The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1866-08-25

Whatever. The right asserted and eX.
crcised is absolute, without qualification
or restriction, not confined to States in
rebellion, nor to States that have REBEL.
ed it is in the right Of any Congress
i'll formal possession of legislative author
ity to exclude any State or States. and
any portion oi the people thereof, at any
time, from representation in Congress
and in the Electoral College, at its own
discretion, and until they shall perform
such acts and comply with such condi-
tlous ms it may dictate. Obviously. the
reason for such exclusion, being wholly
within the discretion Of Congress, NAV
change as the Congress itself shall
change. One Congress may exclude
Il State from all share in tho Govern
nent for one reason ; and that reason
removed. the next Congress may exclude
it for another. One State may be ex.
cluded on one gaound to day, and an
other may be excluded on the opposite
ground omorrow. Northern ascendan.
cy may exclude Southern States from
one Congress the ascendancv of Yves.
tern or Of Southern interests, or Of both
combined, may exclude the Northern
or the Eastern States from the next.
Improbable as such usurpaton may seem
the establishment of the principle now
asserted and acted upon by Congress
will render them by no means impossi.
bic. The character indeed the very
existence, Of Congress and the Union is
thus made dependent solely and entirely
upon the party and sectional exigcnces
or forbearances Of the hour.
We need not stop to slow that action
no. only finds no warrant in the Consti.
tuition, but is at war with every princi-
Pile of our Government, and with the
very existence of free institutions. 1t
is, indeed, the identical practice which
has rendered frutless all attempts h.her-
to TO establish and maintain free gov.
ernlnents i'll Mexico and the States of
South America. Party necessities as
sert themselves rs superior to the funda.
mental law. which is set aside in reck
less obedience to their behests. StabiG-
ty, whether m the exercise of power,
in the administration of government, or
in the enjoyment Of rights becomes i'm
possible and the conflicts ofparty which,
under constitutional governments, are
the conditions and means of political
progress, are merged in the conflicts of
arms to which ;hcy directly and inevita.
bly, tend.
1t was against tins peril, so conspc.
uous and so fatal to all free governments
that our Constitution was intended es
peclally to provide. Not only the sta
bility, but the very existence, of the
Government is made by its provisions
TO depend upon the right aud the fact
Of representation, The Congress upon
which is conferred all the legislative
power Of the National Governments, con.
sists Of two branches, the Senate and
House OF Representatives. says the Con.
stitution (articlc |, section y, shall be
composed of members chosen every Sec
ond year by the people of the several
States" Not only is tho right of repre-.
sentation TINS recognized as possessed by
all the States and BY every State with
ont restriction, qualification OF condition
of any kind, but the duty of choosing
representatives is imposed upon the peo
pie of'each aud every State alike, with.
out distinction, or The authority to make
distinction among them, for auy reason
or upon any grounds whatever And
in the Senate, SO careful is the Conshtu.
ton to secure to every State this right
of representation, it is expressly provi-
ded that "no State shall without its con
sent be deprived of its equal suffrage"
in that body, even by an amendment of
the Constitution itself. When, therefore.
any State is excluded from such repre-.
sentation, not only is right of the State
denied, but the constitutional integrity
of the Senate is impaired, and the valid.
ity Of the Government itself Is brought
in question. But Congress at the pres.
ent moment thus excludes from repre-
sentaton, in both branches of Congress,
ten States of the Union, denying them
all share in the enactment of laws by