Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-06-24

two since submitted their report upon ia
matters entrusted to the Committee.
We presume it is from the pen Of tina
profound constitutional lawyer REvERD'
JOHNSON, and certainly is an able and ex
haustive review and exposure Of the falla
cies of the Majority Report published weel
or two ago. The argument against the Rad
ical position is 50 plain, and its leading
points have been 50 often presented within
the last six months, that we have not deemed
it necessary TO reproduce it as given in this
document, but give only an extract bearing
most directly upon the question of readmis
sion:
ONCE A SITE, ALWAYS A STATE.
A State once in the Union must abide In
il forever. She can never withdraw from
or be expelled from it. A different princi.
pie would subject the Union to dissolution
at any moment. Ii is, therefore, alike per.
ilous and msound. Nor do we see that II
has any support in the measures recon.
mended by the majority of the committee.
The insurectionary States are by these
measures conceded 10 be States Of the Union.
The proposed constitutional amendment is
10 be submitted 10 them a. well as the other
STATES. In these respects each is placed on
the same ground. To consult a State not in
the Union on the propriety Of adopting a
constitutional amendment to the govern
ment Of the Union, and which is necessarily
10 affect those States only comprising the
Union, would be an absurdity, and 10 allow
any such an amendment, as States in the
Union might desire, 10 be defeated by the
votes of States not in the Union, would be
alike nOnsensicai and unjust. The very
measure, therefore Of submitting 10 all the
States forming the Union before the insur-
rection constitutional amendment makes
the inquiry whether all at this time are in
or ont Of the Union a vital one. II they are
not, all should be consulted. If they are,
they should be, and should be only because
they are.
The very fact, therefore, Of such a submits
SION comedies that the Southern States are
aud never ceased TO be States of the Union
Tested, therefore, either by the nature Of
our government or by the terms Of the Con-
FtitutiOn, the insurrection now utterly and
happily suppressed, has in norespect changed
the relations of the States where il prevailed
in the General Government. On the con-
trary, they are to all intents and purposes
as completely States Of the Union as they
ever were, and in further support of this
proposition, if il needed any, we confidently
appeal 20 the fact that the very measure
recommended, constitutional Amendment
90 be submitted 10 such States, furnishes such
support. For, looking 10 and regarding the
rights of the other States, such a submission
has no warrant or foundation except upon
the hypothesis that they are rs absolutely
States Of the Union as any Of the other
States. Ii can never be, under any circum-
stances, a "proftess abstraction" whether
under the Constitution State is or is not a
State of the Union. Ii can never be such
an abstraction whether the people Of a State
once in the Union can voluntarily or by
compusion be freed from the obligations it
enioins, or be deprived Of the rights it con-
fcrs or the protection il affords. A different
doctrine Sarily leads to a dissolution Of
the Uni
EQUALITY OF THE STATES.
In its nature the Government is formed of
sud 10y States possessing equal rights and
powers. States unequal are not known to
the Constitution. In its original formation
perfect equality was secured. They were
granted the same representation in the SEN
ate, and the same right 20 be represented in
the House of Representatives, the difference
in the latter being regulated only by a differ
cucc in population. But every State, how
ever small It's population, was secured one
representative in that branch. Each State
was given the right, and the same right 10
participate in the election Of President and
Vice President, and all alike were secured
the benefit Of the judicial department. The
Constitution, too, was submitted 10 the peO-
pie Of each State, separately, and adopted by
chem in that capacity The convention
which framed it considered, as they were
bound 10 do, each rs a supreme sovereign,
that could not be subjected TO the Constitu-
ton except by its own consent. That con-
sent was consequently asked and given.
The equality, therefore, Of rights was the
condition Of the original thirteen States be-
fore the government was formed, and such
equality was not only not interferred with
bat guaranteed TO them as well as in regard
TO the powers conferred upon the General
Governments to those reserved 10 the States
or 10 the people of the States. The same
equality is secured TO those which have been
admitted into the Union since the Constitu-
ton was adopted. In each instance the
State admitted has has been declared to be
one Of the United States, ON an equal foot
ing with the original States in all respects
whatever" The Constitution, too, so far as
most Of the powers il coniers on the Gener-
al Government are concerned, operates di-
rectly upon the people in Jneir aggregate ca
pacity, and on all alike. Each citizen,
therefore, of every State owes the same ale
glance 20 theGeneral Government, and is en-
titled 60 the same protection The obliga-
tion of this allegiance il is not within the
legal power Of his State TO evade or amend.
IL is made paramount and perpetual, and
for that very reason il is equally the para
mount duty Of the General Government to al
low to the citizens Of each State the rights
secured to them and the protection nee
cssarv 10 their full enjoyment.
THE ADMISSION OF THE STATES.
Il is conceded that at would undoubtedly
bc competent for Congress to waive all
i1rmalitcs and 10 admit those Confederate
States at once, trusting that time and expe-
ricncc would set all things right" at 10
mot. therefore, owing 20 want of Constitu-
tunal power that il Is not done.
Ii is not because such States are not
States with republican forms of government,
The exclusion must therefore rest on consid-
crations Of safety or Of expediency alone.
The first, that Of safety, we have already
considered and, as We think, proved il 30 he
without foundation Is there any ground
for the laticr-eNpcdicncy We think not.
ON the contrary, in our Judgment their ad-
mission Is called for by the clearest eNpe-
dicncv Those States include a territorial
area Of $4,000 square miles, an area larrer
than that of five of the leading nations Of
Europe
They have a coast line of three thousand
miles. with an internal water line, including
the Mississippi, Of about thirty-six thous-
and miles. Their Agricultural products in
1880 were y ..Jt S56O0OO 600 in value, and
their puIniai,on g,66i. Gs6. Their staple
productions are Of immense and growing
importance and are almost peculiar to that
region. That the North is deeply interes-
ted in having such a country and people
restored 20 all the rights and privileges the
Constitution affords, no sane man, not blind
ed by mere party considerations, or not a
victim Of disordering prejudice, can for a
moment doubt Such a restoration Is also
necessary 10 the peace of the country, Ii is
not only important bot wal 90 the potential
Noalth with which that portion Of our
country is capable Of Ii cannot otherwise
lee fully developed. Every hour of illegal
political restraint, every hour the possession
of the rights the Constitution gave is denied,
is. not only in a political but a material
sense, Of great injury 10 the North, a. well
a. TO the South.