The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1865-12-14

and peace. Until it is done the past
however much we may desire it, viii MOI
be forgotten. The adoption of the
amendment reunites usbeyond all power
OF disruption. 1t heals the wound thai
is still imperfectly closed it removes
slavery, the element which has SO long
perplexed and divided the country; i
makes of us once more a united people
renewed and strengthened, bound more
than ever to mutual affection and sup
port. -
The amendment to the Constitution
being adopted, it would remain for the
States, whose powers have been SO long
IN allegiance, to resume their places in
the two branches of the National Legis-
lature, and thereby complete the work
of restoration. Here it is for you, fell
low-citizens of the Senate, and for yon;
fellow-ci citizens of the House of Repre-
sentatiycs, to judge, each of you for
yourselves, of the elections, returns and
qualifications Of your own members.
The full assertion of the powers of the
general government requires the holding
of Circuit Courts ofthe United States
within the districts where their author
ity has been interrupted. In the present
posture of our public affairs, strong OBJ
jections have been urged to- holding
those courts in any of the States where
the rebellion has existed and it was
ascertained, by inquiry, that the Circuit
Court Of the United States would not be
held within the District of. Virginia
during the autumn or early winter, nor
until Congress should have an Copper
tunity to consider and act on the whole
subject" To your deliberations the
restoration of this branch of the civil
authority of the United States is there
fore necessarily referred, with the hope
that early provision will bemade for the
resumption of all it's functions. It is
manifest that treason, most fragrant in
character, has been committed. Per
sons who are charged with it's commits
sion should have fair and impartialtrials
in the highest civil tribunals of the
country, in order that the Constitution
and the laws may be fully vindicated,
the truth clearly established and af-
frmed that treason is crime, that trai-
tors should be punished and the offense
made infamous; and, at the same time.
that the question may be judicially set
tied, finally and forever, that no State
of its own will has the right to re-
nounce its place in the Union.
The relations of the general govern
ment towards the four millions of in
habitants whom the war has called into
freedom have engaged my most serious
consideration. On the propriety of at
tempting to make the freedmen cleo
tors, by the proclamation of the Exec
utive, [ took for my counsel the Con-
lstitution itself, the interpretations of
that instrument by it's authors and
their contemporaries, and recent legis-
lation by Congress. When, at the first
movement towards independence, the
Congress of the United States, instruct
ed the several States to institute GOV
ernments of their own, they left each
State to decide for itself the conditions
for the enjoyment of the elective fran
chise. During the period of the Con-
federacy there continued to exist verv
great diversity in the qualifications Of
electors in the several States, and even
within State distinction of qualifi-
cations prevailed with regard to the Of
fcers who were to be chosen. The
Constitution of the United States re-
cognizes these diversities when it en-
joins that, in the choice of members of
the House of Representatives of the
United States, 'the electors in each
State shall have the qualifications re-
quisite for electors of the most numer-
GUS branch of the State Legislature
After the formation of the Constitu-
tion it remained, as before, the uniform
usage for each State to enlarge the body
of its electors, according to its own
Judgment; and, under this system, one
State after another has proceeded to
increase the number Of its electors, un-
til now universal suffrage, or something
very near it, is the general rule. So
fixed was this reservation of power in
the habits of the people, and SO un-
questioned has been the interpretation
of the Constitution, that during the
civil war the late President never har-
bored the purpose certainly never
avowed the purpose-of disregarding
it; and in the acts of Congress, during
that period, nothing can be found
which, during the continuance of hos
tilities, much less after their, close,
would have sanctioned any departure
by the Executive from policy which
has SO uniformly obtained. Moreover,
a concession of the elective franchise
to the freedmen, by act of the Presi-
dent of the United States, must have
been extended to all colored men, wher-
ever found, and SO must have estab-
lished a change of suffrage in the
Northern, Middle and Western States,
not less than in the Southern and
Southwestern. Such an act would
have created anew class of voters, and
would have been an assumption of
power by the President which nothing
in the Constitution or laws of the
United States would have warranted. i
On the other hand, every danger of
conflict is avoidedi whpn the coftl Ion, arf