The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1866-06-07

I 4
led, and the Federal Union created
i by it shall endure. Mr.. Seward, in
! his speech at Auburn, day before
yesterday, recognizes this funda-
mental truth. And in my judg-
ment those powers and those rights
belong to-day as well to the States
and the people of Georgia and Mis-
sissippi as to the States and people
IOf Ohio or Pennsylvania.
| Why should it not be so9 The
EConstitution provides that "this
lConstitution and the laws made in
pursuance thereof shall be the su.
fpreme law, anything in the Consti-
tuition and laws of any State to the
contrary Notwithstanding" This is
the measure of the lawful authori-
ty Of the Federal Government
This is the limit of its lawful de-
mand upon the States. When this
is conceded, the measure is full to
overf1owing-when this is conced-
ed, the States have fulfilled their
Federal duty-they have discharg-
ed their Federal obligation-no
more can be exacted from them,
and they are entitled to the unob-
structed enjoyment Of all the pow
er reserved and the rights guaran-
teed by the Federal Constitution.
Is not Federal authority as
promptly obeyed to-day-is it not
as unimpeded to day in Georgia as
in Ohio! There is not an armed
enemy in the Confederate States.
There is not show of opposition
to Federal authority even as great
''as the shadow where it declineth," )"
and yet for months, the equality of
the States has been violated and
the people of those States have
been denied the first great right
guaranteed by the Federal Consti-
tution-that right which is essen
tial to free government-that right
without which all government is a
lawless usurpation, which it is al
ways right and frequently a duty
to resist with all the means which
! God and nature have put into our
hands, mean the right of repre-
| sentation. ...
61sWe have a wonderful spectacle
presented to us. Scarcely a year
has elapsed since Lee surrendered,
yet the Confederate Government
has entirely disappeared and the
Federal Government has taken its
place. In the States old Constitu-
tions have been abolished and new
ones have been established-old
governments have been thrown
down and new ones been set up
old officers have been expelled and
others selected. The States are
exercising all the functions of gov
ernment necessary to the preserva-
ton of civil society. They pre-
serve order, punish crimes, protect
life and property. They regulate
the relation of husband and wife,
parent and child, creditor and debt
or. They collect debts, enforce
contracts, regulate descents, estab-
lish corporations, charter cities,
control public education. And
who has said they were not suffic-
lent for these things9 Mr.. Seward,
in the speech from which have
quoted, says that the return of the
Southern people to their Federal
allegiance is without parallel in
history. Yet Congress for six
months has devoted itself to the
invention of odious Constitutional
amendments, which were intended
to deprive the States of their just
powers; and to the passage of obi
Gus laws, which were intended il
obeyed to reduce the people to the
most degrading submission, or il
not obeyed to produce irritation
and bitterness and threats of resis.
tance from which it was hoped to
deduce the necessity of establish
ing military governments and en-
forcing martial law.
And why is thiss 1t is because
they hate the Constitution of the
United States-because they hate
our system of Government. They
hate it's two fundamental ideas
confederation: granted and reserv
ed powers. They admire the
strength of consolidated govern
ment and confde in the wisdom o.
an overshadowing, absolute, irres
ponsible majority. They prefer tc
intrust the rights and liberties Of
the people, the amelioration of the
condition Of our race to such q
majority rather than to the pro.
gress which consists with the