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


laws Of any State to tile contrary, not.
withstanding ;" 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
1t to the States, are PRESERVED to the
several States or to the people thereof"
This position is vindcatcd not only by
the essential nature Of enr Government,
and the language and spirit ofthe 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.
clamation Of the Executive it was expli.
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
ancc that, whenever tbs object should
be attained, the war should cease, and
all the States should stain their equal
rights and dignity nmmpaired. 1t is
only since the war w.,> closed that other
rights have been asstrted 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 and
the people involved in the insurrecton,
the rights of war, the night of conquest
and of confscation, the right to abro-
gate all existing Governments, institu-
tons and laws, and to subject the terri,
tory conquered and it's inhabitants to
such laws, regulations deprivations as
the legislative departments of the Gov.
ernment may see fit topnpose. Under
this broad and sweeping claim, that
clause Of the Constitution which pro.
vided that mo State shall, without its
consent, be deprived Of its equal suf-
rage in the Senate of .he United States,
has been annulled, and ten States have
been refused and are still refused. rep
rescntation altogether in both branches
Of the Federal Congress And the
Congress in which only part of the
States and Of the people of the Union
are represented has asserted the right
thus to exclude the rest from represen
taion, and from all share in making
their own laws or choosing their own
rulers until they shall comply with such
conditi ons and perform such acts MS this
Congress thus emposed may itself pre-
scribe. That right has not only been
asserted, but it has been exercised, and
is practically enforced at the present
time. Nor does 1t find any support in
tho theory that the States thus exclud,
ed are in rebellion against the Govern.
ment and are, therefore, preclude9
from sharing its authority. They are
not thus in rebellion. They are, one
and all, in an attitude of loyalty toward
the Governmant, and of sworn allegi.
ance to the Constitution OF the United
States. In no one OF them is there the
slightest indication of resistance to this
authority, or tile slightest protest against
its jnst and binding obligation This
condition of renewed loyalty has been
officially recognized by solemn procla-
nation Of the Executive Department.
The laws ofthe United States have
been rcopened and Federal taxes i'm
posed and levied, and in every respect,
except that they are denied representa-
ton in Congress and the Electoral Col.
lege, the States once in rebellion are
recognized as holding the same position,
as owing the same obligations and sub.
ject to the same duties as the other
States of our common Union.
1t seems to us, in the exercise Of the
calmest and most candid judgment we
can bring to The subject, that such a
claim, so enforced, involves as fatal an
overthrow of the Constitution, and as
complete destruction of the Govern.
ment and Union, as that which was
sought to be effected by the people and
States IN armed msurrection against
them both. 1t cannot escape observa-
| tion that the power thus asserted to ex-