The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1866-08-29

Providence, have sprung up in it's fiery
track. This is the work, not Of pas
sion, but of calm and sober Judgment;
not of resentment for past offences pro-
longed beyond the limits which Justice
and reason prescribe, but of q liberal
craftsmanship which tolerates what it
cannot prevent, and build its plans and
hopes for the future rather upon com
munity of interest and ambition than
upon distrust and tho weapons of
| force.
POLITICAL RESULTS OF THE WAR.
In the next place, wc call upon you
to recognize in their full significance,
and to accept with all their legitimate
consequences, the political results of
the war just closed. In two most i'm
portant particulars tho victory achiev-
cd by the National Government has
been final and decisive. First, it has
established beyond all further contro-
vcrsy, and by the highest of all human
sanctions, the absolute supremacy of
the National Government, as defined
and limited by the Constitution of the
United States, and the permanent in
tegrity and indissolubility of the Fed
cral Union as necessary conse-
quenco and, second, it has put an
end finally and forever to the exis-
tcncc of slavery upon the soil or with
in the jurisdiction of the United
States. Both these points became di-
rcctly involved in the contest, and
controversy upon both was ended abb
solutcly and finally by the result.
THE RIGHT OF REPRESENTATION.
In the third place, we deem it of the
utmost importance that the real charac-
ter of the war and the victory BY which
1t was closed should be accurately TN.
dcrsiood. The war was carried on bv
the Government of the United States in
maintenance Of its OWE authority. and
IN defence OF its own existence, both Of
which were mcnaced by he msurrcr
ton which it sought 10 suppress. The
suppression of that insurrection accom-.
pllshed that result. The Government
Of the United States maintained bv
force Of arms the supreme authority
over all the territory, and over al. the
States and people within iisjurisdicliou
which the Constitution confers npon it !;
but it acquired thereby no new power,
no enlarged jurisdiction, no rights Of
territorial possession or Of civil authori.
ty which it did not possess before the
rebellion broke out. All the rightful
power it can ever possess is that which
is conferred upon it, either in express
terms or by fair and necessary mplica.
ton, by the Constitution Of the United
States. 1t was that power and that au
thorily which the rebellion sought to
overthrow, and the victory Of the Fede.
raj arms was simply the defeat Of that
attempt. The Government Of the Uni.
ted States acted throughout the war on
|'the defensive. 1t sought only to hold
possession Of what was its own. Mel
ther the war, nor the victory by which
it was closed. changed in any way tho
Constitution of the United States. The
war was carried on by virtue of its pro.
visions, and under the limitation which
they prescribe, and the result Of the war
did not either enlarge, abridge, or in
any way change or affect the powers it
confers upon the Federal Government,
or release that Government from the
restrictions which it has imposed
The Constitution of the United
States is to-day precisely as it was
before the war; the supreme law Of the
land, anything in the Constitution or
laws Of any State to tho contrary, not.
withstonding;" and to day, also, precise
ly as before the war, all the powers not
conferred by the Constitution upon the
General Government, nor prohibited by
it to the States, are PRESERVED to the
several States, or to tire people thereof
This position is vindicated not only by
the essential nature Of our Government,
and the language and spirit of the Con
stitution, but by all the acts and the
language Of our Government, in all its
departments, and at all times from the
outbreak of the rebellion to its final
overthrow. In every message and pro.
c9amation Of the Executive it was expi,
city declared that the sole purpose and
object of the war was to maintain the
authority of the Constitution and to
preserve the integrity ofthe Union ; and
Congress more than once reiterated this
solemn declaration, and added the assur
ance that, whenever this object should
be attained, the war should cease, and
all the States should retain their equal
rights and dignity unimpaired. It is
only since the war was closed that other
rights have been asserted on behalf of
one department Of the General Govern.
ment. 1t has been proclaimed by Con-
gress that, in addition to the powers
conferred upon it by the Constitution,
the Federal Government may now,
claim over the States, the territory anu
tho people involved in the insurrectlon,
the rights of war, the right Of conquest
and Of confscation, tho right to abro-
gate all existing Governments, instltu'
tions and laws, and to subject the terri
tory conquered and its inhabitants to
such laws. regulations deprivatlohs as
tho legislative departments OF the Gov.
ernment may see fit to impose: Under
this broad and sweeping claimt that
clause Of tho Constitution which pro.
vided that mo State shall, without its
consent; be deprived Of its equal suff-