The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1866-08-29


by Congress over all these States aud the
people thereof. Federal Courts have been
reopened, and Federal taxes imposed and
levied. And in every respect, except
that they are denied representation in
Congress and the Electoral College, and
States once in rebellion are recognized as
holding the same position, as owing the
same obligations, and subject to the same
duties as the er'statssof our common
Union. LII 60. .l I
Unrestricted Rep,esentat'Oa Necessary.
1t seems to us, in the exercise Of the
calmest and most candid judgment we
can bring to the subject, that such claim,
SO enforced, involves as fatal an overthrow
of the authority of the Constitution, and
as complete destruction of the Govern.
ment and Union, as that which was sought
to be effected by the States and people in
armed rebellion against them both. 1t
cannot escape observation, that the pow.
er thus asserted to exclude certain States
from representation, is made to rest Who'll
ly in the will and discretion Of the Con.
gress that asserts it. 1t is not made to
depend upon any specified conditions or
circumstances, nor to be subject to any
rules or regulations whatever. The right
asserted and exercised is absolute, with.
out qualification or restriction, not confn.
ed to States in rebellion, nor to States
that have rebelled it is the right of any
Congress in formal possession Of legisla-
tive authority, to exclude any State or
States, and any portion of the people
thereof, at any time, from representation
in Congress and in the Electoral College,
its own discretion, and until they shall
perform such acts and comply with such
conditions as they may dictate. Obvious.
", the reasons for such exclusion being
wholly within the discretion of Congress,
may change as the Congress itself shall
change. One Congress may exclude q
State from all shares in the Government
for one reason and, that reason removed
the next Congress may exclude it for an!
other. One State may be excluded on
one ground to day, and another may be
excluded on the opposite ground to-mor-
row. Northern ascendancy may exclude
Southern States from one Congress-the
ascen dancy Of Western or of Southern in
terests, or of both combined, may exclude
the Northern or Eastern States from the
next. Improbable as such usurpations
may seem, the establishment Of the prin.
ciple now asserted and acted upon by
Congress will render them by no means
impossible. The character, indeed The
very existence of Congress and the Union
is thus made dependent solely and entire.
ly upon the party and sectional exigen-
cieS Of forbearances Of the hour.
| We need not stop to show that such
i action not only finds no warrant in the
G Constitution, but is at war with every
principle of our Government, and with
the very existence of free Institutions
1t is, indeed, the identical practice which
has rendered fruitless all attempts hithcr
to to establish and maintain free govern.
ments in Mexico and the States of South
America. Party necessities assert them
selves as superior to the fundamental law
which it set aside in reckless obedience
to their behests. Stability, whether il
the administration of government, or 10
the enjoyment Of rights, becomes impos-
sible; AMI the conflicts of party, which
under constitutional governments, are thu
conditions and means Of political progress
are merged In the conflicts Of arms Il
which they directly and inevitably tend.
1t was against this peril, so conspicu
t GUS and so fatal to all free Governments
that our Constitution was intended cspe
cially to provide. Not only the stability
but the very existence Of the Govern
ment is made by its provisions to depend
! upon the right and the fact Of represen
! tation. . "
Right Of Representation.
The Congress, upon which is conferred
f all the legislative power Of the Natlona
Government, consists of two branches
, the Senate and House of Representatives
whose joint concurrence or assent is es
a sential to the validity Of any law. o
i these, the House of Representatives, say
tie Constitution, (articlo /, section 2,
q "shall be composed of members chosel
!, every second year by the people of th
: several States" Not only the right O
representation thus recognized as possess
/ ed by all the States, and by every Stat
4 without restriction, qualification or cond
n ton Of any kind, but the duty Of choos
!. ing representatives is imposed upon tn
i people of each and every State alkt
A without distinction, or the authority I
q make distinctions among them, for an
q reason or upon any grounds whatever
3 And in tho Senate, SO careful is the Cor
d stitution to SECURE to@eyery State th
i right Of representation, it is expressl
v provided that mo State shall, without it
4 consent, be deprived Of its equal suffrage
Is in that body, even by an amtndment
\ the Constitution itself. When, therefor
Il any State is excluded ,fromq such repr,
!. sentation, MT only is right Of the Stat
il denied, but the conptitptioual integrity
,e the Senate is impaired, and the validii
n Of the Government itself is brought
% question. But Congress at the presc'
: moment thus excludes from represent
ro tion, in both branches Of Congress, tC
I. States of the Union, denying them o
q. share in the enactment of laws by whiC
I'd they are to be governed, and all partic
,e patton in tho election Of tho rulers J
is which those laws ate to DO enforced,
At other words, q Congress in which on
is twenty.six States are represented, assel