The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1866-12-07

inc MnOle Mllntul
representation; the seats Of City mem.
bers in the House of Representative
and of twenty members in Che Senate
arc yet vacant-not by Their own con
sent, not by q failure of election, but
by the refusal of Congress to accept
their. credentials. Their admission, il
is believed, would have accomplished
much toward the renewaland strength.
ening of our relations as one people,
and removed serious cause for discon-
tent on the part of the inhabitants OF
those States, 1t would have accorded
with the great principle enunciated in
the Declaration of American hide.
pendence, that no people ought to bear
the burden of taxation, and yet be de-
MED the right of representation. II
would have been in c~onsonance with
the express provisions ofthe Constitn-
ton, that "each State %shalfhave at least
one Representative" and chat no
State, without its consent, shall be de-
privod of its equal suffrage in the SEN
ate" These provisions were intended
to secure TO every State, and to the
people of every State, the right of rep
rcsentation in each House of Congress;
and so important was it deemed by the
trainers of the Constitution, that the
equality of the States in the Senate
should be preserved, that not even by
an amendment of the Constitution can
any State, without its consent, be de-
MED a voice in that branch Of the Ma
tionsl Legislature.
1t is true, il has been assumed that
the existence of the States was termi-
mated by the rebellious acts of their in
habitants, and that the insurrection
having been suppressed, they were
thence forward to be considered merely
as conquered territories. The Legis-
latiye, Executive, and Judicial De
partments OF the Government have,
however, with great distinctness and
uniform consistency refused to sanction
an assumption so incompatible with
the nature of republican system, and
with the professcd objects of the var
Throughout the recent legislation of
Congress, the undeniable fact makes
itself apparent, that these ten political
communities are nothing less than
States of this Union. AT the very
commencement Of the rebellion, each
House declared, with a unanimity as
remarkable as it was significant, that
the war was not "Yaged upon ourpart,
in any spirit of oppression, nor for any
purpose of conquest or subjugation, nor
purpose of overthrowing or interfering
with tue rights or established %institu
tons of those States, but to defend and
maintain the supremacy of the Con
stitution and all laws made IN pursu-
ance thereof, and to preserve the Union
with all the dignity, equality, and
rights Of the several States unimpaircd;
and that rs soon as these objects were
accomplished the war ought to cease
In some instances, Senators were per
mitted to continue their legislative
functions, while in other instances Rep
resentatives were elected and admitted
TO seats after their States had formally
declared their right 10 withdraw from
the Union, and were endeavoring to
maintain that right by force of arms.
ALI Of the States whose people were in
instruction. as States, were included
in the apportionmcnt Of the direct tax
Of twenty millions of.dollars annually
laid upon the United States by the act
approved August 9th, 1861, Congress,
by the act of March A., 1862, and blythe
apportionment Of representation there
under, also recognized their presence
as, States in the Union; and they have,
for judicial purposes, been diyidedinto
districts, as States alone can be divided.
The same recognition appears in the
recent legislation in reference to Ten
nessee, which evidently rests upon the
fact that the funotionsof the State were
not destroyed by the. rebellion, but
merely suspended; and that principle.
is Of course applicable to those States
which, like Tennessee, attempted TO re.
II their places in the Union. d
% The action of the Executive Depart.
ment ofthe Government upon this sub
jeet has been equally definite and uni
form, and the purpose Of the war was
specifically stated in the proclamation
issued by my predecessor on the 22d
day Of September, 1862. 1t was then
solemnly proclaimed and declared that
thereafter; az heretofore the war will
be prosecuted for the object Of practi-
cally restoring the constitutional rela-
ton between the United States and
each Of the States and tho people
thereof, in which States that relation
is or may be suspended or disturbed, v
The recognition of the States by the
Judicial Department oftho Government
has also been-cleara-and conclusive in
ali pfoceedings affecting themas States,
had in the Supreme, Circuit and Dis
trict Courts. ',''m'' e-lIsp H
In tho admission Of Senator's and
Representatives from any and all OF
the States, there ear be1no Just ground
of apprehension that persona who are
J;,itn1 -;Iphh olhtkad -;tb thA ,Aosyo,u