The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1866-08-30
EBENSBURG. PA. THURSDAY. AUGUST 80. Is

SieSs, anu therefore no question as to
their inherent right to return. In Mis-
souri, and Kentucky, for example, there
was evil war, waged by inhabitants of
those States against their local govern
mentS. as well as against the United States;
and nobody contends that the rights aud
privileges of those States were forfeited by
the criminal acts of their citizens But
the real strength of the rebellion consisted
IN this, that 1t was not a rebellion agu:Hst
States, but a rebellion by States No
loose assemblage of individuals, though
num bering hundreds Of thousands, could
lcag have resisted the pressure of the
Federal power and the power of the State
governments. They would have had no
means OF subsistence except those derived
by plunder and voluntary contributions.
and they would have lacked the military
organization by which mohs are trans
formed into formidable armies But the
rebellion being one of States, being virtu-
ally decreed by the people of States as
sembled in convention, was sustained by
the two tremendous governmental powers
OF taxation aud conscri ption. The willing
and the unwilling were thus equally placed
at the disposition OF 4 strong government.
The population and wealth of the whole
Immense region OF country in which the
rebellion prevailed were at the service uf
this Government. SO completely was it
u rebellion of States, THAT the universal
excuse of the minority Of original Union
men for entering heartily into the contest
alter it had once begun was, that they
though it their duty to abide by tie de-
cision, and share the fortunes of their Ie-
spective States. Nobody at the Sonth
believed at the time the war commenced,
or during its progress, that his State pas
sessed ANY continuous" right to partic-
ipation in the privileges of the Federal
Constitution. the obligations of which it
had repudiated When confident of sue
cess, the Southerner scorntully secuted
the mere suspicion of entertaining such
degrading notinn when assured of defeat,
his only thought was to "ger his State
| back into the Union on the best terms
| that could be made" The idea of ''cnn-
ditions Of readmission" was as firmly fixed
in the Southern as in the Northern mind
| Ii the politicians of the South now aGop.
! the principle that the rebel States have
pot, as States, ever altered their relations
to the Union, they do it from policy,
| filing that its adoption will give them
"better terms" than they ever dreamed Of
getting before the Presidento of the United
States taugh; them that it would be more
| polite to bully than to plead
In the last analysis, indeed, the theory
of the minority of the Recunst ructiJn
Committee reduces the rebel States to
mere abstracticns. 1t is plain that State,
in the concrete, is constituted By that por
tion of the inhabitants who form is legal
people aud that, in passing back of its
| government and constitution, we reach u
convention OF the legal penpe as its ulti-
| mate expression. BY such conventions
the acts OF secession we're passed aud, as
far as the people of the rebel States could
do it, they destroyed their States cpnsiI-
cred as organized communities forming
| part Of the United States. The claim nt
the United States to authority over the
territory aud inhabitants was, of course,
not affected by these acts bat i'll what
| condition did they place the Fe e'pie =
| Plainly in the condition OF rebels, engaged
in az attempt to overturn the Constitution
and Government of the United States
As the whole force of the people in each
this work, the whole of the people were
rebels aud public enemies. Nothing vas
left, in each case, but an abstract State,
without any external 5ody, aud as desti
:ute OF people having right TO enjoy the
privileges Of the Constitution as If the
territory had been swept cleau OF 2opula-
tiun by pestience. 1t Is, then, only
this abstract State which has. right to
representation in Congress. But how c,n
there be right to representation when
there is nobody to be represented All
this may apl~ar pueriie, but the puerilIty
is in the pIemi-es as well as IN the logical
deductions and the premises are laid
down as in1isputa5le constitutional prin
ciples by the eminent jIri-ts who supply
ideas tor :he National Union party.
The doctrine of the unconditional right
of the rebel States to representation being
thus demonstrated absurdi'y, the only
question relates To the conditions which
Congress proposes to impose. Certainly
these conditions. as embodied in the con-
ssitutional amendment which has passed
both Houses by such overwhe ming IIa-
jorIties, are the mIlde-t ever exlcfe0 OF
defeated enemies by victorious nation
There is not distinctly radical idea in
the whole amendment nothing that Pres
ident johnson has not himself, withia
com paTatively recent period, stampe,; with
his higt. approbatIJn. Does it ordain
universal suffrage? M. Does it ordain
impartial suffrage? No. Does it pro-
scribe, disfranchise or expatclate the re-
cent armed enemies of the country, or
T.