Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-08-20
.NUMBEIRES.z441..-, R 7 &,

ises and concessions, toe which, -howerer
necessary when the. Constitution was
. formed. we are no longer compelled to
submit; and that now, having, the. power,
through successful war and Just Warrant,
for its exercise in the hostile conduct of the
insurgept, section, the actual Government
3 OF the United States may impose its own
conditions, and make the Constitution con-
form In all It's provisions tOyits own ideas
? OF equality and tile rights of man. COhe,
. gresscat its last session, proposed amends
, nlents to- the Constitution, enlargiDg in
some very important particulars the au-
thOrity of thei General Government over
that of the seveTal. States, and reducing, by
indirect disfranGhisemeat, the. repre aenta7F.
tive power of the States in which slavery
formerly aexitted; apds It is claimed that,
these amendments may be made valid as
parts of the original Constitution without
the concurrence of the States to be most
seriously affected by them or may be inn
posed upon those States by three -fourtllsa 4,
OF the remaining States, AS conditions off,
their readmissi0n to representation in'COn-
gress and in the Electoral College. . ~.
, 1t Is the nstiOnabie right Of the pe0T
pie of the United. States to make such Il
changes In the Constitution as they; nponR
due deiberaton, may deem eXpedient.
But wei insist that they shall be made in
the mode which the Constitution itself
=
and the spirit Of Thar instrument, and with y
the principles of self-government and or "a
equal rights which lie at the basis of OurII
republican Institutions. We deny IL errightrs
of Congress to make these changes in the
fundamental law without the concurrence
of three-fourths of all the States, including
especially those to be most seriously affect
ed by them or to impose them upon States
or people, as conditions of representation,
or of admission to any of the rights, duties or
obligations which belong under the COnsti-i
tuition TO all the States alike. And with
still greater emphasis do we deny the right
of any portion Of the States excluding the,
rest of the States from any share. IN their II
councils, to propose or sanction changes M
the Constitution which are TO affect peru
manenty their political relations and cou-
troll or coerce the legitimate action of the D,
several members of the common Union,
Such an exercise of power is simply an
usurpation, just as warrantable when eXer-
cised by Northern States as it would be if
exercised by Southern, and not to be for
tilted or .palliated by anything In the past
history, either OF those by whom It is at
tempted or of those upon whose rights aud Z
liberties it is to take effect. 1t finds no
warrant in the Constitution. tits at war
with the fundamental principles of our
form of government If tolerated in one
instance, it becomes the precedent for fu-
ture iuyasiOGs of liberty and constitutional
right dependent solely upon the will of the
party in possession of power, and thus
leads, by direct and necessary sequence, to
, the most fatal and ihtolerablc of all tyran-
nieS-the tyranny of shifting and irrespon-
sible political factions. 1t Us against this
? the most formidable of all the dangers
: which menace the stability of free govern
ment, that the Constitution of the United
States was intended most carefully to- pro-
vide. We demand strict and sJeadfast ad-.
herence to its provisions. In this, and in
. this alone, can we find basis OF perlna- 4
nent Union and peace. l..4-J fs.sE ~ 4
F0uh-But it is alleged in Justification
of the usurpation which we condemn, that
the condition of the Southern States aud il
{ people is not such as renders safe tneir re-
admission to a share in the government of
the country that they are still disloyal in
! sentiment and purpose, and that neithert the 80
honor, the credit nor the Interests OF the
nation would be safe if they were readmit-
ted to share In it5 councils. We might re- y
ply to this: -u,.fl,.-.a ga
l.. That we have no right, for such rea-
, sons, to deny TO any portion of the States or
, people rights expressly conferred upon /
them by the Constitution of the United Z
States. .. ...,.
2. That so long as their acts are those Of
loyalty--so long as they conform in all
b.
of the Constitution and laWS-We have no
right to exact from them conformity in
. their sentiments and opinions to ourOwn.
{ g. That we have no right to distrust the
purpose or the ability Of the people OF the
Union to protect and deferI, under all con-
tngeneies and by whatever means may be-"
required, its honor and its welfare. rsrgsl
These would, in our Judgment be full
and conclusive answers to the plea thus
flVo 1naAT far fha Inn Of tpE
from the Union. But We say further, that 7
this plea rests upon complete misappre-
henson or an unjust peryersion OF existing
facts. l'''hl i H..I .'F. IT, H.s no
We do not hesitate to affirm that there is
no section of the country where the Con- 4
stitution and laws of the United States find
, a more prompt and entire obedience than
ip those S5ateSand among those peoplewhoft
were lately in arms against them; or where
there is less pul pose or less danger OF any
, future attempt to overthrow their authori-1
, ty. It would seem to be both natural alidbs
inevitable that, in States aud sections so Fe7r4
Gently swept by the whrldwind of war, Z
where all the ordinary modes and methods
OF organized Industry have been brokenup
and the bon Is and influences that guaran- a
tee social order have been destroyed-where,
thousands anu tens OF thUusauds VI JurUu-
lent spirits have been Suddenly loosed from o.
the discipline of war; and thrown withoutnt
resources or restraint upon, a disorGanized
and chaotic society, and where the keen
sense of defeat is added to the overthrow
Of ambition aud hope, scenes of violence o
should defy for time the imperfect dis "a
cipline of law and excite anew the fears
and forebodngs of the patriotic and well
disposed. aItyis llnquestiOnably true that
local disturbances of this kind, aceompan-St
, iedby more or less of violence, do still occur.
But tthey are contitied entirely to the cities
and larger towns of the Southern States,,ii
where different races and interests arepl
brought most closely in contact and where
passions and resentments are always most
easily fed and famed into outbreak; and
even there They quite as much the fruitn
of untimely and churtful political agitation
as or any hostility on the part, of the peo-
pie to the authority Of the National Cow
, erBmentssW msHJ 30 esq tahi i3ai > lssoio
But the concurrent testimony of those Il
best acquainted with the condition of fsocie-
ty aud tne'state ofpuBlic sentiment in the
South--ineludin that of itsrepresentatlves
ih this onyentiOnr-estahlishe the fact q a
that the great mass, of the Southern people .
accept with as full and sincere submission
as do the peoplesof the other States. the re- q
, established so premacY OF the national atl. n
, thority, and are prepared, in the mostloyA io
spirit, and with a zeal Quickened alike by
their interest aud their pride, to co-operate' !.
with other States aud sections Ia whatsoever
may be necessary to defeud the rights X
FAo ntoit fho hnn nd fo fbn 10