The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1866-09-22
TATE RIGHTS DEMOCRAT.
THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS.

The Inaugural Address of Governor
Woods will be found in another column.
OF course our readers will all peruse this
document, aud form their own opinions
concerning it. As we expected it would
be, it is intensely Abolition and though
the Governor pretended to believe, during
the canvass, that men might honestly diff
fer upon the questions that divide Con
gress and the President; yet, now that
he is elected, he boldly casts aside the
mask and declares himself in favor of
Congress. In relation to the reoonstruc.
tion question he says, in substance, that
the rebels, having forfeited all their rights
by appealing to the sword, and being sub
dued, it is for the conquerors to dictate
the conditions on which they may return.
In short, it seems to be the old theory re-
vamped, viz: that rebel has forfeited
all his rights except that of being hung.
AS this opinion for some years past has
been sedulously ly taught and enforced by
the leaders of the Radical party, it may
not be amiss to examine it few moments
in the light of reason and the Law of Ma
tions.
Vattel says that when party is formed
in State, who no longer obey the sover-
elgn, and are possessed of sufficient
strength to oppose him-or when, in 4
republic, the nation is divided into two
opposite factions, and both sides take up
arms-this is called a Cica Var. We
suppose it will not be denied that this was
exactly the condition of the United
States while the war was in progress. The
nation was divided into two opposite hos
tile factions-both sides took up arms
and fought; and the war which ensued
was not rebellion, not an insurrcction.
but Civil War.
4 Civil War, continues Yattel, in sub
stance, breaks the bonds of society and
government, or at least, suspends their
force and effect; it produces in the ma
tiOn two Independent parties, who con-
slider each other as enemies, and acknowl-
edge no common judge Though one Of
parties may have been to blame in break
ing the unity of the State and resisting
the lawful authority, they are not the less
divided in fact. Besides, who shall
judge them? Who shall pronounce on
which side the right or the wrong lies :?
On earth they have no common superior.
"Ihcy stand, therefore, IN precisely The
same predican,>nt as f,-o nations, arho en-
gage in a contest, and, being unable to
come to an agreement, have recourse to
arms"
This being the case, continues virtually
the same author, it is very evident that
the common lars Of ,edr-maxims of
humanity. moderation, aud Louor-ougnt
to be observed By both parties in every
Civil War.
This is international law, recognized
by all the civilized nations of the Old
World. Apply it to the Confederate
States and it will be found that rebels do
possess some other rights than that of be-
ing hung. They should be treated with
humanity, moderation and honor" One
of the laws of civilized warfare is that all
private property shall be respected
When our victorious armies penetrated
into the very heart of Mexico, private
property and the rights and person of the
private citizen were carefully observed
and protected. All proyender and pro-
visions for the use of the army, taken
from the Mexicans, were promptly paid
for by the United States, and the person
of the native non-combatant was as sacred
as that Of an American citizen. This
rule should have been applied to the Sc
eeded States. international law, human
ity, moderation and honor alike demanded
it at the hands of the Federal Govern
ment. But an entirely opposite policy
was pursued. Millions of private prop
erty was destroyed by the faggot; pillag-
ing, rapine and confscation were the
rules most vigorously and ruthlessly en-
forced. Private property of every de-
scription-silk dresses, si1yerware, gold
watches, breastpins- -jewelry of all kinds
costly carpets, sofas, pianos, provisions,
~proVender, women's skeleton skirts, gold
and silver coin, cotton, tobacco, negroes
by the million, houses, lands-every spe-
cies of property was taken by force, in
the name of freedom, by the party in
'the interests of God and humanity
thus clearly violating every maxim Of
civilized warfare, humanity, moderation
and honor.
We might point out several other in
stances of a violation Of these rules OF
war; but we have not time nor room al
present. One reason why we now favor
President johnson is because he would
observe and apply these maxims to the