OF pardon upon the cohdi-
ton at becoming bound by oath To treat their
slaves a free
By this lat procl nation. the President under
takes u assure the country that whenever so
many ms one tenth Of the voting population IN
either Of the States Of Arkansas. Texas. LDEisi
ana. Mississippi I enueS~ee. Alab M, Georgia.
Florida South Carolina and North Carolina,
shall have taken the oath which he prescribes,
such tenth. excluding all Others. shall re
establish such State government. which shall be
republican and IN nowise coniravenins said oath.
and such shall he recognized a the true govern
ment OF the State aud he suggests as not I'M
proper
THAT in constructing LAVAL State government
in any State. the name of the State, the bound
ary the subdivisions. the constitution aud The
general code OF laws, as before the rebellion be
maintained. subject only To the notifications
made ecessaIy by the conditions hereiubeiore
stated, aud such Others. If any, not cOntrayenng
said conditions and which may he deemed ex-
pe'lient by those framing the new State gov
! eminent
Will the Senate aud the country pause to con
AZ
by the President? Ten States are mentioned
three OF them were OF the original and illusfrouS
thirteen Are these ten political communities a
part Of the Union this day or. in the eve of the
Constitution. they outside the Unon7 If
they are outside and no longer States of the
Union. by what power thai we recognize and by
What action that respect dir this occur? Ii
was by no action Of the United States The
f Federal Government has all the while claimed
/ jurisdiction over them and by legislative and ex
ecutive action has exercised that jurisdiction
when and where not hindered by armed resistance.
I Ii not by the action of this Government. then are
these States out IT the Union bv Their OWE action,
each State by her separate act OF secession taking
! herself out? IL would be rank political heresy to
assert it, They vet States OF the Union. but
/ States in which the people are in armed resist
ance to the United States; and they can cease to
be States of the Union only by the success of the
revolution We have but 10 restore the lawful
authority OF the Federal Government over the
people thereof, aud secure their acquescence and
obedience. and the Union is restored.
In these ten States the President proposes a
! plan for organizing ''new State governments,
with the assurance that they "shall be recognized
n the true governments of the States F" By what
authority Is this assurance giveng What prOvi-
sion OF the Constitution constitutes him the ar
chltect to tear down and rebuild State govern
mentsy Our fathers held and the patriot
statesmen from sher day until now have held,
that the people only could lay the foundations Of
State governments, and build thereon the insti-
+ tutons of their choice This work however
the President commits 10 the hands of such as
/ shall take the oath that he requires being not
. less than tenth of the voting population.
Has il been herd of before in modern times that
one tenth OF the people shall frame the govern
ment and enact the laws that the other nine tenths
are to respect and obey? Ii has been cherished
+ American sentiment, and esteemed vital TO ib-
erty, that governments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed but now We
are told that they NAV derive their powers from
the consent oil one man out OF ten; provided
however that he may consent only To that which
the President consents TO, and do what he re.
quireS. and must first be bound by oath to sup
port the executive policy We were told 1t one
time that popular institutions were being estib-
l>hei in France; that all were allowed to vote
for the chief executive officer provided how ev er
they must vote for Louis Napoleon; and We
laushe,. N deri>ion. ami said that slavish DIES
potism being established What think YOU
then sir. OF this scheme of allowing political
power in ten States of the Union TO none but
such ~ the President shall Designate aud the,
first 10 he sworn To carry ont his wishesg And
the President SAYS the new State governments
must be republican Our fathers thought. and
we were taught. that republican government
was one IN which the people. through representa-
tivcs chosen by themselves. make their own laws
aud that where the few govern the many II VIII:
an ohgarchy. But now We must uuearn all thai
ana allow that repuolicaniSm may survive when
the lew form the government aud make ths law:
which the many must obey When 50 many a.
one-tenih Of the people in any State shall have
taken the oath and have formed the State
government, TIE question will arise what repre-
sentatiOn shall they have in Congress? When
recognized a a Safe. the Constitution fixes the
representation AZ two Senators and a reore~enta-
ton based, not upon the tenth Of sworn men
voting men-but upon the whole number O
free persons, which will then include all the ne
groes. fer the new State would then regard then
as free: that the Presidents new msde voter
in hi new State. would have a political rOwe
equal To ten men IN Indiana Who are likel,
first to take the prescribed oath. and thus be
come the Presidents voting clansmen, clothed
with political power above all the meu OF IN.
country? II i proper 10 presume there will bt
many true Union men. who opposed secession
then will come that class " lao always array them
+ selves ora the strong side. and who were nois,