The Van Buren press., 1866-10-19
Peace or War.

Have we fought for these long years
poured out blood and expended treasure
without stint. for The sake OF perpctua
ting the military reign of the North owe,
the South. Was il to destroy self-cov.
mcnt, and overthrow the foundations
of the Union that the war was carried on .
So The Radicals would have us believe
Neither before the war, or during the war
nor since the war, has there been time
when the northern States had any right
to prescribe civil law in the Southern
States, nor can it he done now without
destroying the whole fabric of the Amer.
lean Union. What business have W,
with Southern local law to-day. "W,
have conquered them says a Radical
land therefore we nave right to pre-.
scribe what social laws we please" Non
sense! We have conquered ourselves
We have suppressed an insurrcction in
our own body polite. We have extirpa-
ted disease which took possession OF
our organs of life. We shouted till VIC
were hoarse, that the war was for the life
of the nation Let us have done with
this scctionshsjn, then, and remember
that The United States form one grand
body to which each part is necessary, and
in which each part has equal rights. The
administering of local law applies to the
South, as y conquered territory, implies
& right in the majority of the States to
make laws for the minority. SO long as
military law was administered there was
administered, there was no such implca.
ton, but this administered there was no
such implication, but this business of pre-
serving civil and social law is Ike pois
oning ones own arm with the idea that
the poison can be confined to that locality.
The veins and arteries run through the
whole system. The outrage ia done to
the whole constitution by an outrage on
one part Of the body, and the whole bo-
dy will suffer for the wrong. We have
no right, either by law or conquest. nor
on moral principles, to treat the South
ern States rs conquered territories and
populations. We may administer the
law to individuals rs severely as we please
We may punish men and women and chill
drcn. But the United States government
might as well repeal the charters Of New
Orleans, Mobile, and Charleston, and
wipe them ont us cities in the South, az
to declare q Southern State dedl or not
member Of the Union. The moral RICH.
the legal right, the constitutional right, is
Just the same in both cases. .iU
we not the right to refuse them admission
to the Union unless they adopt such laws
and social principles as we think correct" !"
No, You have no such right under tlc
Constitution and laws Of our land, nor
have you the moral right unless you give
them at the same time, the right of accep-
ting or rejecting yOnr terms of unlon.-
The grand wrong, the outrage to Ameri-
can principles, the rotten timber which
men are now engaged in forcing into the
Constitution itself, is this plan of holding
n State by the throat, and declaring that
it shall not come into your Union, not be
protected by your Constitution and sub
init to amendments Of your proposing
but when the State asks: "Will you let
me stay ont Of your Union if don't like
your new proposals 7" the answer is n
hideous burlesque on the old idea Of
free American Union. The vanity Of a
Union thus constructed is but too plain.
1t has not the consistency of summer
morning cloud. 1t will not have strength
enough to endure through generation
of politicians 1t can only be pcrpetu-
al civil war. Was it for this we fought
Journal Of Commerce