, 1866-01-26

tuition of the United States, At the yer,
commencement, when We assumed plac
among The powers of the earth, the Declara
tion of Independence was adopted BY States
so also were the afbicIes OF Confederation
and whsnn 1.-The people Of the United States
ordained and established the. Constitution, il
was the assent Of the States, one by one
which gave it vitality, In the event, too, OIL
any amendment to the Constitution, the pro
position Of Congress needs the confirmation
Of States, Without States, one great. branch
ofthe legislative government would be want,
ing. And, if we look beyond the letter Of
the Constitution to the character of our coun>
try, its capacity for comprehending) within
its jurisdiction vast continental empire, is
due to the system of States. The best seeu.
rity for the perpetual existence of the States
is the supreme authority of the Constitu-
ton of the United States The perpetuity
of the Constitution brings with it the perpe>
tuity of the States their mutual relation
makes us what we are, and in our political
system their connection is indissOluble The
whole cannot exist without the parts, nor the
parts without the whole. So long as the
Constitution of the United States endures,
the States will endure--tbe destruction of
the one is the destruction eff the other the
preservation of the one isthe preservation of
the other. ..- ..rr.I f.. .1.Ia
| have thus explained my views of the
mutual relations of the Constitution and the
States, because they unfold the principles on
which | have sought to solve the mOmentous
questions aud overcome the appalling diff
culties that met me at tkeVery commence
ment of my administration. 1t has been my
Steadfast object to escape from the sway of
momentlry passions and TO derive healing
policy from the fundamental and unchanging
principles of the Constitution. .sr1
l found the States suffering from the ef
fects of civil war. Resistance to the General
Government appeared to have exhausted it,
self The United States had recovered pos
session of their forts and arseuals and their
armies were in the occupation of every State
which had attempted to secede. Whether
the territory within the limits of those States
should be held as conquered territory, nnder
military, authority emanatiog from the Presi>
dent as the head of the army, was the first
question that presented itself1for decision
Military Rule. a #T.. t..".
Now, military governments, established
for an indefinite period, would have offered
no security for the early suppression of dis
content; would have divided the people into
the vanquisher5 and the vanquished and
would have envenomed hatred rather than
have restored affection. Once established,
no precise limit T. their continuance was con,
ceiyable. They would have occasioned an in.
calculabe and exhausting expense Peaceful
emigration to and from that portion of the
country is one of the best means that can be
thought Of for the restoration of harmony;
and that emigration would have been pre-.
vented; for what emigrant from abroad ,What
industrious citizen at home, would place
himself willingly under military rnle The
chief persQns who would have followed in
the train Of the army would have been de-
pendents on the General Government, or men
who expected profit from the hniseries of their
erring fellow citizens. The powers OF patron.
age and rule which would have been exer-
cised under the President over a vast and
populous, and naturally wealthy region, are
greater than, unless under extreme necessity,
should be willing to entrust to any one
man they are such, as for myself, l could
never unless on occasions of great emergen-
cy, consent to exercise, The wilful use of
such powers, if continued throughout pc.
riod Of years, would have endangered the
purity OF the general administration. Ahd-ths
liberties of the States which remained loyal.
Besides, the policy Of military rule over a
conquered territory would have implied that
the States whose inhabitants may have taken
part in the rebellion, had by the act of those
inhabitants ceased to exist. But the true
theory is, that all pretended acts of secession
we're, from the beginning, null and void. The
States cannot commit treason, nor screen the
individual citizens who may have committed
treason, any more than they can make valid
treaties or engage in lawful commerce with
any foreign power. The States attempting
to secede placed themselves 10 condition
where their vitality was impaired, but not
extinguished-their functions suspended but
not destroyed. tra." I.H
RscoRstrueti6a. eel
But ifany state neglects or refuses to per.
form its offices, there is the more need that
the general government should maintain all
its authority, and as soon as practicable, re-
sGme the exercise of all its functions, On
this principle | have acted, and have gradu-
ally and quietly, and by alnost ippercepta-
bic steps, sought to restore the rightful en-.
ergy of the general government andof the
states, To that end provisional governors
have been appointed for the states, oouEeu~
tioas called, governors elected, legislatures
assembled, and senators aud representatives
chosen to the Congress of the United States.
At the same time the courts Of the United
States, as far as could be done have been re.
opened, 50 that the laws of the United States
may be enforced through their agency The
blockade has been removed and the custom
houses re>established in ports Of entry, 50
that the revenue Of tie United States may
~ n VsN f. ..T-slf IA. ~.