The weekly North-Carolina standard., 1866-06-13


thnir incnmbents with the sanction and by
the direction of the Legislatures or conven-
t;nns of their respective States. This was
Jone @ as a hostile act against the Constitution
and Government of the United States, with
a declared intent to overthrow the same by
forming Southern confederation. This act
of declared hostility was speedily followed
bv an organization of the same States into
coofederacv, which levied and waged war by
con and land against the United States. This
mar continued more than four years, within
which period the rebel armies besieged the
national capital, invaded the loyal States,
burned their towns and cities robbed their
citizens, destroyed more than 100000 loyal
soldiers, and imposed an increased national
burden of not less than $3,500,000 600, OF
which seven or eight hundred millions have
already been met and paid. From the time
these confederated States thus withdrew from
their representation in Congress and levied
war against the United States the great mass
IF their people became and were insurgents,
rohels traitors, and all of them assumed and
occupied the political, legal, and practical
reIoton of enemies of the Uuited States-
This position is established by acts of Con-
UreSS ana lutiiCiaA uCCisionS Gnu 10 icCoShi-
9zed repeatedly by the President in public
nrocamations, documents, and speeches.
Second. The States thus confederated
prosecuted their war against the United
States to final arbitrament, and did not cease
mill all their armies were captured, their
military power destroyed, their civil officers
State and confederate prisoners or
mt to flight, every vestige of State and Con-
federate government obliterated, their terri
tory overrun and occupied by the Federal
armies, and their people reduced to the con-
dition of enemies conquered in war, entitled
only by public law to such rights, privileges,
and conditions as might be vouchsafed by
the conqueror This position is also estab
lishel by judicial decisions, and is recognized
by the president in public proclamations,
documents, and speeches.
Third Having voluntarily deprived them
selves of representation in Congress, for the
criminal purpose of destroying the Federal
Union, and having reduced themselves, by
the act of levying war, to the condition OF
public enemies, they have no right to COM
plain of temporary exclusion from Congress-
but, on the contrary, having voluntarily re
nounced their right to representation, and
disqualified themselves by crime from partl-
cipating in the Government, the burden now
rests upon them, before claiming to be rein
stated in their former condition. to show
that they are qualified to resume Federal re-
lations. In order to do this they must prove
that they have established, with the consent
of the people, republican forms of govern
ment in harmony with the Constitution and
laws of the United States, that al hostile
purposes have ceased, and should give ade-
quate guarantees against future treason and
guarantees which will prove salts
factory to the Government against which
they rebelled and by whose arms they were
subdued
Fourth. Having, by this reasonable with
drawal from Congress and by fiagrant rebel
lion and war, forfeited all civil and political
rights and privileges under the Federal Con
stitution, they can only be restored thereto
by the permission and authority of that con-
stitutional power against which they rebell-
ed, and by which they were subdued.
Fifth. These rebelliOus enemies were con-
quered by the people of the United States,
acting Through all the coordinate branches
of the Government, and not by the Executive
department alone The powers of conqueror
are not so vested in the President that he can
fix and regulate the terms of settlement and
confer congressional representation upon con-
quered rebels and traitors. Nor can he in
any way qualify enemies of the Government
to exercise its lawmaking power; The au-
therity to restore rebels to political power in
the Federal Government, can be exercised
only with the concurrence of all the depart
ments in which political power is vested
And hence the several proclamations of the
President to the people of the Confederate
States cannot be considered as extending be-
yond the purposes declared, and can only be
regarded as provisional permission by the
Commander-in- Chief of the army to do certain
acts, the validity whereof is to be determined
by the constitutional government, and not
solely by the Executive power
Sixth. The question before the Congress
is, then, whether conquered enemies have the
right and shall be permitted, at their own
pleasure and on their own terms, to partici-
pate in making laws for their conquerors !;
whether conquered rebels may change their
theatre of operations from the battle field,
where they were defeated and overthrown,
to the halls Of Congress, and, through their
representatives, seize upon the Government
which they fought to destroy; whether the
national treasury, the army of the nation, its
navy, its forts and arsenals, its whole civil
administration, its credit, its pensioners
widows and orphans of those who perished
in the war-the public honor, peace, and
safety shall all be turned over to the keeping
OF its recent enemies, without delay and
without imposing such conditions as, in the
opinion OF Congress, the security of the coun-
try and its institutions may demand
Seventh. The history of mankind exhibits
no example of such madness and folly. The
instinct of selfprcservation protests against
1t The surrender by Grant to Lee, and by
Sherman to Johnston, would have been dis
asters OF less magnitude, for new armies could
have been raised, new battles fought, and the
Government saved. The anti-coercive policy
which, under pretext of avoiding bloodshed,
allowed the rebellion to take form and gather
force, would be surpassed in infamy by the
matehless wickedness that would now sur
render the halls of Congress to those so re-
Gently in rebellion. until proper precautions
Shall have been taken to secure the national
faith and the national safety.
Eighth. 1t has been shown in this report
and IN the evidence submitted no proof has
been afforded to Congress of constituency
In any OF the so-called Confederate States,
unless we except the State of Tennessee,
qualified to elect Senators and Representa-
tives in Congress. No State constitution or
amendment to State constitution has had
the sanction of the people All the so-called
legislation OF State conventions and Legisla-
= l. 4
II the President may, at his will and under
his own authority, whether as military COM
mander or Chief Executive, qualify persons
to appoint Senators and elect Representa-
tlVes, and empower Others to appoint and