The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1866-08-31

| oAAAp Va WV NtA INEt NAOnN's ~ hNO
most important particulars the victory
achieved by the National Government
has been final and decisive. First, it
has established beyond all further CON
troversy, and by the highest of all hui
man sanctions the absolute supremacy
of the National Government, as defined
and limited by the constitution of the
United States, and the permanent in
tegrity and indissolubiity Of the Fed
| eral Union as a necessary consequence;
and second, it has put an end finally
and forever TO the existence Of slavery
upon the soil or within the Jurisdiction
Of the Unitod States. Both these
points became directly involved in the
contest, and controversy upon both was
ended absolutely and finally by the re-
suit.
Fruits OF Victory.
3. In the third place we deem it Of
the utmost importance that the real
character Of the war and tho victory
! by which it was closed should be accu-
ratcly understood The war was carried
on by tho Government of the United
States i'm maintenance Of its own au-
thOrity and in defense Of its own exis-
tonce. both of which were menaced by
the insmTcction which it sought to sup
press. The suppression of that insur-
rection accomplished that result. The
Government of the United States main
tainod, by force Of arms, the supreme
authority over all the territory. and
over alk the States and people within
] st.
conters upon it; but itacquircd thereby
no new power, no enlarged jurisdiction,
no rights either Of territorial possession
or of civil authority which it did not
possess before the rebellion broke out.
All the rightful power it can ever pos
sess is that which is conferred upon il,
either in express terms, or by fair and
necessary implication, by the constitu-
ton Of the United States. 1t was that
power and that authority which the
rebellion sought TO overthrow, and the
victory of the Federal arms was sim.
ply the defeat Of that attempt The
Government Of tho United States acted
throughout the war on the defensive
1t sought only to hold possession OF
what was already its own. Neither
the war, nor the victory by which il
was closed, changed in any way the
constitution Of the United States. The
war was carried on by virtue of its
provisions, and under tho limitations
which they prescribc and the result
of the war did not either enlarge,
abridgc, or in any way change or affect,
the powers it confers upon the Federal
Government, or release that Govern
mcnt from the restrictions. which it has
imposed.
The constitution of the United States
is to-day precisely as it was before the
war, the supreme law Of the land, any
thing in the constitution or laws of
any State the contrary notwithstand-
ing;" and to-day, also, precisely as be-
fore the war, sail the powers not con-
fcrred by the constitution upon the
General Government, nor prohibited
by it to tho States, are reserved to
the several States, or to the people
thereof"
This position is vindicated not only
by the essential nature Of our Govern
ment, and the language and spirit of
the constitution, but byall the acts and
the language Of our Government, in all
its departments, and Mt all times from
the outbreak of the rebellion to its final
overthrow.
Sole object Of the Contest.
In every message and proclamation
Of the Executive it was explicitly de-
clared that the sole object and purpose
Of the war waa to maintain the author
ity of the constitution and to preserve
the integrity of the Union; and Con-
gress more than once reiterated this
solemn declaration, and added the as
surance that whenever the object
should be attained the war should
cease, and all the States should retain
their equal rights and dignity unim-
paired.
1t is only since the war was closed
that other rights have been asserted on
behalf of one department Of the Gen
eral Government
Assertions OF Congress.
1t has been proclaimed by Congress
that,i addition to the powers conferred
upon it by the constitution, the Fed
eral Government may now claim over
the States, tho territory and the peo-
pie involved in the insurrection, the
rights Of war-the right of conquest
and confscation, the right to abrogatc
all existing governments, institutions
and.laws, and to subject the territory
conquered and its inhabitants to such
laws, regulations and deprivations as
the Legislative Department of the Gov
ernment may see fit to impose. Under
this broad and sweeping claim that
clause of the constitution which pro-
vides that "no State shall, without its
consent, be deprived of its equal suf-
frage in the Senate of the United
States" has been annulled, and ten