Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-01-29


, to perform his duty, AMI place the seal Of
condemnation irrevocably, and forever, upon
this convicted criminal of mankind. The
deed is done; the righteous iudgmeat has
been pronounced, and from his honest heart
the author tells US, 't cannot be rctracted.''
No earthly power, can send back to slavery,
these millions Of freedmen; for between them
and such power stand more than twenty
millions of other men, to defend tho broad
seal which that proclamation bears
! In it's diminished and attenuated form,
slavery still lingarS but it is robed in the
habiiments OF the grave, waiting only for
the rites Of sepu!ehre. How these shall bo
performed the world may not care; for over
its accurscd remains the star Of freedom
shall forever shinc and the loud hosannas of
an emancipatcd race be sung through all
succeeding ages.
Tho victim of morbid and trcasonahlo
ambition, slavery, has been murdered in tho
house OF its friends. Upon them, not on US,
the responsibility Of its death must forever
rest. The Union as it was, the people of the
North were willing 10 maintain and abide
by; but as the South have determined 9th.
crwise, it is our duty now, to insist upon the
! Union as it should be, aud as cur fathers in
tended it. ....t .....
Ny ardent wish is, that this dcsoating
war may speedily close, and the insurgent
States resumo their political rights in tho
Union.
That we may properly understand tho
theory OF reconstruction it is important to
avoid misNpplication OF the term. The ro-
bclion having failed Of success, the Uuioa
is not dissolved; and, therefore, the disor.
gan2ed States, only, require To be recon
structed. Had they succeeded In achieving
Nh, az AZ.
would have been dissolved, ard the question
Of re construction have presented difltren.
aspect. . s.. ..
Having, 10y treason to the General Govern.
ment, and the inevitable consequences cf
civil war, accomplished tho destruction Of
their local organizations and not their dis.
severance from the Union, they stand in the
attitude OF States, with their government
subvertcd and ovcrthrown. Re. organization
therefore, becomes an indispensable pre-.
requisite to the resumption Of their powers,
and privileges, as sovereign States in tho
Union. Without this, they have no appro.
pirate medium through which their constitu.
tional rights can be secured or exercised
They cannot choose Senators, or Represent.
atiyes to Congress, participate in tho election
of President or enjoy any other regulation
designed for The comm,n benefit Of tho
States. And II is only by means Of State
Governments, that they can perform tho
functions of States, and discharge the vari-
Gus obligations and duties they owe TO tho
General Government Until then, the people
Of these dtsorgani2ed States must, from ne
cessty, depend for protection upon the Fed.
eral Government, under the arm OF its mill.
tary power. Bot this theory by no means
implies that these States must he reduced to
n rinl TON, q, ,pi,
their territorial miuorasc, under n Govern.
mcnt provided for them, at the expense of
the National Treasury, and be rc.admitted
into the Union as States. 1t simply means,
what is obviously true, that they have State
limits, territory md people, without the cs-
sentlGl machinery of State Governments,
which arc tho tests and means Of their politi-
cal existence.
Government represents, not merely land and
certain defined territorial limits. but the peo.
pie who establish it, and who speak and net
through il, rs their political organ. These
people, in consequence Of their treason, hav-
ing disqualified themselves for the exercise Of
political rights, and privileges, their State
Governments have thereby become suspend.
ed and must remain in abeyance, until ths
qualification is removed by act Of Federal
authority.
Reduced to this condition, the provisional
control over these States, until fully reorgan-
lied, and restored, is vested in tho Federal
Government; bat when restored II must be
under governments which have emanatcd
from their own people under Constitutional
restrictions. | recognize the right Of every
State to regulate and shape its own nstitu.
tons, but this right can and should be cxer.
ciscd, only, in clear conformity with the letter
md spirit Of the Federal Constitution
The Constitution prescrbcs, that "Tho
United States shall guarantee to every State
in this Union, a Republican form of Govern.
mcnt' This provision clearly implies an
Obligation, on The part Of the United States.
not only TO guarantee this fern Of govern.
mcnt to every State" but the guaranty i,
to all the States, that the government Of each
State shat be republican in form, whether
tho people thereof will it or not This is the
plain spirit, and intent, of the compact
otherwise, the right already adyeited to, tia,
each State may regulate its own institutions,
would become Il source of imminent perif to
the Union. without this saIutary check
npon the action of States, we might soon
have cluster Of anti republican governments
springing up within the limits Of tho Union,
TO accomplish its rctrogression and ultimate
overthrow
ihp ST'.'tS vi tiio last ieW years, naVInB
fully demonstrated the irrcprcsibIe antaco.
nism OF slavery. TO our Republican insttu.
tions, and left the question no longer To all.
stract discussions, or interpretation eur
manifest duty, under the constitution, is,
while the authority is riphtfully in our hands
to see that no new or remedelrd Government
is received, which presents this obviously
anti republican feature. -..-
Under proper auspices, and Just rQgard
for mutual rights, the process OF reconstruc.
ton may keep pace with the advance OF our
arms. With suitable assistance the people
of the insurgent States may be restored to
their legitimate rights in the Union as rapid.
ly as the hostile power is expelled from their
borders. To effect this consummatior, sonio
rule should DO prescribed, plain and Just in
itself, compatible with the dignity of tho
Government, and the perpotuity ofthc Union
Emerging from the ca!amtics Of this conflict
let us secure an honorable and pormantn,
peace, and seal forever the fountains Of civil
war. by doing less than this, We would prove
taithless TO tho sacrea trusts committed to
our care, cmbitter the heritage Of posterity,
and commit monstrous crime.
i No true patriot, no sincere wisher OF a re-
stored and honorcd Union, could desire tho
wicked and infamous leaders of this rcbell-
ion reinstatod in Their places under thi, Gov
crnment where, by "a repetition of their
gigantic frauds, and intrigucs, they nigh.
again attempt, what they have so signally
iailcd to accomplish by the gage Of battle.
Every motive Of selfprescryation and the
stornest dictates Of patriotic duty demand of
us to guard we'll this vital point. Let us CT.
pungc forever these infamous names from