The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-08-10

las no right to) commit murder new
,rtheless, States have broken away
rom their obligations to tho Union,
as murderers have broken away from
heir Obligations 10 the moral Jaw
1t is ridiculous folly to assert that
criminal acts are impossible because
they are unjuStifdble. \
What is now the real question?
1t is the condition in which the
criminal acts of the Rebel States lett
them as political communities.
What is claimed by their Northern
sympathizers for them2 !
That being in the Union en- our
view, and out Of it in the view OF the
Rebels, the only result of defeating
them as Rebels, is to restore them as
citizens.
What game would this be
"Hcads win tails you lose; not
very likely to bo played by people
after the sacrifices OF this cruel war.
Who're are they now? ..
After having, by solemn act Of their
own, through conventions of their
people, foresworn their duties to the
Constitution, they, by that act tor
feited all its privileges-in other words
became Rebel enemies, against whom
we have both the rights of sovereignty
and the rights of war. In their own
view,, they became foreigners; and
from that moment they had no more
constitutions" control of The area
they occupied, were no more Estates
than if they had transferred their ale
glance to a European power, and the
war had been prosecuted to wrest the
territory they occupied and the peo-
pie they ruled from the clutch of Eng
land and France.
Will this principle apply if the
Union be considered partnership as
some allege?
It will for partnerships imply mu
tual obligations, and no partner car
I, steal the property of his firm and alb
scond with it, and then, after he ha
been hunted down and arrested, clotin
the rights in the business he enjoycC
before he became q rogue.
), 1t is claimed by many wise mel
3 that the small minority of citizens il
the Rebel States, claiming to be and t
. have been lOydt, constitute the State
in the constitutional meaning of tn
!, u term what objection is there to this
q 1t is plainly impossible to distln
u gush the loyal from the disloyal j
all these Rebel States, and the Gov
10 ernment has required the same oat
-, Of all and an oath not foun in an
|" ! Constitution. 1t is plain that no m
- nority in political society can clail
= exemption from evils, it had not powC
: to prevent. Had we been at war wit
" Great Britain tho property Of Cobde
-, and Bright, our friends, would hay
is is been as liable to capture as that
II Lindsay and Laird, our enemies. N
loyal citizen of the South could hay
., " been more opposed to secession tha
o"' " the Copperheads of the North we
" opposed to the war for the Union, al
yet the persons Of these Copperhca
10 were as liable to conscription al
~ ~ their property to taxation, as the me
~ r., enthusiastic Republican. The Sout
w ern Unonist was forced into compl
10 ity with tho crime. His property W
: taken, ho was forced into the arm
10 :" and thus was part of'Confedora
io strength. His slaves were emanciT
ted as were those of the most disloy
How now can he and his friends bo t
~ State which was eXtnguishcd by
own act when it rebellod? I? He n
his friends maybe the objects of sy
no pathy, of honor and reward but
the work of reconstruction the gr'
W body of tho citizens of the Unit
uu' States, of the persons who bought u
"a. ~ property at sach terrible price, M
~, po be consulted. THIS is not only exI
y, diept, but. because the Southern [
uu " ionlst can advance no valid claim to
n1 1 the political society which was rect
'a, niEed by tho Federal Constitution
Vi State before the Rebellion. If tn
are the State they need no author
'o' from Washington to form nep @,
stituton. If, on tho cOmmcncem
III of the Rebellion, they had rallied
III III defense of the Union, formed arm
"'o preserved the State organization
der tho old Constitution, and conduc
n war against the Conlederates
n"i traitors to their respective States
tn well as to the United States, they mi
o'l present some such claim. They
III, not do this, because they were
Ino m powerful enough to do it.
M ,ho It's asserted that the acts of SCI
I1,aI 1 sion being unconstitutional they W
imperative and void, consequently
citizens of those seeded States are
n citizens of tho Union. How is this
40 +, The acts of secession were passed
M 'hc the people of tho several States,
ove the persons and property OF the wi
, of people were indiscriminately use(
on making them effective. The ST.
held by the Rebel armies were IL
two States, and were thus enemies of
~ Union. Consequently the territor
,ote the States was as "vod' Of citizen
y ~ the United States, as tho acts OF
yote ccssion were "void," The onlytl
ugb & then left is tho imperative idea
Ger States.
ord ord 1t is also asserted that although
for people OF n State may commit trea
foro tho State remains unaffected. Is
was soF
teal This pre-supposes difference
Con. tween the Sta:es and the people
anic posing it-betwecn the States anC