The weekly standard. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1865-1867, 1865-12-16
a1i.tE1e tEsstEt tt.T4.9ftI III 2 - 2 -
a.. 4 PORT GIBSON

P(1Rls GIBSOl
! Ii found the States suffering from th,
effects of a civil war. Resistance tc
the General Government appeared te
have exhausted, itself The United
States had recovered possession o
their forts and arsenals, and their ar
Emies were in the occupation Of every
State which had attempted to secede
Whether the territory within the. Inn
Its of these, States should be held as
conquered territory under military. au-
fthority emanating from the President
as the head of the army,9was the first
/ question that presented itself for de-
cisioni Now military Governments,
Established for an indefinite period,
would haFeaoffered no security for the
early suppression of the discontented,
andiEould only have divided the peo-
pie into the yanquishers and the van
quished, and would have enyenomed
hatred rather than restored affection,
and would have entai1ed an incalcu1a-
bic and exhausting expense. Peaceful
emigration to and from that portion Of
that country is one of the best means
that can be thought of for the restora-
ton of harmony, and that emigration
would have been prevented, for what
emigrant from abroad, what industri4
GUS citizen athome would place him
self willingly under military The
chief persons who would have followed
in the train Of the army would have
been dependent on 1.-THE. General Gov
ernment, or men who expected profit
from the miseries Of their erring fei94
ow-citizens, the powers Of patronage
and rule which would have been exer-
cised under the President over ,iFt a vast
and populous, and naturally wealthy
region, are greater than, unless under
extreme necessity, I should be wiling
to entrust any one man, They are are
such as, for myself, I could never, un =
less, under an occasion of great emer
gency, consent to exercise. Tie wiifuI
use Of such powers, if Z continued t Jed
through a period of years, would have
endangered the purity Of the general
administration and the liberties Of
States which remained loyal. Besides,
the the policy of military rule over con-
quereSd- g territory, sP 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 exist, But the true theoryis that
all pretended acts of secession were,
from the beginning, null and void
The States cannot commit treason, nor
can the individual, who may have com
mitted treason, any more than they
can, make, valid treaties or engage in
lawful commerce with any foreign fol Pow
er.aosThe States attempting to secede
placed themselves III condition where
their vitality was impaired, but 'li not ex sz-
tinglished. Their functions, were sus-
pended, but not, destroyed butif any
State negleetssor refuses toperform its
office, there is more need that the Gem
eral Government should maintain all
its authority, and as soon s1l as possible e,s
resume sum the the exercise Of all its functions.
On this principle I have acted and
have gradually and quietly and by al.
most imperceptib1e steps sought to re-
store the fightful energy Of the Generree
al Government and of the States. To
that end Provisional Governors have
been appointed for the States, conven-
tions called, Governors elected, Legis-
latures assembled,9 and Senators and
Representatives chosen to the Con
gress Of the United States. at & the he
same time the courts of the United
States as far. as could be done; have
been restored. so that the laws of the
United States may be enforced through
their agency The Blockade has been
removed, and custom7houses reinsta-
ted in ports of entry, SO that revenues
of, the United States may be collected.
b Thed dPostofice Department renews
its ceaseless activity, and the General
Government is thereby enabled to com
lmunicate promptly with its officers and
agents. The courts being security to
persons and property the openingof
ports invites the restoration of indus
try and commerce. The Postofice re-
news the facilities of social intercourse
and Of business, and is it not happy
for all that the restoration Of each one
of these functions of the General Gov
ernlnent brings with it a blessing to the
States over which they are extended
Is it not sure promise of harmony. q