The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-08-23

con hdenCe OF the nation IN tno p0Hpetulty Oh
it's republican institutions, and command the
respect of the civilized world. II
Like all great contests which rouse the
passions and test the endurance of nations,
this war has given new scope to the ambition
of political parties, and fresh impulse to plans
of innovation and reform. Amidst the chaos
OF conflicting sentiments inseperable from
such an era, while the public heart 10 keenly
alive to oil the passions that can sway the
public judgement and affect the public action;
while the wounds of war are still fresh and |
bleeding on either side, and fears for the flu |
ture take unus proportions from the memor. |
les emil resentments of the past, it is diff |
cult but an imperative duty, which, ON your
behalf, we, who are here assembled have I'M |
dertaken to perform.
For the first time after six long years of |
alienation any of conflict. we have come to.
gether from every state and every section OF
our land, as citizens of q common country,
under that flag, the symbol again of e COM
mon glory, to consult together how best to
cement and perpetuate that union which is
again the object of our common love, and
thus secure the blessings of liberty to our
selves and our posterity.
l.. In the first place, we invoke you to re-
member always and everywhere, that the
war is ended and the nation is again at peace.
The shock of contending arms no longer as
sails the shuddering heart of the republic
The instruction against the supreme author
ity of the nation has been suppressed, and
that authority has been again acknowledged
by word and act, in every state and by every
citizen within it's Jurisdiction: We are no
longer required or permitted to regard or
| treat each other as enemies. Not only have
the acts of war been discontinued, and the
weapons of war laid aside, but the state of
| war no longer exists, and the sentiments, the
passions, the relations of war have no longer
lawful or rightful place anywhere throughout
our broad domain. We are again people of
| the United States, fellow citizens of one coun-
| try, bound by tho duties and obligations of a
common patriotism, and having neither rights
| nor interests apart from common destiny.
| The duties that devolve upon US now are
| again the duties of peace, and no longer the
| duties of war. We have assembled here TO
| take counsel concerning the interests OF peace
| to decide how we may most wisely and ct
| fectually heal the wounds the war has made,
| perfect and perpetuaA the benefits it has sc
| cured, and the blessings which, under wise
and benign Providence, have sprung up in its
| fiery track. This Is the work, not of passion
but of calm and sober judgement not of
resentment for past offences prolonged be-
yond the limits which justice and reason pre-
scribe, but of a liberal craftsmanship which
tolerates what it cannot prevent, and builds
It's plans and it's hopes for the future rather
| upon community of interest and ambition
than upon distrust and the weapons of force
2. In the next place, we call upon you to
recognize in their full significance, and to &C.
cept with all their legitimate consequences
the political results of the war just closed
| In two most important particulars the victory
achieved by the national government has
haap
| established beyond all further controversy,
aud by the highest of all human sanctions,
| the absolute supremacy OF the national gov
| ernment, as defined and limited by the con-
stitution of the United States, and the per
manent integrity and indissolubiity of the
federal Union as a necessary consequence !;
and second, it has put an end finally and for
ever to the existence of slavery upon the soil
or within the jurisdiction of the United Ststes.
| Both these points became directly involved
| IN the contest, and controversy upon both
was ended absolutely and finally by the re-
suit.
= s. In the third place, we deem is of the
utmost Importance that the real Character of
the war aud the victory by which 1t was clos
ed should be accurately understood. The war
was carried on by the government OF the UNI
ted States in maintenance of its own authorl-
| ty and in defence of its own existence, both
of which were mensced by the instruction
/ which 1t sought TO suppress. The suppress
| sion OF that instruction accomplished that
| result The government of the United States
main tanned by force of arms the supreme au-
| thority over oil the territory, and over all
| the states and people within its jurisdiction,
which the constitution confer upon 1t but lt
| acquired thereby no new power. no enlarged
jurisdiction, no rights either OF territorial
possession or of civil authority which 1t did
not possess before the rebellion broke out
All the rightful power it can ever possess is
that which is conferred upon it, either in
express terms or by fair and necessary
implication, by the constitution of the United
| States. 1t was that power and that author
ity which the rebellion sought to overthrow
and the victory OF the federal arms wa
simply the defeat of that attempt. The gov
| eminent of the United States acted through
| out the war on the defensive. It sought
| only to hold possession of what was already
| It's own. Neither the war nor tho victory by
| which it was closed, changed in any way the
constitution of the United States. The war
was carried on by virtue of it's provisions and
under the limitations which they prescribe :;
and the result of the war did not either en-
large, abridge,or in any way change effect
| the powers 1t confers upon the federal gov
eminent, or release that government from the
| restrictions which 1t has imposed
The constitution of the United States is to-
day precisely as it was before the war, the
''eupreme law of the land, anything in the
constitution or laws of any state to the con
trary notwithstanding and to-day, also,
precisely as before the war, ''all the powers
not conferred by the constitution upon the
| general government, nor prohibited by 1t to
| the states are reserved to the several states,
| or TO the people thereof"
This position is INDICATED not only by the
essential nature of our governments and the
language and spirit of the constitution, but
By all the acts anG the language of our gov
eminent, IN oil its departments, and at ell
times, from the outbreak of the rebellion to
| its final overthrow. In every message and
proclamation of the executive it was expli-
city declared that the sole object and pur-
pose of the war was to maintain the author
ity of the constitution and to preserve the in
tegrity of the union and congress more
| than once reiterated this solemn declsration,
| and added the assurance that, whenever the
object should be attained. the war should
| cease, and all the states should retain their
equal rights and dignity unlmpaired.
Il is only since tho war was closed that