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

VI "oriuscmcnt OF constitutional power can ba
effected only by the amendment of the Consti-
tuition itself, and such an amendment can bo
made only IN the modes which the Constitu-
suppression of an insurreotiot against the
Goyernment gives add itionSl authority snd
n resyS+ fUyurnIne q 6S peCf iv fhaf a
enlarges tile Jurisdiction Of eress ana ivss
that body tho right to exclude States from,
representation in the national councils viii.
out which the nation itself Gun have no author
ny ana no existence, it seems to us is at yari.
ahce aiikc with the principles of the Constitu.
tlon and with the public safety.
.. but 1T Is alleged that in certain particu.
lars the Constitution of the United States fail.
to secure that absolute Justice and ;mnor.;aI
equality which the principles of our Govern.
mcnt require. That it was in these resncc,s
the result OF compromises and concessions. to
which, however necessary when the Constitu
.'oh was formed, we arc no longer compelled
70 submit, and that now, having the power.
through successful war, and Just warrant for
Its exercise in the hostile conduct of tho in.
surgent section, the actual Government of tha
United States may impose its own conditions
and make the Constitution conform. in all ;,e
provisions, to its own ideas of equality and the
rights Of man. ''S
Congress, at its last session, proposed amend.
hehts 70 the Constitution cnlarging, in somo
very important particulars, the authority Of
the General Government over that of the sew.
cral States, and reducing, by indirect disfran.
chisclncnt the representative power of tho
states IN which slavery formerly existed. And
IL IS Claimed that these amendments may bo
In"dc vaild as parts of the original Consttu
tlop, without the concurrence of the Statcs to
DC most seriously affected by them, or may bo
imposed upon those States by threc.fourtbs
OF the remaining States as conditions of their
re admission to representation in Congress and
in the electoral college.
80 IS the unGuestionablc right of the pcople
~ "a 'he nlted States to a.ake such changes In
sGtI3}aassstt9t!Sn as they upon due dolibera
with the letter aud the spirit of that instru-
mcnt, and with tho principles of self.goyern-
of our republican institutions We deny the
right 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 affected
by them, or to impose them upon States or
people as conditions of representation or Of
admission to any of the rights, duties or obi
,ations which belong, under the Constitution,
to all the Statcs alike And with still greater
emphasis do we deny the night of any portion
of the States, excluding the rest of the States
from any share in their councils, to propose or
sanction the changes in the Constitution which
are to affect permanently their political rela-
tions, and control or cocrcc the legitimate ac-
tion Of the several members of the common
Union. Such an exercise of power is simply
a usurpation-just as unwarrantablc when cx-
ercised by Northern States as it would be if
exercised by Southern, and not to be fortified
or pnliated by anything III the past history ci-
thcr of those by whom it is attempted, or Of
those upon whose rights and liberties it is to
take effect. 1t finds no warrant in the Con
stitution it is at war with the fundamental
principles of our form of Government. If tol-
Grated in one instance it becomes tho prccc-
dent for future invasons Of liberty and constl-
tutoual rights, dependent solely upon the will
Of the party in possession of power, and thus
leads, by direct sequence, to the most fatal and
intolerablc of all tyrannics-thc tyranny OF
shifting and irresponsible factions. It is
against this, the most formidable of all tho
dangers which menace the stability Of a FREQ
Government, that the Constitution of the Uni
ted States was intended most carefully to pro-
vide. We demand strict and steadfast ad-
herence to it's provisions. In this, and in this
alone, can We find basis Of permanent union
and peace.
4. But it is alleged, in justification Of tho
usurpation which we condemn that the condi-
i ton of the Southern States ond people is not
such MS renders safe their re-admission to u
share in the Government Of tho country; that
they are still disloyal in sentiment and pur.
pose, aud that neither the honor, the credit
nor the interest Of the nation would be safe il
they were rcadn.ttcd to share in its coun.
ellis. We might reply to this: First, that
we have no right for such reasons to deny to
any portion of the States or people rights cx.
pressly conferred upon them by the Constitu
ton Of the United States. Second, that sc
long as their acts arc those Of loyalty, so long
as they conform in all their public conduct t
tho requirements of the Constitution and laws
: we have no right to exact from them conform
| a., ;r, tha;r cnnti,nonfu md or,iniona 70 on