Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1866-09-08

'"' Ch!oh as u necessary consequences
ana second, it hns put an end, finally an,
forever to the existence Of slavery upon til,
sou or within the jurisdiction of the Upitet
States. Both these points became direct,
involved in the contest and controversy unn;
both was ended absolutely and finally by tho
result. In the third place, we deem it Of thf
utmost Importance that the real c|,aractnr -,
the war, and the victory by Which it was closed
; should be accurately understood The war
was carried on by the Government of the Uni.
ted States IN maintenance Of it's own authori.
~ and III defence Of its own existence. both
OF winch were menaccd by the insurrcction
~nich IT sought To suppress. The suppression
., M mat li'surrcctlon accomplished that result.
ne Government of the United States main.
ta'hed by force Of arms the supreme authority
over all the territory, and over all the States
ana people within it's jurisdiction, which the
Constitution confcrs upon it. But it acquired
thereby no new power; no enlarged iurrisdc
ton; no rights, either of territorial possession
or OF civil authority, which it did not possess
octore the rebellion broke out All the right.
tui power 1t can ever possess is that which is
Conferred upon it, either in express terms or
| by tair and necessary application, by the Con
stitution of the United States
1t was that power and that authority which
the rebellion sought to overthrow, and the vic.
tory of the Federal arms was simply tho do
tcat OF that attempt. Tie Government of tie
United States acted throughout the war on
tIe defensive. 1t sought only to hold posses
',oh OF what was already its own. Neither
the war nor the victory by which it was closed
changed, IN any way, the Constitution Of the
United States. The war was carried on Lv
virtue OF its provisions, and under the lmita-
t,ohs which they prescribe, and the result of
MT fnfl, Il.
any way change or affect tho powers it confers
UPON the Federal Government. or release th,t
ioyernnent from the rnstrieIin,l. .Yh;, ;.-L--
States is, day, precisely as it was before the
war, "he supreme tct,c Of The land, anything
iu the Constitution or laws of any State to the
contrary notwithstanding" Aud, to-day, also,
precisely as before the war, all the powers
not conferred by the Constitution upon the
General Governments, nor prohibited by it to
the States, is reserved to the several States, or
to tho people thereof"
This position is yndicated not only by the
essential nature Of our Government, and the
language and spirit of the Constitution, but
by Ill the acts and the language of our Gov
From tile outbreak of the rebellion to its final
overthrow, in every message and proclamation
of the Executive. it was explicitly declared
that the sole object and purpose OF the war was
to maintain the authority of tho Constitution
and TO preserve the integrity of the Cnion.-
And Congress, more than onco, reiterated this
solemn declaration, and added the assurance
that, whenever this object should be attained,
; the war should ccusc and all the States should
retain their equal rights and dignity nnim.
paired. 1t is only since the war WAS closed
that other rights have been asserted on behalf
of one department of the General Government.
1t has been proclaimed by Congress that, in
addition to the powers conferred upon it BY
the Constitution, the Federal Government may
now claim over the States, the territory aud
! the people involved in insurrection, the rights
Of war, the right Of conquest and of confsca-
tion; the right to abrogate all existing Gov
crnnents, institutions and laws, and to sub
icct the territory conquered, and its inhabit.
ants, to such laws, regulations and dcpriva-
tons as tho legislative departments of tho
Government may SEQ fit to impose.
Untlor this broad and sweeping claim, that
clause Of the Constitution which provides that
{" no State shull without its consent, be de-
privcd of its equal suffrage in tho Senate OF
tho United States" has been annulled, and ten
States have been refused, and still are refused
representation altogether in both branches OF
the Federal Congress; and the Congress in
which only pnrt of the States and OF the
, people of the Union are represented has as
serted tho right thus to exclude the rest from
representation and all share in making Their
own laws or choosing their own rulers, unit
: they shall comply with such conditions ane
. form euch acts as this Congress-, thus com
, posed, may itself prescribe That right hal
! not only been asserted, but it has been exer
9 ciscd and is practically enforced at the prescn
time. Nor does it find any support III th'
theory that the States thus excluded are !,
rebellion against tho Government, and there
! fore prccludcd from sharing it's authority
They arc not thus in rebellion. They are on
a and all in attitude of loyalty towards tho Gov
;. crnmcnt, and Of sworn allegiance to tho Con
/ stitution Of the United States. In no one Q