Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1866-06-30

to such rights, privileges and coad.jo,i as
might be vouchslfed by the conoucror This
position is also established by judicial decisions,
and is recognized by the President in public
proclamatons, documents and speeches
Third Having voluntarily deprived them.
selves of representation in Congress, for the
criminal purpose of destroying the Federal
Union, and having REDUCED themselves, b,
the act Of lcvyinS war, to the condition Of
public enemies, they have no right to com
plain OF temporary exclusion from Congress
but, on the contrary, having voluntarily re-
nounccd their right to representation and dis.
qualified themselves by crime from parsicipa-
ting in the Government, the burden now rests
upon them, before claiming TO be reinstatcd in
their former condition, to show that they arc
qualified to resume Federal relations In Or
or to do this they must prove that they have
established, with the consent of, tho people,
republican forms of Government, in har,no.
ny with tho Constitution and laws of the Uni
ted States; that all hostile purposes have
ceased, and should give adequate guarantees
against future treason aud rebellion, which
will prove satisfactory to the Government
against which they rcbcflcd and by whose
arms they were subducd.
Fourth-IInving by this reasonable with
drawol from Congress, and by fragrant rebel
lion aud war forfeited all civil and political
rights and privileges under the Federal Con
sttution, they can only be restored thereto BY
tho permission and authority Of that consti
tutlonal power against which they rcbclcd
and by which they were sub1ucd.
Fitth-Thcsc rcbcllious armies were con-
qucred by the people of the United States act
ing through all co-or'linary branches of the
Government, and not by the Executive De-
partmcnt alone. The powers of Congress arc
not so vested in the Prcsidcut that he can fix
and regulate the terms of scttemcntand con-
fer Congressional representation upon con-
1ucrcd rebels and traitors, nor can lie in any
way qualify enemies of the Government to
exercise its law making power. The author
ny 10 rcStoW rcbvis 70 roltie~l r"-a.>;" tho
Federal Government can be exercised only
with the concurrence of all the departments
in which political power is vested, and hence
the several proclamations of the President
to the people Of the Confederate States can
not be. considered as cxteuding beyond the
purposes declared, aud can only be regarded
as provisional permission by the Commander
in-chief of the army to do certain acts the va
Gdity whereof is to be determined by the Con-
s'it,ttionaf Government, and not solely by the
Executive power.
SiNth-The question before Congress is,
then, whether conquered enemies have the
right and shall be permitted at their own
pleasure and. Oh their own terms to participate
in making laws for their conquerors. Whcth-
er conquered rebels may change their theatre
of operations from the battle Geld, whore
they were defeated and ovcrthrown, to the
halls Of Congress, and through this rcprcscn-
tation seize upon the Government which they
sought to destroy. Whother the national
treasury, the army of the nation, it, avy, it's
forts and arscnals,, its whole civil administra-
ton, it's credit, its pensioners, the widows and
public honor peace and safety, shall all be
turned over to the keeping of its rcceut cnc
mics without delay, and without requiring
such conditions as in tic opinion of Congress
the security of the country and its institutions
may demand.
Seventh The history of mankind exhibits
no example Of such madncss and folly. The
instinct of sclfprcscrvation protests against it,
The surrender by Granite Lecand by Sherman
to Johnston would have been disasters of less
magnitude for new armies could have been
raised, new battles fought, and the Govern
mcnt saved. The anti -cocrcve policy which,
under the prctcxt of avoiding bloodshed, al
lowed the rebellion to take form and gather
force, would be surpassed in nfamy by the
matchlcss wickcdncss that would now surren-
der the halls of Congress to those so recently
in rebellion, until proper precautions shall
have been taken to secure the national faith
and the national safety.
Eighth. lit has been shown in this report,
and in the evidence submitted, that no proof
has been afforded to Congress of constituent
cy in any of the so called Confederate States,
unless we except the State Of Tennessee, quail
fled to elect Senators and Representatives in
Congress. No State Constitution, nor amend
ment to a State Constitution, has had the
sanction Of tho people. All the so called leg.
islation of State Conventions and Legislatures
has been had under military dictation If
the President may athis will and under his
own authority, whether MS military command