Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-02-17

A publication has just appeared, understood to be
from the pen of Hon. John Minor Bolts, of Virginia,
entitled "A Few Plain Political AXiOms, that can
not be successfully disputed or denied, and which
seems TO solve the perpleXed problem of the status
of the States, and the people of the States, lately in
rebellion against the authority of the United States"
The points he makes may be thus briefly stated:
The right of secession is not only not authorized
but is expressly forbidden by the Constitution Of
the United States. II follows that all ordinances of
secession adopted by the States lately in rebellion
We're null and void in law, and therefore no State
has been out of the Union, and could not he car
ried out otherwise than by successful revolution I;
and TO admit that any of the TebelliOus States are or
have been ont of the Union would necessarily
amount to an admission that the Union had
been dissolved, and that we have been engaged IN
n foreign and not Il civil war. But whilst no body
of men could take a State out oil the Union, except
nv force of arms, yet any attempt TO do 50 by those
owing allegiance to the United States assuredly
constituted the grave crime of high treason.
The right of eXpatriation, however, has never been
denied to the people of this country, and whilst
they could not take a State out of the Union, itcGn-
not be denied that the citizens Of the rebelliOus
States could take themselves out ut pleasure, either
individually or collectively. Nor can it he disputed
that the late so-called Confederate States did for four
years constitute a Government dc .JdcfO, and 1t FOL
lows that all who assisted in creating it, by voting
in convention for an ordinance of secession or sign
ing the same, or who voluntarily took the oath of
allegiance To or held Office, civil or military, under
the said de GIcfO Government, which Offices could
only be held by citizens OF Il Government then hos
tile To and at war with the United States, thereby
alienated themselves from the Government of tlc
United States, and by thus rcnouncing its allegi-
ance, Ordained all pretensiOns u its protection, and
are, therefore, aliens TO this Government, and can
only be restored to citizenship through the estab-
lished laws of naturalization.
There can he no difference in law, or in fact, in
the political status of those Southern persons who
have taken the oath of allegiance TO the ode fIctO'
government of Macmillan, and those who have
taken a similar or otherwise made themselves citi-
Zens of the "de factO" government OF the so-called
President Davis.
These being the natural, lawful, and unavoidable
consequences of secession, alienation and treason, it
follows that the functions of government i'll those
States lately in rebellion, have been suspended by the
unconstitutional action of those temporarily III au-
thOrity in those States; and that these State govern
mcnts can only be restored through the action
of the idtc-mGkiRg pOD0r Gf tho United States.
and upon the suppression OF the rebellion, and
the. restoration Of peace, the right to govern and
control these States, naturally, constftutionally,
and inherently deyolves on the loayl citi-
zens thereof, who have fallen heirs To the estate, and
who cannot lawfully he subjected u the powcr-and
control of alien enemies to them andto the country,
and that these loyal citizens have also 4 natural,
constitutional and inherent right, underline sanction
of said law-making power 10 resume their original
position in the government and councils OF the ma
ton; and therefore all representatives To Congress,
who present themselves with the proper evidence oil
election, and who are prepared, honestly and III
good faith, to comply with the Constitution anu
Laws uf the Omitted States, should be admitted, with
out unnecessary delay, to u participation in the le'
giSlatiOn of the nation.
The President is clothed with the power to grant
reprieves and pardOns To those who have committed
offences against the United States; but as none are
iegaHy offenders, and :s no man in this country can
be legally punished for any offence, no matter how
atrOcious or aggravated The crime, until he has been
tried and convicted of the offence with which he
stands charged, so no repricvc or pardon can BE-
constitutiOnally granted before the party or parties
have been tried and convicted, according to1aw;
and therefore all pardons heretofore granted to those
lately in rebellion have been premature, ana are
null and void.
1t is patent to observing men, that all attempts
at reconstruction in many of the States, through the
misplaced confidence and unappreciatcd kindness
and magnanimity Of the President, through the Gc-
ton of those who have occupied the relations oil
alien enemies to the United States, have failed IN
their anticipated effects, and should be commenced
de moro, and therefore, in all such States rs have
not, i'm the opinion of the law-making power, been
finally reconstructed, it will be right and proper
that a Military or Provisional Governor, of loyal an
tecedents, should be appointed Except for the state
of Yirginial with instructions 10 cnil-a Convention,
to be composed of loyal men only, To he elected by
those who are authorized to vote by their existing
State Constitutions.
The State of Virginia, although n large majority
tI Her ltklhc NtIc III ItucilOh' hio pNS ht'
ously and.without interruption, through the actions
of a portion of her loyal citizens, recognized as
state Government 10y every department of the Gov
erument of the United States; she therefore stands
in II different relation TO the Government from those
states that have disclaimed all rights TO such repre-
s%entation, and that have had Provisional Governors
since the war, appointed by the President.
A convincing argument is then introduced to show
that there has been no constitutionally organized
legislative body in Virginia since their present Con-
,t.trt;,r ,,.n1 alantal in fln Vnnr 1At1 and that nv
necessary consequence all acts and parts OF acts,
resolutions, elections, appointments, and other pro-
ceedings adopted by either Of the bodies styling
themselves 1.-The Legislature of Virginia" since
the adoption of the Alexandria Constitution, have
been in violation of the plainest provisions and re-
uuirements of that Constitution, and are absolutely
null and void, and of no effect; and in this condi-
ton of things, il is imperatively necessary that the
restoration of that State to its national rights should
be commenced dc moro by the call of a Legislature
by the Governor of the State, to he composed Of
loyal men only, under such restrictions upon the
eligibility to Office as the Constitution provides.