The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1865-12-20

guage Of the Constitution. The latter con-
tains the emphatic words: "Thc COnStitu-
ton, and the laws of the United States which
shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all
treaties made or which shall be made under
the authority of the United States shall be
the supreme law of the land and the judges
in every State shall be bound thereby, any
thing in the Constitution or laws of any State
to the contrary notwithstanding.
Certainly the Government Of the United
States is limited government; and so is every
State government limited government
With Us, this idea elimination spreads through
every form of administration, general, State
and municipal and rests on the great distin-
gushing principle of the recognition of the
rights Of man The eancicntrepublcsa absorbed
the individual in the State, prescribed his re-
fcion and controlled his activity. The
American system rests on the assertion of the
equal right Of every man to life, liberty and
the pursuit Of hspp;ncssi to freedom of con-
science, to the culture and exercise OF all his
faculties. As consequence, the State gov
crnment is limited as to the General Govern
mcnt in the interest of Union, as to the lndl-
vidual citizen in the interest offrccdcm.
States, with proper limitations of power,
are essential to the existence Of the Consttu-
ton of the United States At the very com
mcncemcnt, when we assumed & place among
the powers of the earth, the Declaration Of
Independence was adopted by States; so also
were the Articles Of Confederation and when
'thc people of the United States" ordained
and established the Constitution, it was the
assent Of the States, one by one which gave
it vitality. In the event, too, of any amend
mcnt to The Constitution, the proposition OF
Congress needs the confirmation of States.
Without States, one great branch OF the Leg
;>latiyr Government would be wanting. And,
il we }o,k bevhnd the letter Of the ConStltu-
liun 10 the character Of onr country, its ca
y&,'ity fer comprchvnding within its jnriSdlc-
jion, vast continual empire is due to the
system uf States The best security for the
rc,rcIual existence Of the Safes is the ''Su-
irun.t authority" Of the Constitution of the
United States. The pcrpctuity of the Con-
<t;tutiUn brings with it the pcrpetuity OF The
States; ;hci" mutual relation makes lis what
We are, and il oar political system their con.
NvNion is iNGi,>o,ublc. The whole cannot cX-
it without the parts, nor the parts WI;Aout
the whult So lorg as the Constitution OF the
Ulited States cudurrS. the States will en-
dare; TIC destruction Of the enc Is the de-
>;:uriian Of the uthcr--thc preservation OF tue
one j. the preservation of the other.
I haze thus explained my views Of the mu-
tual relations Of thrC Constitution and the States
brta:;<e they un:o}I the principles on which |
nave sought to Suivc the momcnton> questions
and OVERCOME the appalling difficulties that
,m4l ll2 1T the very commencement OF MY az
u,ini ttrtinn Il mas been my SteadlaSt OBJ
j., t 70 escape from X sway Of M"mcntHry
I,a>>iun>, AID to drive Il healing policy ;lT5IA
the fundamental and unchargrS principles OF
the Constitution.
found the States suffering (,om The cFc''tS
Of civil war; Resistance to the General Gov
e;mlm"!!t appeared to have exhausted Itself
Tie U";tc,! States had recovered possession Of
their ferris and alSenalS and their armies
We're in the occupation of every State which
had attempted to >cccdc. Whether the terri
tory within the limits Of these States should
be kvlA rs conquered territory, under military
authority, emanating from the President as
the head Of the army, was the first question
t!lat presented itself for decision.
Now, military governments, established for
All Indefinite period, would have offered no
security for the early suppression of dlScon-
tent; " ould have divided the people into the
vanaui>hers and the vanQuishcd, and would
have cuvgnomcd hatred rather than have re-
stored affection. Once established, no pre-
else limit to their continuance vas conccIva-
ble. They would have occaSioned an lncaIcu-
liable and exhauSting expense. Peaceful eml,
grafton to and from that portion OF the co4n-
;rv is one of the best means that can be
;noucht of for the restoration Of the harmony;
AID that emigration would have been prcven-
ten for " hat cmgrant from abroad what IN
tlr>tIinuS citizen at home, would place him.
self wi.iiMelv under military rule? The chief
ncr>ons who would have followed in the train
Of the army would have been dependent on
the General Government, or men who c1pcc-
ted profit from the miscries Of their crrlng
fy!low-citizens. The powers of patronage and
rule which would have been exercised, under
the President, over vast, and p"pulouS, and
naturally wealthy region, are greater than,
unless extreme necessity, | should be Wiling
to entruSt to any one man. They art such
as, for myself, | could never, unless on ccca-
Sions Of great emergency, consent to exercise;
Tie wi!iul use Of such powers, if continued
through period Of years, would have en-
dangvrcd the purity ofthe general admlnstra-
ton and the liberties Of tue States which re-
manned loyal.
Besides the policy cf military rule over con-
u&crcd territory would have implied that the
States whose inhabitants may have taken
part in the rebellion had, by the act Of those
Inhabitants ceased to exist. But the true thco-
rv is, that all pretended acts of SECESSION
wcrc from the beginning null and void. The
States cannot commit treason, nor screen the
Individual citizens who may have committed
treason, any more than they can make vat
treaties or engage in lawful commerce with
ANY foreign power. The States attempting
to SycvGr, placed themselves in a condition
where their vitality was impaired, bit not
extingui<hcd-thri functions suspended, but
not destroyed,
But if any State ncg!ccts or refuses to per
form its offices, there is the more need that
the General Government should maintain all
its authority, and, as soon as practicable re-
su;ne the exercise Of all its functions. On
this principle have acted, and have gradual
+ and ouictcIy, and by almost imperccptiblc
Stems SOUGHT to restore the right(ul energy of
the General Government and of the States.
10 tlat end, Provisional Governors have been
anpo;ntrJ for the States, Conventions were
cajl,d Governors elected, legislatures assem-
rl.3 md >,..rYtors and Representatives chosen