The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-04-04

! ernmeut IS q war IOr the Union ami Tor thi
preservation Of ali constitutional rights o
| States"
And in December, 1862, after nearly tw,
/ years Of bloody war, Abraham Lincoln
| when urging upon the attention Of Congress
an amendment Of the Constitution, abolish
ing slavery, or rather providing for its grad
ual emancipation, said:
'@Ihe plan is proposed as permanent con.
stitutional law; it cannot become such with.
out the concurrence of two-thirds Of Con.
| gress, and three-fourths of the States
The requisite three-fourths of the States
viii necessarily include seven of the slave
States.'
On the 5th day of February, 1868, the
President Of the United States authorized
and instructed the Secretary of State 70 make
a reply to the offer on the partof the French
Emperor st mediation, and amongst other
things he used the following implicit Ian
guage:
81 must be allowed to say, also, that Mr..
Drouyn de Lhuys errslin his description Of
the parties to the present conflict. We
have here, in the political sense, no North
and South, no Northern and Southern
States. We have an iasIrrectionGTy party,
which is located chiefly upon and adjacent
TO the shore Of the Gulf Of Mexico; and we
have, on the other hand, loyal people who
constituted not only Northern STATES, but
also Eastern, Middle, Western and Southern
States.
''There is, however, better conference
than the one which Mr.. DrOuyn de Lhuys
suggests The Congress Of the
UHited States furnishes constitutional TO-
rum for debate bet10eeIi the atienGted parties.
Senators and Representatives from the
loyal portion of the people are there al
ready, freely empowered to confer; and
seats, also, are 0acant and INVITING SENATORS
AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THIS DISCONTINUED
PARTY WHO MAY BE CONSTITUTION
ALLY SENT THERE from the States in
UOLUed iH the inSHTTecti0H. Moreover, the
conferences which can thus be held in Con-
gress have this advantage over any that
could be organized upon the plan of NJ.
Drouyn de Lhuys, namely: that the Con-
gress, if it were thought wise, could call a
national convention to adopt its recommen-
dations, and give them all the solemnity
and binding force Of organic law"
This was the policy of Abraham Lincoln,
advocated and approved by his Cabinet and
political friends, adopted and urged by
Andrew johnson; and yet, when he has the
courage to say, in the Congress Of the
United States, as he did in his mastery
message vetoing the Freedmen's Bureau
Bill.
Z" hold it to be my duty to recommend
to you in the interests of peace and in the
interests of the Union the admission Of
every State to its share in public legisla-
ton; when, however insubordinate, insur=
gent, or rebellious its people may have
been, it presents itself, not only in the at
titude Of loyalty and harmony, but in the
persons Of Representatives, whose loyalty,
cannot be questioned under any existing
constitutional or legal test" y
He is charged with being traitor to the
country and as having gone over to the
0Rebels and the Democrats"
And when the Joint resolution was adopt
ed as proposed by Mr.. Lincoln, and which
he said would require for its ratification
sseUeR of the States in rebellion-when
these "seven States, cid ratify it, by acts
of their Legislatures, Secretary Seward on
the 18th of December, 1865. officially an
nounced its ratification, ana included in
the number, the States of ''Virginia, Louis
lana, Tennessee, Arkansas, South Carolina,
Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia"
By this official proclamation, these States
have exercised the highest function be-
longing to a State in the Union. They,
even, as thus declared changed by the su-
preme law, and yet, they are denied repre-
sentation in the House Of Congress to aid in
ordinary legislation.
But this is not all, in Is63-Abraham Lin
coin proposed plan for the establishment
of loyal State Governments in the States
then in rebellion-and what was his plan ?
Hear it-and then tell me, in what it diff
fers from the policy of Andrew Johnson:
"And it is suggested as not improper that,
in constructing loyal State governments in
any State, the name of the State, the boun-
dary, the subdivisions, the constitutions,
and the general code of laws, as before the
rebellion, be maintained, subject only to
the notifications made necessary by the
conditions hereinbelore stated"
These were the abolition of slavery, and
taking an oath to support, defend, protect
the Constitution, and abide by all laws and
proclamations in reference TO slavery, so tar
as not modified by subsequent legislation or
declared void by the Courts.
