The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-08-20

Important Proclamation BY the President
All the States Restored BY Executive Au-
thority.
The highly important proclamation OF the
President which we publish to-day, declaring
that all the States in which rebellion lately
existed are fully restored to "peace, order,
tranquility and civil authority" will be read
with profound interest throughout the length
and breadth Of the land. Texas, the last State
that remained unrestored in its civil functions,
and which has been the lone star in this respect
for some time, Is now restored to her rights
and privileges in the Union with all the other
States. The work ID now complete - far a.
Executive authority goes and the condition Of
the States is concerned.
The proclamation Of the President has the
effect Of law, and oil are bound to respect it
as such. Az the executive power Of the repub-
lie, he il the proper authority to judge Of the
condition Of the country. It is the duty Of
Congress itself to accept and act upon his
official declaration.
We have been anticipating such procla.
nation as this, knowing that civil authority
had been restored TO all the other Southern
States except Texas, and being assured that
Texas would soon be In q condition to enjoy
the same privilege; but now the official decla-
ration is made that all are restored, every pa
triotc citizen must feel highly gratifed Radi-
cal agitators have been telling the people that
the war was not over, and that the South was
still in state Of instruction; but the Presi-
dent solemnly proclaims that the said insur-
rection is at an end, and that peace, order,
tranquility and civil authority now exist in
and throughout the whole of the United States
of America"
The President in this important document
recapitulates the several acts of Congress and
Of the Executive to suppress the instruction
and to restore civil authority, and he shows
clearly that no branch of the government ever
entertained the thought that the States could
be destroyed or their rights abridged when
ever the instruction should be put down.
We now see how wisely and carefully Mr..
johnson has acted in recognizing the South
ern States and in bringing peace and order out
Of the terrible chaos in which the rebellion
left the country. The people may well rejoice
at the glorious end we have at last reached,
and honor the man who has conducted us to
that end through most extraordinary difficulties.
All that remains to be done now il the
restoration Of the Southern States to repre-
sentation b Congress. To exclude them from
this il violation Of the constitution, and
Congress, in excluding them, ID guilty Of
dangerous usurpation. Each house Is the
Judge Of the qualifications Of the individuals
claiming seats; that Is, to judge whether they
have been properly elected, and whether there
d any constitutional objection to thsm person
ally. But this power only applies to the indI-
viduAl representatives, was never before ap-
piled in any other way, and tho founders Of
the government certainly never contemplated
the exercise Of it in excluding States from vspre-
sentation. The joint action Of the two houses
in refusing to admit the States to be represented
in Congress L. clearly unconstitutional and
revolutionary. The States in which rebellion
existed were represented in part during actual
hostilities, and, could elections have been
fairly held In portions Of those States, they
would have been represented throughout the
war. The exclusion Of them from Congress
when the war ceased was an after thought Of
radical politicians, for political ends. We
have good reason to believe, however, looking
at the signs Of the times, that the radicals will
not be able to keep the Southern representa-
tives from Congress much longer. Public
opinion viii demand their admission. With
this proclamation Of the President the people
will require an immediate and full restoration
Of the South in Congress, a. in all the other
rights now accorded to them - citizens Of the
United States.
TIE SPEECH or CENTRAL Dir AT PHn.ADEL-
PHn.-We republish this morning the speech
Of General Dix, delivered ut the opening Of
the Philadelphia Convention. As this was the
key note to the whole proceedings Of that body
and truthfally represents the position Of the