The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1866-08-29

under the limitations which they prescribe
ard the resul. Of the war did not either en-
|, large. abridgc, or in any way change or af
feet the powers it confers upon the FEEDER
al Government or release that Government
from the restriction which it has imposed
The Constitution of the United States i,
to-day precisely as it was before the war
6 the supreme law of the land, any thing il
the Constitution or laws of any State to the
, contrary Notwithstanding" aud to-day, also,
, precisely as before the war. al the powers
not conferred by the Constitution upon the
: General Government, nor prohibited by il
to the States, are reserved to the severa
States, or to the people thereof"
This position is vindicated not only by the
essential nature of our Government, and
the language and spirit of the Constitution.
but by all the acts and the language of our
Government, in all its departments and at
all times from the outbreak of the rebellion
to its final overthrow.
SOLE OBJECT OF THE CONTEST.
In every message and proclamation of the
Executive it was explicitly declared that the
sole object and purpose of the war was to
maintain the authority cf the Constitution
and TO preserve the integrity of the Union;
and Congress more than once reiterated this
solemn declaration, and added the assurance
that whenever the object should be attain
ed the war should cease, and all the States
should retain their equal rights and dignity
unimpaircd.
1t is only since the war has closed that
other rights have been asserted on behalf
of one department of the G. neral Govern
ment
ASSERTIONS OF CONGRESS.
/ 1t has been proclaimed by Congress that
in addition to the powers conferred upon it
| by the Constitution, the Federal Govern
ment may now claim over the States, the
territory and the people involved in the in
surrection the rights of war-the right of
conquest and of contiscation, the right to
abragate all existing governments, institu-
tions and laws and to subject the territory
conquered and its inhabitants to such laws,
regulations and deprvations as the legisla-
tive Department of the Government may
see fit to impose. Under this broad and
sweeping claim that clause of the Constitu-
ton which provides that ''no State shall,
without its consent, be deprived of its equal
suffrage in the Senate tf the United States,
has been refused, and are still refused, re-
presentation altogether in both branches of
the Federal Congress. And the Congress
in which only part of the States and of
the people of the Union arc represented has
asserted the right thus to exclude the rest
from representation, and from all share in
making their own laws or choosing their
own rulers until they shall comply with such
conditions and perform sucn acts as this
Congress thus composed may itself pre-
scribe. That right has not only been assert
ed, but it has been exercised, and is prac-
tically enforced at the present time. Nor
does it find any support in the theory that
the States thus eXclu led are in rebellion
against the Government, and are therefore
precludea from sharing its authority. They
are not thus in rebellion. They arc one and
all in an attitude Of loyalty toward the Gov
ernment. and of sworn allegiance to the
Constitution of the United States. In no
one of them is there the slightest indication
of resistance to this authority or the sliget
est protest against its just and binding OBJ
| legation. This condition of renewed loyalty
has been all officially recognized by solemn
proclamation of the Executive Department.
tended by Congress over all these States
have been reopened, and Federal taxes i'm
posed and lived. And in every respect,
except that they are denied representation
States once in rebellion are recognized as
holding the same position. as owing the
same obligations. and subject to the same
duties as the other States Of our common
Union.
UNRESTRICTED REPRESENTATION NECEssA-
| RY.
| 1t seems tous, in the exercise ofthe calm
est and most candid judgement we can bring
to the subject. that such claim, so Gnforc-
ed, involves as fatal an overthrow of the
authority of the Constitution and as COM
plete destruction of the Government and
| Union, as that which was sought to be eff
ttcted by the States and people in armed
insurrection against them both. 1t can not
escape oil servaton, that the power thus as
serted to exclude certain States from repre-
sentation, is made to rest wholly in the will
and discretion of the Congress that asserts
it. 1t is not made to depend upon any
! specified conditiOrs or circumstances, nor to
| be subject to any rules or regulations what
ever. The right asserted and exercised is
absolute, without qualification or restriction,
not confined to States in rebellion, nor to
States that have rebelled; it is the right of
any Congress in formal possession of legis-
latve authority, to exclude any State or
States, and any portion Of the people there
| of, at any time, from representation in Con
grcss and in the Il ectoral College at its own
discretion, and until they shall perform such
acts and comply with such conditions as it
may dictate. Obviously, the reasons for
such exclusion being wholly within the dis
cretion of Congress may change as the Con-
itself shall change. One Congress may ex-
clude State from all share in the Govern
ment for one reason; AMI, that reason re.
moved, the next Congress may exclude it
Tor another. One State may be excluded on
one ground to-day, and another may be ex-
cludcd on the opposite ground Tomorrow
| Northern ascendancy may exclude Southern
| States from one Congress asccndancy
of Western or of Southern interests, or of
both combined, may exclude the Northern
or the Eastern States from the next. In
probable as such usurpations may seem, the
establi hment Of the principle now asserted
and acted upon by Congress will render
them by no means impossible. The charac-
ter. indeed the very existence of Congress
and the Union is thus made dependent sole
ly and entirely upon the party and sectional
exigcncies of forbearances Of the hour.
We need not stop to show that such ac-
ton not only finds no warrant in the Consti-
tuition, but is at war with every principle of
our Government, and with the very exist
ence of free institutions. 1t is, indeed, the
4 identical practice which has rendered fruit.
less an attempts hitherto to establish and
maintain free governments in Mexico and
the States =, South America. Party neces-
sites assert themselves as superior to the
fundamental law which is set aside in reck-
less obedience to their behests, Stability.
wether in tho exercise of power, in the ad-
A. p. a
ment of rights, becomes i'm mpossible and the
conflicts of party, which, under constitu-
tional governments, are the conditions and
means of nolitical progress. arc merood IN