The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-08-26

| sented in the Federal Legislature, as
provided by the Constitution, there can
be no Union
War has performed its part; the soldier
has nobly discharged his duty, and let us
take good care that his blood has not
been shed in vain the insuTrectlonary
| armies have surrendeIe ed their munitions
to the Federal authorities. aud resumed
their allegiance to the Government OF the
United States, bu. the restoration OF the
Union to their position aud rights In ter
the Constitution. is not yet achieved
Upon this vital question. oui fellow
citizens Of the Republican party are di-
vided among themselves. and majority
of that party in Congress y i oppose
President Johnson's plan for readmitung
to the National Legislature the Senators
and Representatives from the Southern
States The President declares that ne
is in favor of leaving the question of re-
constructing their State Governments 10
the citizens of the Southern States, In
the exercise of their Constitutional
rights
Our Government is not consolidated
empire like that of Russia, Austria OF
France; nor a monarchy like that Of
Great Britain; but we have Union com
posed of States with coordinate powers
and co.equal rights. The States formed
the Union, aud, in doing 50, relinqnish-
cd certain rights which are distinctly
specified, and, in the language of the
Constitution. "all powers not delegated
to the United States, nor prohibited TO
the States, are reserved TO the States, or
the people" The Federal Government
derives its power from the Constitution,
and possesses no lawful authority which
is not granted by that instrument Con-
gress may admit new States. hut has no
authority to expel State from the
Union. Nineteen States represented IN
Congress, have not the right to exclude
representatives from seventeen, and II
not from seventeen, they cannot exclude
the representatives of one State
The powers of the States, a. States.
being coordinate, and their rights co.
equal, one State cannot exercise power
or enjoy privileges to which every other
State is not equally entitled
Thus every State Is entitled to two
United States Senators, no matter what
NAV be the locality, or how small the
population And the Senators from
majority of the States cannot exclude
Senator's from a minority of the States;
without thereby violoting then consti'
tutional rights
The six New England States, with
population half million less than that
of the single State OF New York, have
twelve Senators, while New York has on
ly two And the State ot Ohio has
greater population than i've ot the New
England States, and yet they have ten
Senators while Ohio has but two Nor
will we complain of the fact that one cit
izen of New England exercises live times
more representative power in the FEEDER
al Senate than does a citizen OF Ohio, un-
less that great disparity of power be used
to subvert the very rights which it was
created to protect But we are told that
the people of certain of the Southern
States, have been in open insurrection,
and that thereby the States in which the
insurgents lived have forfeited their po-
litical existence. 1t is true that the peo-
pie of the South. at first in small num-
bers, afterwards majority. did rise in
insurrection. But have they not been
terribly punished for this fault! In their
slaves alone they have lost two thous-
and million dollars. Their lands have
been ravaged their houses have been
burned, and the regien in which the war
was waged has been converted into
charred wilderness Can justice, nay not
Justice, but can human vengence demaud
more than this2 And where, let us ask,
is the provision in the Constitution,
which declares that State shall forfeit
its political existence-its rights under
the Constitution, because a portion OF
all it's citizens have been insurgentsi-
No such power exists, and it would be
absurd to suppose that the Constitution
woald provide for its own overt throw by
authorizing the disintegratiOn Of the
Union, but it does not provide for the
suppression of insurrectioD and domestic
violence. When individual persons
have done wrong they are amenable to
the civil laws, but the acts of individu-
ais cannot forfeit the existence of States,
nor confer powers upon the Federal Gov
ernmeat unknown to the Constitution
By what process is the Union to be re.
storedl By what means are We again
to become oountrymen In heart, as well
as In name7 If we continue to treat the
Southern people as enemies can we OK
pect them to become friends Would 1t
not be we'll to remember that civil wars
are like family feuds. and when. after
strife has ceased, and the cause OF the
difficulty has been calmly considered,
that both parties are generally found to
be more or less in fault
Unselfsh patriotism can restore the
Union, while selfish ambition may in,
yolve the country 10 new horrors. and
our Institutions in total ruin. IL requires
no art, no mystery, no diplomacy to 70
store the Union. We have but TO say to
our countrymen of the South. Come. let
us again be friends if in ought we have
both erred, then let us both profit by the
terrible lesson Of the past four years,
and if only one has been wrong, then let
that one be generously forgiven
Had our civil authorities been inhu
enced by the same spirit OF generosity
and wise Cancellation which inspired our
armies; or had soldiers like Sherman OF
Mcclellan been authorized to treat for
peace. the war would not have survived
the second year, and the Union would
have been restored with sentiments of
cordial admiration and affection, warm
ing the hearts of our countrymen North
and South; for generous manhood begets
respect.
Our country can only be brought back
to the happy and prosperous condition
which existed prior to the war, by re-