The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1866-03-14
Tie Resolutions Adopted at the Great
~ Meeting in Washington. p. s

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Tie Resolutions Adopted at the Great
r. ~ Meeting in Washington. s.
The following are the resolutions reported
by the Hon, Charles Mason, and unanimously
; adopted at the meeting held in Washington
on the, 22d February . .-.@ T. -. ..-
,. = Resolce6, That on this anniversary of the
birth daysof him who was '"'irst in war, first
in peace and first in the hearts of his ceun-
trymen5 it becomes an appreciative and grste-
fuI people to hold communion with the spirit
By which he was ever. animated; to show
= their respect for the illustriOps dead by at
tempting to follow his footsteps, and to be
guided by his admonitions; and to place in
strong relief, inviting to emulation, the out,
ineSof a2character, whose moral grandeur
: and unSetish devotion to the public welfare,
= wSilseRer renderit the chosen model of Ameri.
can patriotism through all coming time. -
.l2eS9lred, That the Constitution of the
United States was the outgrowth and crown
iag glory of that great revolution which his
eeu(age and fortitude conducted through dis
couragement and disaster to final and COM
plete success; and that by our generation for
thatsimmortal iustrutpeut, and by our deter
miuation: to preserve It pure and unde6leds i"
we can best evince our. gratitude to its au-
thorS, and secure to ourselves and our poSteri-
ty the inestimable blessings it is calculated to
.bestow ,z. .-ss.-- =. y. - -E..~-.=
y RsS03ce2, That the vitality of this great
covenant depends primarily upon the, mde-
struetibilitY of the States which are the par
: ties Shereto, and their preservation in the full
exercise of all their normal functions, and that
heJEho would eradicate or perVert this cardi-
7ial4prineiple, aims fatal blow at the most
vital portion of the system of which it is the
heart and centre, and acts in, utter disregard
of the spirit and intent Of those by whom it
vas framed and adopted. - 49,. -
, Res0Eced, That is a aGovernment oflaw;
that punishment for offences however hem
Gus, cannot be dictated by arbitrary ven.
geaace:; that no er post faet0 law can be right
fully established either by statutory enact
ment or by const tationat amendment, and no
more as against a community than as against
an ialiyid6al; that as 10 punishmeathad ever
been provided against State for an attempt
to seeede from the Union, none can now be
lsgitimately inflicted .either:by enforcing dis
abilities or otherwise; that, therefore, any
delinquent State, from the moment it returns.
to its allegiance and resumes its Fightful posi-
ton as member of the Federal Government,
becomes entitled to the exercise of all its rights
under the misunderstanding that of be-
ing represented in each branch of Congress
which it enjoyed before the commission of its
offence. 1t is better that wrong should go
unp6niShed than that it should be TedresSed
through violation eff law. s.-:.-.. -
r. ResoEoed, >That the only lawful, ground oa
which any member of either House of Con-
gress can be prev eated from taking his seat
on an equal footing with any other member,
must be that his election or the returns there
TO have not been in accordance with the law,
thatshe does notpoSsess the requisite qualI-
) acations for his position and7that in deciding,
upon such qualifications none other can be
considered than those prescfibediu the Con-
: sti6otion of the United States. : :.
Rs8o}18d, Fiat they who Illegally attempt
to exclude the representation of any State
from seats in the Federal Congress, or who
ia any other way endeavor TO prevent the full
restoration of the UuioR under the ConStitu.
ton, are empbaticaIy diSunionists, and are
equally oalpable in principle with those who
have heretofore disturbed the harmony Of car
great political SYSTEM being accessories after
the fact otethe great wrong which has been
perpetrated, by5thQs aiding in its perpetFa-
ton -. ->s-s-s-sss- .s.-- -.--... = =
,sResoJped, That the Constitution of tbe
r United States purpesely audcarefully abstains
from any interference with the qualification
= of electors IN any of the States of the Union,
and that any attempt on the part of Congress
toprescribe to any State new rule on the
subject is manifest depar tuTe from the spirit
and principle on which our system isfounded,
and should ever receive, as it deserves, the I'M
qualified apprehension of every true friend OF
our cherished institutions. -
-, Rss0{ced, That the people Of the District Of
Columbia, though governed. by Congress un-
der the Constitution, are still citizens and not
: ssbiects, : that the. fundamental principles Of
Republican Government are Just as applicable
and lust as, sacred here as in anyzof the States,
slough not protected by the same sanctions;
thai the Will of the people should be- equally
the guide for the Legislator in relation to our
local concerns AID. that, therefore, the late
action zoEtae House ofRepresentatiyes in pass
ing sbfi EgisiHg the iadiScriminate right Of
suffrage to the African race residing in the
District, in opposition to the expressed and
almost unanimous wish Of the people, has been
irl. DalpabIe disregard of what we believe to be
the nanifestSduty ofthe legislator in Gov
ernment like ours,
eReS95eed, That the sudden elevation of in
experiences, uneducate6 negroes in those
States where they -coostitute any considerable
portion of the entire population, to the full
privileges of American ciUzens, would be
fraught with the most imminent danger to our
whole political fabric; that whether that race
is capable Of ever becoming qualified for the
exercise ofthe great and delicate trust dis
charged through the elective franchise or not,
they are certainly not so at present, and that
the hasty and indiscriminate bestowal upon
them of this high prerogative is calculated, if
not intended, to bring the whole system of
popular Institutions into di>repute, by practi-
cally demonstrating the incapabiity of the
great mass Of mankind F3C intelligent SelfgoV.
ernment
Rssolced, That the grand old declaration
that ''aff men are created equal" was never
intended byzits authors, nor understood by
the people for whom it was made, as placing
the African race in this country on civil So
cial or political level With the Constitution :
that to give it such Specification would be to
charge a large proportion of those who were
engaged in making and sustaining it with the
rocLo.t bypocriev iDocnourh rs thew were a !