Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-09-07

power of the Federal Government as dc6n.
| ed by the Constitution, they had performed
their whole Federal obligation, and that in
no event were they subject to control or
interference with the organization of their
local Government, or the management of
their domestic policy. The one party, how
ever, claimed that when they denied the
Federal power, and obstructcd its opera
ton, armed coercion might be used to com
pei obedience to its lawful requirements. -
This was the extreme doctrine of the Fed
craists-ths was the theory Of those who
called themselves the friends Of the Gov
crnmcnt. This was the theory on which
the war commenced. This was the theory
Of coercion. This was the theory Of MIR.
Lincoln, when he said that after a war the
same questions would exist as before. This
was the theory of the Crittendcn resolution
and the Republican party in Congress.
This was the theory of General Sherman
when he entered into his truce with Gcncr-
cl Johnston. And he said rightly, that its
observance would bring peace from the Po-
tumac to the Rio Grande-a vcritabc peace,
pacilication. Resistance to Federal all-
thori'y would have ceased, armed forces
would have been dispersed, arms and forts
would have been given mp, the Federal laws
would have been executed. On the other
hand, the State Governments would have
been lett intact, the functions OF ciNll society
would have been unlmpaWcd, the clyll law
Would have been administered by Ordinary
tribunals, the ordinances OF secession would
have been repealed or treated aS nuIlltics,
| the Federal hoycrnmcnt an" state Govern.
lmcuts would, hy this time, have lcvoIycd
| harmoniou,ly in their respective orbits and
! then to the States would bc left, aS they
| property belong, the questions oI Negro
| Suffrage and urw Constitutions, an the re-
| Htion, Oi labor. | think General Sherman
proved himself even more wise in ncgotia.
! tion than formidable in war, and that hi,
I,tatoeman-hip, more than lis arms, would
have maintained the Union.
But in these latter days new theory la,
sprung into being. 1t is the Off Wing of
Inlorc than Yankee ingenuity, stimulated by
more than Yankee lauatici,m. 1t holds
that act, Of secession are both valid and in
yaIid-yaid to destroy the State, invalid to-
destroy the Union. The State OF Nirginia
adopted and ratified the Cen ,ttution, not a-
part of the people Of the United States, not
as Il majority Of the people Of Virginia, but
| in her capacity ~ II sovereign State rcgu-
laling her relation to other .ovcrcigns. The
Ipld Confederation had been practically dis
IsoNrd, the new one had not been formed.
| \ irgiuia wa, absolutely sovereign, and ~
such, gave her assent to the Federal Con
,tioution. By that act she became Il mem
hcr Of the Union. BY that act alone -hy
her comnandnlour-hc citizens owe ohcdi
cncc to the l'cd,rl Governments Nirgjni;
Ircucals hat act Of ratification, and thcrrb,
cndcavorS To Sccclc from the Union, and t,
r release herself from Federal obligations
and her citizens from obedience to Fedora
law.
These gentlemen aver that the act of re.
peal does not dissolve the tic which bind,
the territory 10 the Union, but docs destroy
its State Government; does dissolve It AS a
political community; doe, abSolvo the, lIcd-
cral H"vcrhmcn' from all duties, ana docs
confer upon ~ a'i powers oi management
ana control VIII not say 'hat thG HcntIc
men Il" no mn"I ''ri'''Ee1 peiicNc inns 'o'. rlnc'
h"t wll say 'hat |, thry can mlln,a'h IT.
'i'c war was u " lor 'ie 'nl"n' p"' i"r con
quest ana me result Is llhl me SCUM Is
SUP u9atro' hot 10 me 'uhSilu'l"ii, ni' !"
tho WIN o' the North ana thrn IT. l"il"W,
that the imposition OF Negro suffrage, "'
new Cons liln'i9hS, "i aihehdmchtS TO the
rcicial t""''i uiioh, thc restoration ol
clylI law, or ti!c continuance OF military
RUE, ar, questions "l pollcy, not power
most OF AL things desire to reduce them.
Midway between these positions Is the
theory adopted by the Administration, or
perhaps, | ought to say, by President John
SON llc believes that the question of sut'
ilupc belongs to the States. lie bclicvc
that the ordinances of secession were invaliC
for every purpose utterly void-that the.
do not affect either the territory or tn,
people, or the State Government, in resort
jng to war, became uSurpers, and by force
aud in fraud perverted the powers of tn,
STATE to ILLEGAL ends; that their n ,ts so la
as executed, were without authority, anc
therefore wrongful so far as not yet cX
ecutcd are utterly void. This usuipatiol
4 suppantcd the legitimate Governments
which lie dormant, imperative now, but en-
titled to all the powers and rights of tn,
States, when thcusurpation displnccd them
Hence he appointed Provisional Governor
TO set the old machinery in motion. an,
Isccks piyotal point ON which its rcvolu
tions shall confluence.
| wish.t the President had zone fnrthcr.
lie would have done better if he had nc
.rcptrd Shcrman's truce, lie would hay
done better IT, when he received the sui
mission Of armed forces, he had rccoonizc
!, the legitimate movers of organizcd Stat
II .Goyc,nmcnts. l,u, he has done well i
.r| this, that he RECOGNIZES the powcrs of IN
u IStntrs nvrr tho ,urstinu nr .,,nr,,,n. IA,