The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-08-22
ADvERTIsING RATls.


tisemonts are charged al the above rtt, /, nnicss a
written agreement Is made previous TO insertion
upon its own soil against its authority. If
we ha carried on successful war against
| ANY foreign nation. we might thereby have
acquired possession and jurisdiction of
their soil, with the right to enforce our
laws upon their pc pie and IN Impose upon
chem such laws and such obligations rs we
might choose. BIT we had before the war
lcomllrte jurisdiction over the son of the
Southern states. limited ouly by our own
| Constitution. Our laws were the only
! Nationall laws II, force upon it.
The Government of the United States
was the only Government through which
| those states and their people had relations
with foreign nations, and its flag was the
only flag by which they were recognized
or known anywhere on the face of the
earth. In all these respects and I'm all
other respects involving national interests
and rights, our possession was perfect and
lcomplctc. It did not need to hc acquired.
but only to be maintained; and victorious
war against the rebellion could do nothing
more than maiptain it. 1t could only vim
dicate and rc-cstablislIth disputed suprem-
acy of the Constitution lt could neither
enlarge nor diminish the authority which
that Constitution confers upon the Gov
| ernment by which II was achieved. Such
an enlargement or abridgnnent of constitu-
tional power can he effected only by amend
ment of the Constisution ITSELF and such
amendment can be made only in the modes
which the Constitution itself prescribcs.
The claim that the suppression of an iu-
surrection against the Government gives
additional authority and power to that
| Government. especially that it cnargcs
| the jurisdiction of Congress. and gives
that body che right to exclude States from
representation in the National councils,
hoo 4, ,tal.t q I.
no authority and no existence, seems to us
at variance alike with the principles of the
Constitution and with the public safety.
WAY TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION.
Third. But it is alleged that in certain
particulars the Constitution of tie United
States fails to secure the absolute Justice
aud impartial equality which tie prnci-
| pies of our Government require; that il
was in this respect the result of compro-
misses and concessions, to which, however
necessary when the Constitution was
formed, we are no longer &, mpelled to sub
NIT, and that now, having the power,
| through successful war and just warrant,
for its exercise in the hostile conduct of
the insurgent section. the actual Govern
mcnt of the United States may impose its
own conditions, and make the Constitution
conform in all its provisions to its own
ideas of equality and the rights of man.
Congress, at It's last session, proposed
amendments to the Constitution, enlarging
in some very important particulars the au-
thority of the General Government over
that of the several States, aud reducing,
by indirect disiranchisement, the repre-
sentative power of the States i'm which
slavery formerly existed; and it is claimed
that these amendments may be made valid
as parts OF the original Constituti. III with
out the concurrence of the States to be
most seriously affected by them. or may be
imposed upon those States by tllrce-fourths
of the remaining States, as conditions of
their re-admission to representation in
Congress and in the Electoral College.
FULL CONCURRENCE OF TuE STATES REauI-
SITE.
1t is the unqucstionable right of the pco-
pie of the United States to make such
chanGcs in the Constitution as they, upon
due dcliberatiOn. may deem cNpediCpt.
But we insist that they shall be made i'm
the mode which the Constitution itself
points oUt-in conformity with the letter
and the spirit of that instrument. and with
the principles of sef-govcrnmcnt aud of
equal rights, which lie at the basis of our
republican institutions. We deny the
right of Congress to make these changes in
the fundamental law without the concur-
renee of brce-fourths of all the States. in
cluding especially those to he most serious
y affected by them; or to impose them
re entation. or of admission 10 any of the
rights. duties or obligations which belong.
under the Constitution, to all the states
alike. And with still greater emphasis do
we deny the rignt of any portion of the
States excluding the restO of the States from
any share in their councilsl To proposs or
sanction changes in the Constitution which
are to affect permanently their political re-
lationS. and control or coerce the legitimate
action of the several membGrs of the COM
mon Union.
Such an exercise Of power is simply an
usurpatiOn, just as warrantable when OK
crcised by Northern States rs It would be
ifcXercised by ; uthorn. and not to he
fortified or paliatc1 by any thing in the
past history. either Of those by whom il is
attempted or of those upon whose right.
and liberties it is to take effect IL finds no
warrant in the Constitution. ID is at war
with the fundamental principles of our
form of government. If tolerated ill one
instance, it becomes the precedent for fn
ture invasions of liberty and constitutional
right, dependent solely upon the will OF the
party In possession of power aud thus leads
BY direct and necessary Sequence TO tho
most fatal and intolerghlC Of all tyrannics
the tyranny of shifting aad Irresponsible
political factions. IL is against This, the
most formidable of all the dangers which
menace the stability of free government.
that the Constitution of the United States
was intended most carefully to provide
We demand a strict and steadlast adherence
10 is provisions, In Jhis and in this alone.
can we find basis of permanent Union
and peace.
LOYALTY or THE soUrH UNQUEsIoNED.
Fourth--But il Is alleged, in justification
of the Isurpation which we condemn, that
the condition { the Southern States and
people is not such rs renders safe their re-
admission to share in the Government of
the country that they are still disloyal In
sentiment aud purp Sc, and that neither
the honor the credit nor the interests of
the nation would be safe il theywere re-ad-
mittGd to a share in its councils. We
might reply to this;
l. That we have no right, for such rea-
sons, to deny TO any portion of the States
Dr people rights expressly conferred upon
Them by the Constitution OF the United
States.
2. That so long as their acts are those of
Oyalty-sO long as they conform In ali
their public conduct to the requirements of
the Constitution and laws-we have no
right Ia exact from them conformity In
their sentiments aud opinions 70 our own.
3. That we have no right 10 distrust
IL.