The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-01-16

ciiizeus aui the right of Suffrage, ii
the reorganization OF g State, pertain
to every citizen. whatsver NAV hAv,
been his status before the war began
or these conflicting views, the sim
plest, If not the soundest, would seen
to be that of the President Mr. Ste
venss and Mr. Sumuers 3 theories have
the practical defect of implying that Sc
cessiOu has accomplished what wa
fought four years to pTeFe e eoUld not
accomplish, namely, the eapaeity OF q
State 20 dissolve its connection with the
/ Union. They would further require a
continuance OF military rule, which is
wholly opposed to the genius Of our in-
sHtutiOns They would impose laws
Ipon the South which It's society is not
! prepared to accepS, and they would
only prolOng that hostility 10 ourselves
and that hatred of the freedmen which
we all deplOrs and would Ike to cor
I rect
Mr.. Chase.s view is more gen crOus
I and democratic, but hardly more tena-
I Bile, In the first piece. war and con
, quest do not change fundamentally the
/ legal relations OF a conlHeFed pacaie
( theIr municipal Institutions, theif psi
v9te snd civic rights aud their ancient
| laws remain as they were; sud the fact
OF conque5talters merely their political
| allegiance The viii of the cOnqueror
may unquestionably impose new laws
1 but when he withdraWs his hand society
reeurs 10 its former condition. In the
second piace, no such existence as the
people, considered as a simple numeri-
cal aggregate or mass Of populstion is
known in law 1t is the people as or.
gained the people as a body polite,
the people who constitute the state,
that law always supposes 10 exist. Be
sides, to contend that secession intro
duced an anarchy, which destroyed all
political distinctions and left society
mere mob of human beings, is to say I
that women, and children, aud idiots, /
and foreigners, as well as the colored /
folks, may hencetOrth exercise the fran
chise in the process Of reorganization,
which is more than the Chief JUstics |
will probably claim Again, as the 1
President argues, the act Of secession |
was void it destroyed nothing and il
created nothing the seizure Of the
State governments was an usurpatiOu |
and also void aad whatever the State
authorities did under and during Sc.
cess!On, could have no de ire character.
Changes d. tIctJ were made in abund-
ance-such as the destruction Of sla-
very, which we have recognized and
cOnsecrated by the amendment-but
changes ds jtvs none, except that the
persons who we're instrumental in Ia
king up arms, placed themselves under
the ban of the law, and became either
traitors or public enemies, or both
According 10 the writers, the sovereign /
power, which is the United States, may /
elect TO consider them in either light, I
and punish them as rebels, or exile and
them as enemies
What we have to deal with in this {
view, then, Is not the States whose
functions were temporarily usurpsd,
but bodies Of individuals who tried to
subVcrt the government and failed {
We may deal with them as rebels or as I
public enemies President johnson I
has decided that they were rebels: but
be may, if he prefers il, decide that
they were enemies Should no do so,
be might proclaim (frst) a general am q
nesty for the masses of the people, be-
cause in the absence Of the power of the
Federal Government 10 protect them,
Or hold them TO their allegiance, they 9
only followed the dc tJct0 government I
which had been established over them;
and (second) a severe discipline Tor the
the more pestilent, eXpul- !
sion and for tine otherI political dlsa- {
bility. This would be a consistent rem g
edy for the wrong done; it would be,
also, q safe as well Gs stringent public {
policy for while it would punish 5
The evil dOer, it would also destroy
The oligarchy, whose return to power Is Z
20 much dreaded, and yet leave the I
greater questions Of constitutional re-
form to be considered more maturely (
by the whole nation, which they are to {
affect, and to be adopted when that ma
ton is ripe for the change.
Whether it would be desirable for /
The President 10 carry into effect these '
VIII depend upon the {
conduct of the persons concerned. If o.
they should show themselves obstinate a
md perverse, bent upon doing mischief s.
rather than good, and the malignsut G
enemies Of that universal justice which O
s the first principle Of all civilized e
States, his duty to the communities in q
which they live, and Of that larger com J
nunity TO which they desire TO return, {
would be clear; and the ezpatriatlon 4
IF their crimes have brought about it j.
might become necessary TO render per 4
,etual-N / Ere Post {