Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1866-12-01
PENALTIES ANB GUARANTEES.

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PENALTIES AND GUARANTEES.
The New York Tribune CONSTITUTES the
general tenor of the comment of Southern
papers upon the questions of amnesty
and suffrage as manifestations of an in
corrigible spirit of rebellion, and argues
that the Southern people have not yet
been subdued into a due appreciation OF
the condition in which the surrender Of
their armies left them. Their rejection
of the constitutional amendment, together
with their assertion of the paramount
right of the States to determine suffrage
qualifications, and their repugnance to
Federal dictation in that matter, is cited
as proof that they have not abandoned
their cherished theories of governments
and the political ideas which have become
apart of their being. Upon these premises
it is argued that the Southern people
have forgotten that there are penalties for
rebellion, and urged that the loyal
North shall bring them back to q recol-
lection of their duties, by the exaction of
guarantees and the imposing Of condi-
tons which will prevent future rebellions.
The Tribune says the Southern people
claim that the South lost nothing by the
rebellion but the OBJ ct of the rebellion"
This i, denies, and, in effect, asserts that
the Southern people lost everything
their rights as SCates and their rights as
individuals; that they are a conquered
people, Invested of every attribute of free
men, and lying passive and helpless at the
mercy of the General Government IT.
proclaims the result of the war as con-
quest in the full sense Of the term, leav-
ing penalties indefinite in character and |
degree to the conquered, and rights with
out limit to the conquerors.
2 Now We deny that the States lately in |
revolt lost anything but "the object Of
the rebellion" as the Tribune styles it |
r The severance of the Federal Union and
the establishment of aseparat enationaI-
ty was the object They lost that in an
appeal to arms, and nothing else directly |
As an incident of the war, the destruc-
ton Of domestic slavery occurred, and
the seal of its destruction was, after the
close of the war, ratified by civil pro-
cess pointed GU; by the Constitution
Saving the direct object and this grand
incident, the Southern States justly lost
nothing of their equal rights and dignity
as members of the Union, and the people |
lost no jot or title of their right to repre-
sentation, their right to free thought, free |
speech and free voting upon every subject
which concerns the general welfare.
The Government in defeating the resist
ance to its authority accomplished all it |
originally proposed, and all it had the
right to do. War being fragrant, it had
helligerent powers. Peace being resumed,
the conquering party representing the
Government, and the conquered party |
which had made resistance to its Ruthori-
ty, ipso facto, passed under the rule Of the
Constitution. In that instrument are
provided means for amending il, and the
mode Of determining the punishment for
treason, but nothing that can be con-
strued to mean that the amending Of
thr Constitution shall be made a mode
of inficting penalties for treason There
is nothing in it that authorizes the politi-
cal party in possession Of the Government
to demand amendments in the nature of
- guarantees against treason or rebellion.
lftreason and rebellion have been com
mitted the Constitution and the author
tiles Of the Government can determine
and infict the penalties. There is no
power given by the suprema law, nor ac-
quired as result of the war to amend /
the Constitution into a system of enhanced
benefits for the victorious party, and pun
tive measures for the defeated 1t is the /
attempt of the Radicals to force such
views that is preventing the restoration Of
the Union and the return Of peace. |
Therefore when the Tribune says that
" the best intelligence of the Southern
people must be fully aware by this time
that penalties attach to rebellion which
can only be averted by guarantees that
that il shall not be renewed" it is in |
gross error, and states proposition that
the intelligence of every fair minded
man who pretends to understand Ameri- |
can institutions instantly rejects 1
The penalties which attach to rebellion
can " be determined by judicial con.