The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1866-01-10

MES the General Government, now that
peace has been restored, any right to exer,
else within the rebellious States any power
not conferred upon it by the Constitution !;
consequently he cannot, NOR can Congress,
extend tho right Of suffrage in South Caro-
lima, or enforce in that State any law no,
equally applicable TO every olhor State in
the Union.
The Republicans. on the otbN hand, in.
sist that though no State has any caustitu.
tional right TO secede. the Southern States,
nevertheless, by attempting to aecede, vr'
tually put themselves ont Of the Union !;
and that the conqueriug States have the
right to impose upon them conditions up.
on which they may resume their former re.
la'ions to the Government Of the United
States. Some Republicans, il is true, do
not hold this opinion, but they enter ain
one which is practically the same, ,ha,
though no State could secede, and though
each Of those, which attempted to secede,
practically is aud has always been in the
Union, yet those citizens who sustained the
Confederate Government, thereby divested
Themselves Of all the rights of American
citizenship and cannot lo allowed TO exer
else them that President Johnson erred
in allowing such persons TO take part in the
reorganization Of the State governments
that all acts done by them may be held
null and void ; and consequently Congress
is not bound TO recognize the State gov.
ernmen.s which they have organized, or to
admit tho Senators and Representatives
whom they have sent to Congress.
The supporters ef these two Rspubica
theories seek TO attain the same result
the practical exclusion Of the Southern
States from the Union, and the coptinu.
ance Of military despotism over them, un.
Ill the people OF those States shall be fore
ed to admit their negroes to all the rights
OF citizenship. and surrender their Govern.
men,s into the hands Of their former slave.,
| and the "loyaI" whites; and accordingly
Republicans of every shade insist that the
Southern States must not be reorganized
bv "traitors," but by their loyal" citizens,
white and black; and that the Congress is
not bound to recognize the acts OF the
State Conventions which have been held
or admit the Senators or Representatives
who have been ch'sen BY authority Of sucl,
traitorously y.cons,i'u,ed conventions.
II is right here the President, sep ,rates
from them entirely. lie maintain-s that
the people Of the several seeding States,
who have renewed their allegiance to the
United States Government, and purgsd
themselves Of the charge Of disloyalty by
taking advantage Of the amnesty which he
has been p'ra.ed to extend 10 them. have
been restored 10 oil the rights Of American
citizenship. ard ranno. be denied a partici.
patton in the reorganization Of their State
Government, or shorn Of any right confsrr.
ed upon them by the Cons,ituiion-and
that, consequently, the Government Of the
United States mus, recognize the acts of
the Conventions which have been held in
the Southern States, and concede TO those
States al the rights which tn. Constitution
Of the Uni.rd States guarantee. to any
other STAT.
No two policies could be more diame,ri.
cally opposed to each other. The one is
Consii,utional--the other Revolutionary {;
the one is jus, and bsni6ceut the other 10
UNANIMOUSLY wicked.
The Republicans are controlled by ha.
tired and fanatlcisln. The President on the
othor hand. seems to be guided by a sin.
cere love Of the Con s;i,ution. as il ha, been
interpreted by the result Of the war, and
by an earnest desire TO protect the people
among whom he was born, and to raise
them from the miserable condition into
which they have bce'pIunged.
Which Of these nhtagonistic principles
will ultimately prevail, time alone can dis
close. The people Of tho South, though
deeply CONCERNED IN the issue, are no more
than passive spectators, with no power to
promote their own advantage. excrp, in the
reaoy acquissence which they have uniform.
" gwen 10 tie requirements aud plans Of
the President. nEd which they will doubt.
less continue tu accord
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X ID WAR iny editor sf fh. IN. .to.-