Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-12-29

South 70 aid in their own selected
wav IN the great work OF ma
tional l,ScifcatiOn and restoration, they
| became candidates for seats in Con-
gress, before the Legislatures and the
peopie of their several States Having
| been chosen, and confiding in the guar
antics of the Constitution that they
should be permitted 70 OCCUPY the seats
1 TO which they have been elected, they
! have come here TO the National Metrop-
oils TO claim them. They bear with
| them from their distant constituencies
| fraternal greetings 10 the people of the
whole country, and are charged by them
20 say 10 the national authorities on their
behalf that they acquiesce in the situa-
/ ton in which they find themselves placed
/ by the war, accept its issues as aecom-
plished and irreVersible facts, and pledge
| themselves to be henceforth loyal ana
! true citizens of the country. These nelll-
/ bers are here, ready and willing TO orestore
peaceful and useful relations between
! their several States and the Federal
] II..:cn. Knowing the wants ana Uhe
purposes of the people they repre-
sent, they believe themselves c"ihpe-
tent, and have no doubt they are, To
! imDart useful information and TO render
valuable aid in the accomplishment OF
! that most desirable result. Ihey ASK no
/ favnrs they claim no charity at the
hands of Congress. If, by the COnstitu-
! zion. they are entitled 10 seats in that
! body. they claim them as of right, for
! themselves and for their constituents.
| But it, under that instrument, they have
no right 10 seats, they know that Con-
! eress cannot confer it by grant, As neither
can they take it away by refusal, and
1 that they must look elsewhere for more
valid credentials and better titles 10 their
seats. All that they ask for themselves
I is. that the mandate which excludes them
| from Congress shall he that of the Con-
/ stitutiOn of their country, and not the
/ voice of faction, or the fiat Of dominant
/ majority. What they demand for their
constituents is, that if they are to be de-
| prived of the great American right oi
| representation, il shall be done IN oOedl-
| ence To the requirements Of the organic
| law of the land, and not at the behest OF
mere party leaders, who trlfie with the
| great interests of the nation as puppets
I in the programme Of their partisan
. ehemes. and that the burthen of taxa
fion and of supporting the Government
shall be lifted from their shoulders, until
Z they have a vc.ce in levying of the one
! and the right 10 participate in the tunc-
/ fions of the other. These reasonable re-
quests being refused, as ] much fear they
] will be, these members from the South,
| l am sure, viii make no unavailing com
plaints nor indulge i'm any useless GRIM
| nations but calmly and confidently As
I the wrOnged and the innocent appeal to
/ heaven for redress, they viii make the
appeal for justice and right 10 the con-
! science OF the great American people. i
believe-indeed, l know already-that
the appeal will not be in vain.
For upon what plea, either OF eNpedi-
encv or of constitutional obligation, viii
the advocates Of the measure Of exclusion
| be able to defend it at the bar Of the peO-
pie2 | have already shown that it con-
| travenes both the letter and the spirit Of
/ the Federal Constitution, and that &c IS
not demanded by anything in the Con-
stitutiOn or the purposes Of the people OF
the South VIII its friends venture 10
rest its defense upon the ground Of party
necessity, and the policy of making an
issue with the President upon his scheme
Of restoration? Let them interpOse thSt
plea, and they viii, in due time, discover
hat ii has proved fatal, both to theirparty
and TO themselves, as aspirants for the
'avor of the public. For the American
people have decided, with a unanimity
which may not safely be deiied, that the
Union Of these states shall be restored,
and the breach between the sections
healed. and they well know that the
sooner that great work is accomplished
the better viii it be for all thegreat inter-
ests of the country at large. They will
accept no mis- srable plea Of party neces-
sity or Of party aut1g0nism with the
Chief Magistrate of thenati0n as justi-
fication for procrastination in the great
work of paciiicatiOn ; and woe betlde the
partv, or the men who shall first delay
Tor the sake Of party combination or
s.sceudency, the execution Otthe national
purpose, and then seek 70 justify the act
by q plea, insulting both 10 the intelli-
gence and the justice Of the nation.
