The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1866-03-29
MARCH %. S66.

the war also invested him with authority
TO make peace He was authorized to
accept volunteers, who were to he dis
banded at the end of the war''-disband-
ed bv the President. of course; and the
end of the var was when 1.-The constitu-
tional authority of the United States
shall be re established. and oaganizei
resistance TO such authority shall no
longer exist" The President was to be
the Judge when this had been accom-
plished Congress empowered and re
quired him to perfrom twofoid duty:
one To make war, and the other TO stop
making war after its end was reached.
The first of these great duties rested
mainly upon President Lincoln, the sec
ond mainly upon his successor.
The terms which the President had 3
right to demand of the insurrectionary
States and their people, as condition
precedent TO peace and the withdrawal of
the army, are thus stated by Mr.. Doolit-
tie
+ "First-And before all, and as the
basis of all, unqualified submission TO
] the Constitution of the Uuited States,
and all laws OF Congress passed in pur-
suance thereof Second-The annulling
I of all acts, laws. and proceedings by
which the States made or prosecuted war
against the United States, including the
rebel debt. Third-Aequiescenc in the
situation which the war has brought up
on them, including the abolition of slave
! rv, for and on account of which they
made the war; for the sincerity OF such
acquiescence, and as the supreme test OF
its good faith, the adoption of the Con
stitutional Amendment by which slavery,
the cause of the war. is surrendered and
made impossible. and liberty made sure.
by being placed under the guardianship
of Congress in every State and Territory
] forever. Fourth-The practical re
sumption of their duties. upon those
terms, as States of the Union
These terms. he SAYS are substantially
those announced almost three years ago
by President Lincoln they are the sub
stance of those offered by President
j ohnson several of the States have ac
cepted them; and the faith of the nation
is pledged for the their execution. The
appointment of Provisional Governors
was no infringement upon these con
ditions. for they are in fact merely
commissioners to propose terms OF
peace, or to see il peace had come in
reality
Having thus argued that these States
are in the Union, and consequently en-
titled to be represented in Congress. Mr..
Doolittie proceeded TO speak of the
claims to seats ot the persons chosen.
The substance is, that if the elections
were not properly held they are VOID;
and if Ineligible persons have been
chosen. each House has right to reject
them The objections to establishing
Territorial Government in these States
are thus summed mp by him:
1T would turn the North into a nation
of Shareholders. the people of the South
being made our slaves. This would very
soon make the South not fit to be free,
and we should become too much corrupt
ed and demoraiized by the exercise of
such power to permit them 10 lie free. To
hold them thus would require the pre-
sence of a large standing army, which If
kept on foot for Il long time is sure to
undermine the virtue of republican in
stitutions, and prepare the way for
concentrated despotism, perhaps an EN-
pire. 1t would subject us to incalculable
expense. which the financial situation of
the country IS IN no condition TO bear.
1t would almost disastrouslv affect our
national credit, at home aud abroad. 1t
would keep the question open. to be the
source OF eVer-increasing irritation, until
all hope of the Union would be gone
The following is the course of policy
advocated by Mr., Doolittle and those
who agree with him
1t is our duty and our best policy to
carry out in good faith the terms of
pacification rendered hy President Lin
coin and President Johnson. and accept
ed by the mass of the people Of the
Southern States. Let us al once recog-
nize them as States in the Union, entitled
to Representations; and take up for con
S;deration each State by itself, and in
quire into election returns and the quail
fications of those who claim tue right to
represent them. Let US begin with the
State of Tennessee"