Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-08-31

hNilo VI wv iN'Iutll'uU purity arc ulNlutI
among themselves, aud Il majority of that
party in Congress will oppose President
johnson $ plan for ro-admittnp to the Ma.
tional Legislature the Senators and Repre-
sentatiyCs from the Southern States. The
President declares that he is in favor Of
leaving the question of rCconstructing their
state Governments 10 the citizens of the
Southern States, in the exercise of their
Constitutional rights
Our Government is not n consolidated en-
pire, like that of Russia, Austria or France;
nor a monarchy, like that of Great Britain:
but we have Union composed of States,
with co ordinate powers and co.cuual rights.
The States formed the Union and, in doing
50, rolinquished certain rights which are
distinctly specified, and, in the language ui
the Constitution, "all powers not delegated
to the United States, nor prohibited to the
States, are reserved to the States or the pco-
/ pie. - The Federal Government derives its
power from the Constitution, and possesses
no lawful authority which is not granted by
that instrument. Congress may admitnew
States, but has no authority toexpcl State
from the Union. Nineteen States repre-
scutcd in Congress, has not the right to ex-
cludc representatives from seventeen, and il
not from seventeen, they cannot exclude the
ItSCllullN ~ VI tut tolllt.
The powers of the States as States. being
coordinate, and their rights co-cqual ono
State cannot exercise powers or enjoy privi-
leges to which every other Statcis is not equal
ly entitled.
Thus, every State iscntitlcd to two United
States Senator'S, no matter what may be tho
locality, orhow small the population. And
the Senators from majority of the States
cannot exclude members from minority OF
the States, without thereby violating their
Constitutional rights.
/. The six New England States, with pop
ulation half million less than that Of the
single State of New York, have twelve Sen
ators, while New York has only two. And
the State of Ohio has "A greater population
than five of the New England States, and
yet they have ten Senator's while Ohio has
but two. Nor will we complain of the fact
that one citizen Of New England exercises
five times more representative power in the
Federal Senate than does citizen of Ohio.
unless that great disparity ofpowcr be used
to subvert the very rights which it was
created to protect But we are told that
the people Of certain ofthc Southern States
have been in open insurrecton, and that
thereby the States in which the Insurgents
lived have forfeited their political existence
1t is true that the people Of the South at
first in small numbers, aitcrwardsa majority.
did rise in insurcction. But have they not
been terribly punished for this fault? In
their slaves alone they lost two thousand
million dollars Their lauds have been ray
aged their houses have been burned. and
the region in which the war was waged has
been converted into a chancd wilderness. -
Can Justice, nay not justice, but can human
vengeance demand more than this? And
where, let us ask, is the provision in the
Constitution, which declares that State
shalltoricit its political CXi,tcnce--its rights
under the Constitution, because a portion of
all its citizens have been insurgents? No
such power exists, and it would be absurd
to suppose that the Constitution would pro-
vide for its own overthrow by authorizing
the disintcgration Of the Union, but it does
provide for the suppression of insurrection
and domestic violence. Where individual
persons have done wrong they are amcnable
to the civil laws, but the acts of individuals
cannot forfeit the existence of States. nor
conlerpowcrs upon the Federal Government
unknown to the Constitution.
BY what process is the Union to be re.
stored? By what means are we again to
become countrymcn in heart, as well as in
cln people as enemies, can we expect them
to become friends? Would it not be well
to rcmcmbcr that civil wars are like family
ieuds, and when, af CT strife has ceased, aud
the cause Of the difficulty has been calmly
considered, that both parties are generally
found to be more or less in fault?
tnscilsh patriotism can restorcthc Union,
while scii,h h ambition may involve the coun-
try in new horrors, and our institutions in
total rum. 1t requires no art, no mystery,
no diplomacy to restore the Union. We
have but to say to our countrymen of the
South, come, let Us again be friends: if in
ought we have both erred, then let us both
profit by the terrible lesson of the past four
years, and if only one has been wrong. then
let that one he generously forgiven.
Had our civil authorities been influenced
by the same spirit of generosity and wise
cancellation which inspired our armies or
had soldiers like Sherman and Mcclellan
been authorized to treat for peace, the war
would not have survived the second year.
and the Union would have been restored
with sentiments Of cordial admiration and
affection, warming the hearts Of our coun
trymon North and South; for generous man.
hood bcgets respect.
Our country can only be brought back to
the happy and prosperous condition which
existed prior to the war, by returning to the
fundamental principles upon which our in
stitutions were based, and those great doe
trinal truths taught by jefferson and Madi-
son, and the other early fathers of the Re
public.
THE NEGRO PROBLEM
General Cox proposes to create negro
dependency to the United States, from
contiguous territory of the States of Ala
bama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina,
without breaking up the State organiza
tons. | dissent from this solution, because
Congress has no authority under the Con
stituuon, to convert one or more States into
IA negro dependency !" because if such
dependency We're created war of eXtcr-
mination between the hostile races would be
the inevitable result; and lastly because the
dependency could only be established
after having obtained the lands oftho white
inhabitants by first extermnatng them; or
by the Government purchasing the lands on
the condition that the white citizens would
abandon their homes that the negro might
possess them.
The plan Of purchase is impracticable,
even were it Constitutional The area of
the proposed negro dependency" would
contain nearly thirty million acres of the
best land in America, which, at an acreage
cost ol'twcnty dollars per acre, would amount
to about six hundred million dollars Six
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