The Placer herald., 1865-10-21

until they shall, by their votes. have adopted
the pending amendment to the Consti' uti"n;
and another, changing their rule Of repre-
sr"'a'i"n, until they h~v- shown their ap'i'
'ude Tor tree government. as he m"ckingly
terms il, 10y the facility with which they can
put their hauds on their mouths and their
mouths in the dust, aud, like faw"ing syc"-
rhanis. degrade Themselves hy hase serv'lity
| sm in favor "f no change in the Constitu'
lion, | would leave the question 1T suffrage
to the States. because the Constitution leaves
II there. l would recognize the right of the
Southern States I" their old p"sit"n in the
federal system instantly. without delay.
vi h"ut experiment. without condition
save only that they acknowledge the
:, prrmAr, Of the C"nsi'u,i,sn. and admit its
provisions T." h- the binding rule Of State
and Federal ar,ior; and this berause the
Constitution cr-x,-s y confederation tf rqnal
States. Tw" ,he"ries have alone prevailed
IN this Government fr"m is h-ginnng.-
One part. denied the right "f s-resson, the
other party maintained it. Both agreed
Iha, il The ordinance &c secession were 'nvaI.
TT, II WAS utterly void, imperative for all
purposes, in ff-r'i.r upon either tho people
or the territory. either IN their relations I"
the Federal or the State Government. Thew
also agreed iha, IL il w~re valid, il severed
'he liz which hound III" S ate to the Union.
The State resumed the delegated power, and
became wholly iEd-l'-n'ien', rs II had been
wholly s'e. -ign. They bath agreed thai
the States were ~tv~r-ign-w-re independent
--xrel, =" fas ~ they had consented I" b.
bound 10y the Cons,i,u ion. and that ~h-n'
ever they r-c"gn z-d the power "f the Fed
-rxi Go.ernm-nt ~ defined hy the g. n>ti'u
non. the. had I,ef.n,nrd their whole Fedora
"hilgXion, and that in no even, were they
sui i-rt to control ar interference with tn.
'ugxnlza;lon "f their local government al
The management of their domestic policy
The one party. however. claimed that When
the Federal power was ohsirurf~d in it's
"I'-ialion. armed coercion must be used I"
mpI "heol-nrs t" i,s lawful requirements.
Tins WAS the extreme doctrine at the F.de'.
al's's-tms WAS the theory # those VIII"
called themselves the friends of the Govern
nAn. THIS was the theory on wh rh the
war was commenced. This WAS the theory
1T coercion. This was the theory Of Mr.
Lincoln. when lo SAID tha, after = war the
sa,n- questions would -xis' as h-f"rs. This
~As Tho Theory If the Crit,enden resolutions.
and the Republican party j" Congress. This
MAS the ,he"ry Of General Sh,r when h-
entered into his truce with General J"hns'";
and hs said rightly, ,l'a, i,s Observance
would bring peace from The Potomac to the
r." Grande-a veri'ahIe PeAre, n parifra'
ton. Resistance I" Federal au,h"r,t, w"nld
have ceased: armed furres would have dst
I'erse arms and forts would have bse"
gwen uI; the Federal lawn would have been
executed. On the other hand. the State
governments would have been left intact; the
functions Of evil society would have been
unimI-drd; the civil law would have been
administered by ordinary tribunals. the or.
d,nanres Of seression would have been re-
leAl-d or treated ~ nulli'ies. the Federal
Government and State Governments w"u d,
by tins time, have rev"lvrd harmoni"usIv in
their respective orbits, and then To the States
would 10 left. as lhev properly belong, the
question Of n-gr" suffrage and new C"ns',.
,uli"ns and the relations of labor. | th"k
General Sherman proved himself even more
wise in negotiation than formidable in war,
aud that his craftsmanship, more than his
arms, would have mainiaine the Un"n.
But in these latter days = new h-ory has
sp,ung into being. II is the ff>pring #
more than Ya"kee ingenuity. stimulated b.
m"re than Yankee fanx,icisrn. |, holds th~,
acts oi secession are both valid and invalid
valid to destroy the State, invalid :" d-s
try the Union. The State "f Vlrg,nia
adopted and ra''6-d the Constitution. not as
part Of the people Of the United S~'ss, nor
AZ n mnj,ri,y "t the people Of Virginia, but
~ her capacity IA q sovereign State, regua-
ting her r-Ia,mn to other sovere,gns The
old C"utederataon had been practically dis
solved, The new "n~ had not been frnpd
Vngln'x WAS absolutely sovereign, aud a>
such gave her assent /" the Federal Consul.
tuition. Is, thai act she l'e, ame a member
Of the Uu"n. by that act alone. by her
c"i,,nx,I alone. her el,iz-ns eve obed,enre
to the Federal G"v-rnin-n,. Virginia re.
l-als that act Of ra,,hra,i"n, aud thereby
~,mi-xv"rs to s~,'e,ie from Federal ol,Iigx
ti",,s, aud her ril,zens to obedience u Fed
eral law.
Ih~ss gentlemen aver that the act "f re-
peal does not dissolve the tie which binds
The ter,,'ory to the Union. hut does dssir"
us STATE governments; does dissolve II IN \
political community; doss ahsolvs the Fed
~rxl Gnv-rm,l,.nt from all duties. AID d"rs
r"nt-r upon it all powers Of management
and conIrol. will not say tha, the gentle
lnrr do not ih- ils~ .+s believe this dwtrine,
tut will say that if they can maintain it.
The WAR WAS not for Tho Union, but tor cons
quest, and tile result in then, ,hs South II
'>uljugai-d, no, I" the Constitution hut I"
Tho will ot The North. . Aud then il follows
that tns lmro-it,"n Of nrgr" suffrage. Of new
constitutions, If amendments to the Federal
Cun.,i,u,i"u, the r-st"rxi"n "f civil law, IT
the rontlnuanrs "f military rule, are q"rs.
lio"s Of m'cy and nut If power, aud to this
"siilon do these g-ntl~m-n, most OF *''
ihirgs, desire 10 re,iurs them. Midway he