The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1866-12-12
TO TIE.
N,Now- Citzen$ Of Me .Scnnte

Itltow- Cd'zs"S Of Mc .Scnnte
o"d ii,usc Of Representatives..
After brief interval the Congress
of the United States resumes its an
nual Legislative labors. An all-wisc
and mcrciful Providence has abatcd
the pcstilcncc which visited our shores
leaving the calamtous traces upon
some portions of our country. Peace,
order, tranquility, and civil authority
have been formally declared to exist
throughout the whole United States.
In all of the States civil authority has
superseded the coercion of arms, and
the people, Ly their voluntary action,
are maintaing their COVE rnments in full
a1ijvity and complete cpcratiun.-
III" enforcement Of Tho laws is no
longer "obstructel in any State by
combinations too powerful to be sup
pressed By the ordinary course of judi
cial proceedings :" and the animosi-
ties cngcndcrcd By the war are rapid
ly yielding to the bcnc6ccnt Influences
Of our free institutions, and to the
kindly effects Of unrestricted social
aud commercial intercourse. An en-
tire restoration Of fratcrnal feeling
must be the earnest wish Of every pa
tri"tc heart and we will have ac-
c"mpllshcd our grandcSt national
achievement when, forgetting the sad
events OF the past, and remembering
only their instructive lessons, We re-
sumo our onward career as a free,
prosperous, and united people,
In my message Of. the ill, Deem
Der. 1865, Congress was informed Of
the measures which had been institute
cd by the Executive with view to the
gradual restoration of the States in
which tho insurroction occurred to
their relations with the General Gov
crnmcnt. Provisional Governors had
been appointed, Conventions called,
Governors elected, Legislatures as
scmblcd, and Representatives chosen
to the Congress of the United States,
Courts had bocn opened for the en-
forccmcnt of laws long in ahcyamcc.
The blockade had been removed, Gus
ton-houscs rc-cstablishcd, and the in
tcrnal revenue laws put in force, in
order that the people might contrib
ute to the national income. Postal
operations had been renewed, and Of
forts were being made to restore them
to their former condition of efficiency.
The States themselves had been
asked to take part in the high func-
tion of amending tho Constitution,
and thus sanctioning the extinction of
African slavery as one of the lcgiti-
mate results of our intcrnccinc strus-
gle.
Having progressed thus far, tho
Executive Department found that it
had accomplished nearly all that was
within tho scope of it's constitutional
authority. One thing, however, Yet
remained to be done before the work
of restoration could be completed, and
that was the admission to Congress of
loyal Senators and Representatives
from tho States whose people had re-
bcllcd against lawful authority of the
General Government. This question
deyolvcd upon the respective Houses,
which, BY tho Constitution, arc made,
the judges of tho elections, returns,
and qualifications of their own mem
hcrs and its consideration at once
engaged the attention of Congress.
mln the meantime, tho Executive
@cpartmcnt-no other plan having
been proposed BY Congrcss-contin-
ued it's efforts to perfect, as far as was
practicblc, the restoration of the pro-
per relations between the citizens of
the respective States, the States, and
the Federal Government, extending,
from time to time, as the public inter
ests seemed to require, the judicial,
revenue, and postal systems of the
country. With the advice and con.
scnttof the Senate, the necessary Off
GERS were appointed, and arpropria-
tions made by Congress for the pay.
mont of thcir salaries. Tho .proposi-
tion to amend tho Federal Gonstieus
tion, So as to9prevcnt tile cxistonc6gg6f
slavery within tho Unitcdgs rs, TIA sot 5s
any place subject to Observation-Disclosures,
was ratified by the reqnisftes number
of States !; and on the lSth day Of De-
ccmber, 865, it wasso officially dcclar-.
cd to have become vailed as q part Of,
tho Constitution of tho United States.
Alt-of these States in which the insur-
rectionhad existed promptly amended
their Constithtions,,so so as to make them.
conform to tho great change thus of.
tected in tho organic law Of tho land !;
declared null and void all ordinances.
and laws Of secession; rcpudiatod all
pretended debts and Obligations crca-
tea for the revolutionary purposes of
the ln&urrecti?n and proceeded, in