The Portland daily press., 1865-06-23

efficacy within their limits, but, ss we showed
the other day, their constitutions, having been
changed and remodelled to make them wholly
inconsistent with the federal constitution, are
Of themselves null and void, and the officers
elected under them are clothed With no au
thority which the citizens OF those states are
bound % regard, or when tne iederai govern
ment can possibly recognize.
newins is peaceful relations with the rebel
states proceeds upon the ground that the To-
cal governments have been broken up, and
that. with the exception of the authority
nee sssarily exercised within their limits by
the central power at Washington, they are
Without political organization. the federal
authority arrests the governors of the rebel
states and conducts them to prison. The fed
eral authority, through its military officers,
forbids their legislatures to assemble. The
political power is held 10 be ia abegdnce. AZ
the lawyers say-it exists not in reality, but
only in possibility-it SAUNDERS, it is suspend
ed, until the people assemble and frame. for
themselves anew system of polity adapted TO
the new state of things. aiasEeif.-e se
In his proclamation for appointing Mr.. Hol-
den military governor of North Carolina, and
directing him TO take measures for calling
convention of the people Of that state 70 frame
constitution, President johnson takes pre-
cisely tnl6 gr0unu. Ac icB aAuc .Ao Souoe
ton under which the people of that state iv-
ed before the rebellion as now imperative. -
The rebellion, he observes, "has in its revolu-
tionary progress deprived the state of all civil
government 1890
II is manifest that in applying the princi-
pies which we have laid down, and which
have been adopted by Mr.. johnson in The
case OF North Carolina, to the case of tho cot
ton states also, the Executive would have the
same right to designate the classes Of persons
BY whom the delegates to the constitutional
conventions shall be elected. which he exer-
cised In that instance. In setting aside their
earlier constitutions. as abandoned by the peo-
pleof these states and as wholly unsuited to
the order OF things introduced by the subiuga-
ton of the shareholders, he might require
them, when rebuilding the structure OF the
state governments. to place it upon the broad
est possible popular foundation.
Mr.. Lawrence makes just distinction near
the close OF his letter. He admits the right
of a convention, when elected by full popu-
lar vote, to place such restrictions on the
right of suffrage as may seem to it expedient,
but that convention, he maintains, ought to be
elected by universal suffrage. The constitu-
tion under which people are to live should
be a fair and complete expression Of the pop
ular will in which no class, whether large or
small, should be excluded from voice. If,
In the organic law SO framed, there should be
limitations Of the right of suffrage, that is not
matter In which the authority calling the
convention can or ought TO Interfere. But it
should take care that the convention by which
these Limitations are to be adopted or rejected
shall fairly represent the inhabitants Of the re-
gion over which the new form of government
Is to 1--we force. -