The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-12-07
RATES OF SUBSCRIPTION.
sbFFRsTf ANN 6AI MEssAG
= PRESIDENT JOHNSON.

sz9u., PRESIDENT JOHNSON.
To the Senate and House Of Representatives OF
Hie United States Of AnIericd' 80
To oexpfess gratitude to God, in the
name of the people, for the preserva-
ton of the United States, is my first
dnty in addressing you. Our thoughts
o. lH President by the hand of parrieidial
treason. The grief of the nation is
still fresh;l II finds some solace in the
Nd consideration that he lived to enjoy the
highest proof Of its confidence by en-
tering on the renewed term of the Chief
NIagistracy, to which he had just been
eleetedi that he, brought CtheJcivil war
substantially to- a. close; that his loss
was deplored in all parts of the Union,
and that foreign nations have rendered
o. Justice to hisnInemOry. His removal
cast upon me q heavier weight of cares
than ever deTolHed upon amy one of his
predecessors. To fulfill my trust need
the support and confidence of all who
are associated with me in the various
departments of government, and the
support and confidence of the people.
There is but one way in which / can
hope to gain their necessary aid; it Isl;
to state with frankness the principles
which guide my conduct, and their ap-
-plication to the present state of affairs,
well awnre that the efficiency of my
Sc li labors will, in u great measure; depend
ON your and their undivided npproba-
tion.
er ysof TILE UNION OF THE STATES.
The Union OF the United States of
America was intended by its authors to
last as long as the States themselves
shall llast. ''The Union shall be per-
petualn are the words OF the Confeder-.
alton. t'TO form amore perfect Union"
by an ordinance of the people of the
-'r United States, is the declared purpose
t= of the Consultation. The hand of Di-,
vine Providence wns never more plainly
Visible in the affairs of men than in the
framing and adopting of that instru-
nent. 1t is, beyond comparison, the
greatest event in American history; and
indeed, Is it not, of all eSents in modern
times, the most pregnant with cOnse-
quences for every. people of the earth2
The members of the Convention which
prepared it, brought to their work the
npexpeFienes of the Consideration, of
their several States, and of other Re-
% [, publican Coy etnnIents, old and new;
dom superior to experience. And when
for its validity it required the approval
of people that occupied large part of
continent and acted separately in
many distinct conyentiops, what is
more wonderful than that, after earnest
contention and long discussion, nll
feelings and all opinions were ultimate
ly drawn i'll one way TO its support? lil
MEANING AND POWER oFTHE CoNsTTrU-
The Constitution to which life was
thus impaired contains within itself
ample resources for its own preserva-
TOhon:l ~ haS power 70 enforce the laws,
n lpunish TREASON, and ensure domestic
tranquility. In case of the usurpation
of the Government of a State by one
man, or an oligarchy, it becomes IA duty
of the United States to nuke good the
guarantee 10 that State of n republican
form of government, and so to main
tain the homogeneousness of all. Does
the lapse of time reveal defects? a
simple mode of amendment is provid-
ed in the Constitution itself, SO that its
conditions can always be made to con-.
form to the requirements of advancing
z civilization, No room is allowed even
for the thought of a possibility of its
coming to an end. And these powers
of self-preservation have always been
asserted in their complete integrity by
every patriotic Chief Magistrate-by
Jefferson and Jackson, not less than by
Washington and Madison. The parting
yet President, to the.people ofthe nited
States, was, that "the free ConStitu-
ton, which was the work Oftheir hands,
might be sacredly maintained;" and
ferson held up "the preservation of the
General Government, in its conslitu-
tional vigor, as the sheet anchor of our
'' peace Mt home and safety nbroad.n The
Constitution is the work of "the People
of the United States, y and it should be
2 as indestructi6lo as the people.
AcQUIEsCENcE IN DECISION OF THE MA
LoRITY. p4
It's not strange that the trainers of
the Constitution, which had no model
in the pnst, should not have fully COM
pretended the excellence of their own
work. Fresh from n struggle against
arbitrary power, many patriots suffer-
ed from harassing fears of an abSorp-
tion of the State Government by the
General Government, and many from
dread that the States would break away
from their orbits. But the very great
ness of our country should allay the
apprehension Of encroachmentS by the
General Government. The subjects
that come unqueStionably within its
Jurisdiction ARE sot NUMEROUS, that it
must ever naturally refuse to be em-
barrassed by questions that lie beyond
al it. IS Were it otherwise, the Executive
"A would sink beneath the burden; the
channels of justice would be chOked;
legislation would he INSTRUCTED by eX-
cess; so that there is a greater tempta-
tion to exercise some of the functions
of the General Government through the
pt States than TO trespass on their Tightful
sphere. "The absolute acquiescence in
the decision of the majority was, at
the beginning of the century, enforced
by Jefferson ''Rs the vital principle of
o., republics and the events Of the last
four years have established, we will
hope forever, that there lies no appeal
10 iorce.s ll4Esi ms
RELATIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION AND
ayU3 hEa TIIR STATES. w iG , ~
The maintenance of the Union brings
...a with It .'the support of the State Cow
ernments in all their right;' but it is
not one of the rights Of any State Gov
ernment to renouuce its own place in
- the Union, or to nullify the laws of the
~ Union. The l1rgest liberty is to be
maintained in the discussion, of the
acts or the Federal Governments; but
4 there is no appeal from it's laws, except
.s. to the various branches of that Govern
Inent itself, or to the people, who grant
q. 3 10 the iiembeFs OF the Legislative and
- Executive Departments no tenure but
a alimited one, and in that manner al
ways retain the power of redress.
siThe soRorSig gnty of the States" is the
language of the Confederacy, and not
the language of the Constitution. The
D LITTER confaips the emphatic words:
g HThe Constitution, and the laws of the
United States, which shall be made in
"ptirsuhnce thereof, and all Treaties made
or which shall be made under the au-
thority of the United States, shall be
the supreme lawsof the land; and the
judges in every State shall be bound
thereby anything in the constitution
=. Cdr laws Of any State to the contrary
rtotwithstanding.n
s5lr = Certainly the Government Of the
United States is limited government;
IsnOf9a IH fH. AviriFgy fyoyaFnDuant "a