And how, too, viii the advocates of the
measure Of exclusion be able to defend IL,
at the bar Of the public, upon their own
theory of the nature aid powers of the
Federal Government Al, or at least
8. preponderant majority Of them, hold
s. the true version Of the constitutional
compact, that the States have no right
TO Withdraw from the Union, and, as q
consequence, that the STATES of the
South have never been out Of IL. But ii
they be States Of the Union, are they not
entitled 10 representation under an eN-
press grant in the Constitution, and can
they he excluded from il without a clear
infracti0n Of that Instrument Will
the advocates of exclusion adhere
to this cardinal tenet Of their
own political faith and follow il
out, i'm good faith, to its necessary logi-
cal results in practice II they do 50
this unfortunate controversy comes al
once 20 an end, and peace, like dove
will descend with healing in its wing
81. Iks. ALL
they admit the tenet in theory, but Vir-
mally deny &c In practice, by holding
that the Southern States are substan-
tally, and for all practical purposes, really
out of the Union, thus becoming In real
ity. whatever they may claim TO be in
assertion, allies in faith with the very
H3en whom they affect most 10 dislike,
the secessionists Of the South OR will
they seek 10 occupy some middle ground
by holding that the Southern States are
in the Union, either as States or as
suhiurated provinces, for the purpose
OF Icing governed, but out Of It, So far a.
representation and the right of partici-
pating ia the functions Of Government
are coneerned2 ? Do they not perceive
that such an assumption VIII involve
them in contradictions and absuFditiea
botli Of theory and Of practice, from
which they can be rescued by no subtlety
Os dialectics or upon any admissible plea
either of necessity Dr Of right? Surely
the wisest, az well as tins safest course
for them 10 pursue, would be ~ admit
the logical c0hssg guences Of their doctrine
and reduce them to practice by admit
ting these Southern members % their
seats. "Let us be logical and We shall
be Just - is a maxim from high authority,
80 nsafv f.1 Oh
servance in the present cOnjuBcture OF
public affairs.
Again, it may be asked, how can this
measure Of exclusion be defended con-
sistently with the avOwais made by it,
advocates and the Republican party at
large as TO the objects for which the late
war was waged by the people of the
North At its commencement, and
during its earlier stages, they declared
that il was waged solely for the preser-
walton of the Union and. the restoration
OF the supremacy of the national flag
ever the national territory. The abO-
Iition Of slavery became an after issue OF
the struggle-a sort Of cnrollary to the
chief problems submitted for solution 10
the sword. After its introduction the
restoration Of the Union without slavery
became the party watchword and the
rallyiug battle cry Of the Republican
partV. Upon this issue they rallied the
masses OF the people Of the North 10 the
support Of the war for the establishment
of this issue the blood and treasure of the
nation were poured out like water, and
upon this issue, and upon it alone, the
arms OF the Republic triumphed over the
opposing forces Of the South. Their own
terms of pacificatiOn-a restored Union,
with slavery abolished in all its borders
are now offered 20 the Republican
party and its representatives in Congress.
Have they not virtually rejected them
hv this measure of exclusion which
prevents the restoration Of the Union
10 its former entirety Have they not,
by that disinteuating act become the
disunionists of the country, accomplish
ing by the diplomacy and for the pur-
poses Of Iarty the very object which the
secessiOnlsts vainly endeavOred 10 accom-
plish by the sword? How are they to
meet these grave impeachments at the
bar Of the American people? By what
logic is their refusal 70 restore the Union
on their own prOfered terms, to be either
explained or defended? The revelations
of the future on this p2int viii doubtless
form a curious and Instructive chapter
in our political annals.
But il Is time, Messrs. Editors, that l
should bring this, ! fear TOO extended