The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1866-08-31

gresS, now in possession of power, that
it flows directly from the laws Of war;
( that it is among the rights which vie
tOrlOus war always cOnfeYS upon the
. cOuquprors, and which the Conqu@ror
( may exercise or waive in his own dis
creti0n. To this WerepIy that the laws
. in question relate solely, so far as the
/ rights they confer are concerned, to
! wars Wagcd between alien and indie
/ pendent nations, and can have no place
/ or force, in this regard in a war Waged
! by Government to quell an insur-
/ rection OF It's own people. upon its own
/ soil, against its authority. If We had
/ carricdon successful war againS5uny for
( cigH nation, we mightthcge5y have ac-
/ quired possession anG jGri-Ilict on OF
/ their soil, with the right 10 eulo.ce our
laws upon the people and to impose
upon them such laws and obligations
is we might choose. But we had be-
( fore the war complete jurisdiction over
the soil Of the Southern States, limited
only by our own Constitution. Our
laws were the OnIY rational laws in
force upon il. The Government Of the
United States was jhe only Govern
mcnt through which those States and
their people had relations with foreign
nations, and its flag was the only flag
by which they were rec, gniZyd or
known anywhere on the face of the
earth. In all these respects, aad in all
other respects involving n"t.o. Il! inter
c-tS and rights, our po~-, ~siun was per-
feet and complete. 1t did not need to
be acquired, bat only be maintained; &;
and victorious war agaiH~t til> rebellion
could do nothing more than main-ain
it. 1t con only NiEGic1;C and re-es-
t2bli>h the disputed supremacy Of the
Constitution. ltcDuid neither enlarge
nor diminish the authority which that
Constitution Contcrs upon ,he Govern
ment by which ii was achieved. Such
an enlargement or abridgement of con-
stituti0naI power can be effected only
hy amendment of the Constitution il
self. and such amendments can be made
only in the modes which the COnstitu
ton itself presCribcs. The claim that
the suppression of an insurrCction a.
gainst the Government gives addition
al authorityand power to that Govern
ment especially that it enlarges the ju
ri~diCtiOu Of Congress- and gives that
body the right 81 exclude States from
representation in the national councils,
without which the nation Itself can
have no authority and no existence;
seems to u~at variance alike with tie
principles of the Con. titutiOaand with
the public safety.
Third, Bat it is alleged that in GER
tain particulars the Constitutional the
United States fails to secure the absO-
Lutte justice and impartial equality
which principles of our Government
require, that it was in this respect the
result Of compromises and concessions,
to which, however necessary when the
Constitution was formed, we are no
longer compelled to submit, and that
now, having the power, through sue
ceSSfui war and just warrant, for its eX-
ercise in the hostile conduct of the in
surment section, the actual Government
of the United States may impose its
own conditions, and make the COnsti
tuition conform in all its provisions to
its own ideasof equality and the rights
Of man. Congress, at its last session,
proposed amendments to tho Constitu-
tiOn, cniarging in some very important
particulars the authority Of the GCncr-
Ill Government over thatOf the several
States, and reducing, by indirect dis
franchisemGnt, the representative pow
er of the States, in which Slavery for
merly existed; and it is claimed that
these amendments may be made valid
as parts of the original Constitution
without the concurrence Of the States
to bc most seriously affected by them,
or may be imposed upon those State,
by thrpe-fourths of the remaining
e l,lg
sion to representation in Congress and
in the Electora. College.
1t j. the uugue.ti0nablc right Of the
people of the United States to make
such changes in the COnstitu ion a. they
upon due dcliberation, may deem cN-
pedient. But we insist that they shall
be made in the mode which the Con-
stitution itself points oUt-iu cOnfor-
nifty with the letter and the spirit Of
that instrument and with the Drinci-
pies Of Seit-goVernment and Of equal
rights which lie at the basis of our re-
publican institutions. We deny the
RIGHT of Congress 10 make these chang
& in the fundamental law without the
concurrence of thrce-fOurth~ of all the
States, including especially those to be
most seriously affected Gy them a or to
impose them upon State or people, as
conditions of representation or of ad-
mission to any Of the rights, duties Or
obligations which belong under the
Constitution 10 all the States alike.
And with still greater emphasis do we
deny the right of any portion of the
States excluding the Testot States from
any share il their councils, to propose
or sanction changes in the Constitution
which are to affect permanently their
political relations and control or cOerce
the legitimate action Of the several
members Of the common Union. Such
an exercise OF power is simply an uslH-
patton, just a. warranta0lc Wh"n eXer-
ciSed by Northera States - /, would be
il exercised ny southern, and not 30 be
fOrtitiedo or paltiated by anything in the
past history, either of those by whom
il is attempted or of those upon whose
rights and li5erties it is to take effect.
1t finds no WarrAntin the Constitution.
It is az war with the fundamental prin
ciplcs OF our form Of government. If
tolerated in one instance, it becomes
the precedent for future invasiOns of
liberty and constitutional right depend
cnt solely upon the will of the party
in possession of power, and thus leads,
by direct and necessary sequence, 10
the most fatal and intOlerable Of all
tyrannies-the tyrannyof shifting and
irresponsible political factions. Ii is
against this, the most formidable Of all
! the dangers which menace the stabili-
ty Of free government, that the Consti-
tuition of the United States was intend
ed most carefully TO provide. We de
e, III l,