Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-08-11
A Political Non-Sequitur.

An argument constantly in the mouths Of
many politicians against any interference by
the national Government with the subject Of
elect i've franchise IN the rebel States, is the
following. Say they a State cannot Sc
cede from the Union. IL it could. then the
United States Government had M right to
compel obedience to its authority. any more
than it would have right to compel France
or England to yield to it. TIE government
right to prevent secession BY force. depended
on the assumption that secessio- was impos-
.ible. But, il secession is impossible, then
each rebcilious STATE is as much 10 the onion
as it ever WAS, AND. Of course. the United
States Government can no more NEEDLE with
the elective franchise IN it than it could do
~ in State which never went into rebel
lion
The failacy involved in tins arg uin-nt IL shown
hy applying it to the case OF an indiSidu-
al. 4 man takes it into his head to -sy that
ne no longer recognizes the right oi the TOW
crnmcnt Of the State 10 control his actions
saws he seoedes FROM IT, authority. nnd forth
with proceeds to take hv tive strong hand,
the property OF his n,isi,h0r-, ro'-e rhe State
sasury and shoots 3owp' tho, who strive
90 protect themselves and the public from
.is violence. The public authorizes muster
foIce, and after \ hong and dangerous strug-
gle. overpower lHm and take sway all his
means Of offense and Resistance. lie then
own that be j. b,aten-that he cannot fight
ary more If d. wculd. ami says his seccs-
sion has-tc hia disappointment ana regret
proved an utter failure. Blt, -ays he.
"since gige up ny secession, ! stand exact
ly where | stuyd .,tTc made the attempt.
claim 10 he iisLiieiiy in POSSESSION Of all
the rights | ever lad, and the governmc mt
has no light to m, 4 &c with one Of thcm ."
Who would think Of allowing such a
IreposterOus claim The answer would be,
- Your claim Of right Ia secedc, rs you call
il. ! al not shadow OF foundation. and in
endeayuring To cn'orce 1t You acted pub
lie enemy. and rcsnr'cd TO all the acts of
pubic violence tn carry your point which any
public Enemy could have rcsortcd u. You
conld not complain Of Injustice il You were
now to he treated as one in ali respects. But
We do not rcel the absolute necessity OF ~
treating you, and are di.poscd to bring yyu,
II possible, again into the r, htipns of reace-
able and orderly citizen: but to effect thls.
you must submit to being deprived Of your
power to do mischief hereafter. You had
certain means of doing harm of great power
and because you had them you used them,
de6ed the rightful authority under which
you were, made war upon 1t to subvert it,
and committed all manner Of outrage on the
lives and property of your fellow citizens.
Enough is known by bitter experience. of
what you have done. and may do again. un-
less you are deprived forever Of your special
means of wrong doing, and are put under
firm bonds to SECURE your good conduct here
after
The case Of the rebel States is precisely
like this, and the common sense oil all unpre-
JUDGED men will justify their being treated
accordingly. The argument that because
they could not eecede-thst lie, could not
~,o6yf,.Vp md r.n f,fut,o1 a1y .,c.de ,berc
fore they must now be dealt with exactly as
IT they had never made the attempt to secede
and supported it by war and blood-sbed, is
wholly unsound.