The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1866-09-20

government, an entire year was added To
their already long estrangemcnt from II be-
fore any conditions OF return were offered Ia
them; and when these conditions were at last
anIounced they contained terms which pro.
posed to make the estrangement Of large
portion of our population perpetual. -,
The youth of the South, who had never
known when the rebellion commenced, or
what it was to share in the duties and bust.
ness Of national citizens, have grown to
manhood and influence in its affairs, and
still are strange in their own land, and ex.
cluded from the instruction which might
make them patriots. The Union Of these
States for which these partisans deemed your
lives not too great price, is yet as incom-
plete as when You marched home, and by
their measures its restoration is still in
definitely postponed. They say to you. il
our terms are not accepted by the South
we can wait. 1t becomes, therefore. your pc.
culiar duty since you prepared the ground
for this final work, to inquire how it has
been done. and to consider whether it is
wise and safe to wait. Meantime, while
you determine to wait or move, il is indispcn-
sble first to entrench yourselves in a posi-
ton Of impregnable facts. The power Of
national government over the affairs of its
insurgent citizens, except for purposes OF
judicial punishment, is purely Of a belligerent
character, and its beligerent right concern
ing them, is included in, while it is also lhni-
ted by one Of the grants Of the Constitution.
The Government is authorized to suppress
insurrecton by military means, and these
include all belligerent functions and capac-
tiles which may I've necessary for that end.
In the exercise of its necessary beligerent
right, it is as competent to require Of its in
surgent citizens as il would he to require of
a foreign enemy not only the laying down
of arms, but the surrender Of every position
which threatened a renewal of the conflict.
The right is perfect and complete for Its
purpose but ii is limited by its purpose.
The Constitution directs that armies and
bellgerent law shall be used for the suppress.
sion Of Instruction. With this complete
suppression, which includes the prevention
Of a renewal, the legitimate application Of
compulsion to their future course as commu-
mites must cease. 1t is not true that i'll case
of war this Government acquires all Of the
bclligerent rights known to international
law. 1t has only so much Of that kind Of
right over its own people as it finds embod-
led in its own Constitution. 1t derives from
this source so much US is necessary in sup
pressing instruction, and this does not in
clude the right to take and hold its rebelious
citizens and their territory as conquest.
1t is authorized to employ war to vindcate
its old title to allegiance, not to acquire a
new one. In accordance with this rule, the
President, as Commander-in-Chief, compelled
the insurgents after they had laid down their
arms, to abolish by their local laws the nsti-
tuition Of slavery, the agitation Of which has
been the cause of this war and might be the
cause of another; to declare null and void
their acts Of secession, which has been part
of their belligerent action, and until rescindcd
embodied claim which threatened future
conflict, and finally to repudiate their war
dcuts, the recognition of which would have
been II hostile act, indicating the legitimacy
OF .nsurrection and threatening its renewal.
r. institution Of slavery, the ordinances of
ST 'pSsion, and the maintenance Of an insur-
rccuonary war debt, were strictly hostile po-
sitions, and threatened possible renewal Of
the war until they would he surrendered.
There could be no complete surrender Of the
belligerent attitude of the insurgent commu.
mites Of the South therefore the Commander
in-Chef, clothed with the double function of
military commander and of the civil eXecu.
ton OF the laws of the Union, compelled this
surrender, and at this point the belgerent
power of the nations Government-the
power to apply compulsion in any form to
the political future of the lately revoltcd
States-was exhausted. This legitimate and
restricted use Of compulsion appeared to ac-
complish the desired end.
1t is true that the subdued and impover-
ished people Of the South did not and could
not at once pass from hostility TO friendship
Their homes were darkencd with sorrow
which no sense Of error could mitigate, their
fields were cemeteries, their farms were the
burnt paths Of our armies, and they could
not love us in the midst Of their desolation
But they knew that the issue Of the appeal
to arms had been determined forever against
them, They saw that they had lost by war
what they had attempted by war to save
They had suffered too much 10 dream OF re-.
newing the strife, and seeing no future he
fore them but citizens oil the United States,
| they were ready TO return 10 their allegiance
as defined to them anew by the event of the
struggle. When Congress first assembled
they had acquired temper toward the M.
tiOnal Government as healthy as ii was pos
sible for any people to attain after such Il
conflict and such experiences. In this re-
spect the result Of the war was uncXanpled
in the history of nations. Their disposition
Nuo BoNNihSu y tiSh a'No' NJ upon
the requirement of the Commander-in-C Chief.
surrendered every position which could
truthiully be deemed hostile to the Govern.
ment and by his advice, not under his com
pulsion, they went further, and in common
with the loyal States ratified II constitutional
amendment which forever abolished slavery,
and gave TO Congress the power by appro-
pirate legislation, to prevent its reestablsh-
ment They might have conceded still
more; but month after month passed with.
out action, and meantime they were sub.
jectcd to military government. No system
was ever better adapted than our National
Government to the performance of the duties
for which it was designed; no Government
could be less adapted to the regulation oil
affairs in subjected ncighboring territory
Mistakes, injustice, even fraud, inevitably
mingled with and marred its operations
through distant agencies, and these have
produced their natural effect The pro-
longed exercise of such functions can only
injure it, has already injured ourselves.
We cannot afford to alter the spirit of oul
great national system, and by centralizing
render two governments of this Union hate
full to the people OF all the States, North AM