To this plan Abraham Lincoln adhered
until the day of his death. In his last pub
lie speech, delivered but three days before
his eowardly assassination, in reference to
his policy OF restoration he said:
"rhe plan was submitted TO my then
Cabinet and approved by every member OF
it."
Hence, we have seen that from the begin
ming OF the war, all through its long and
bloody struggle, TO its glorious termination,
the Executive Department committed itself
and the country against the idea OF detunct
States. Loyal men North and South advo-
Gated the same great truth-end thus en-
couraged, they urged upon their people,
and the nation, to sustain the country mats
terrible struggle.
Eyen-harded Justice demands this policy
now as we'll as then. 1t was the platform
on which the war was waged; upon which
the battles were fought, and the victories
won-and why should We desert 1t now2
You all remember, my fellow-citlzensi the
summer of 1862, when General Johnson's
army fed before the advancing forces of the
United States under General Buell.. On the
Fourth of July of that year, delivered to
YOU an address. Fortunately, ! have pre-
served it, and / wslt TO read an extract
from that speech 10 show you what was
then considered loyalty, and TO see VINO mas
changed-whether we do not stand to day,
where we stood then, and when the views
then expressed by US, met with the warm
wish YOU 10 remember that this language
was used months be ore Secretary Stewards
dispatch to our Minister at Paris was writ
ten or published.
! said then:
"This suempt on the part of the people
Of the Southern States, TO defy the Govern
ment of the United States, and by resort
TO arms compel it to relinquish its Just rights
over the people and territory, and its duty
to protect its loyal citizens, is the attempt
Of madmen. This rebellion must cease
The Constitution must be upheld the
laws must be enforced the Union must be
sustained in its integrity, and intact and
unbroken as in territory.
Why, a Government is entitled TO no re-
spect that will yield anything to traitors in
AIMS. Let rebels lay down their arms, and
return to their allegiance, and they will be
forgiven. If really injured. or deprived OF
any Of their political rights, let them 60 to
the peaceable remedies under the Constitu-
tion to the ballot-box and to discussion
before the people. In this way they will
find full and ample remedies provided for
the relief of every political wro0g.
Let the people Of the Southern States
abandon their insane and foolish rebellion ;
| this bloody experiment Of redressing politi-
| cal Ills BY force. Let them relieve as far as
| they can those who have suffered from Their
2olicy. Let them assume their civil rights
I send back tier members 10 the congress oi
the United States, and thus end TINS oiooay
| tragedy.
Ii IS the end that must and viii be
| reached at last. Is is what they will have
70 do in the coming future, and 1t were bet
/ ter done now"
such were The words l used in the sum
mer of 1862. ! stand by them to-day
| Who has changed Then, they were con
sidered words OF wisdom, and were treas
ured up BY the loyal people who heard me.
/ I'et Us 20 back 70 the old land marks. Let
ms re-kindle our lamps at the pure hres o.
| genuine patriotism.
CONGRESSIONAL ACTION.
The legislative as well as the exeeutive
deparsment OF the Government, by its acts,
] presents an impossible barrier 70 this In
/ tended inroad upon the life Of the States,
ana gives the official lie to the assumption
that thsy are dead. =. -,
On the 5th of August, 1851, IN the hiust
Of the war, Congress passed an act 70 pro
vide for raising revenue In that SCI q al
rect tax is imposed on the United states,
under that clause Of the Constitution which
declares that Representatives and direct
| taxes shall be apportioned among the sefe-
ral States which may be included IN this
Union according 10 their respective num-
| bers," ana that "each State shall have al
least one representative" And in the ap-
portionment the law uses the following
/ language
,SfhsI direct tax is hereby annually
laid on tie United States, and the same shall
| be and is hereby apportioned TO the States
! respectiyely ana in the manner following;
Teapessee, S6e9, ,4qs 00,' and the other
states declared in rebellion are mentioned