The Greene County Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 185?-1867, 1867-02-20

OtaleS, anu any leSlSlallOn denying Thu
usurpation and unconstitutional. Now
it IS absolutely sell evident that if thi
view establishes anything, it es,ablishe,
this also, namely that during the entire
war these rebel States were entitled tc
elect our rulers, because if you admit
that during the war these States and
their people ceased to have such power.
to elect Senators, Representatives, anG
Presidents, then you admit that it i:
possible for State and people to dc
that which in law either torteits or sus
pends their power to elect the nations
rulers, and the whole argument so fal
as based on this point is abandoned
Now, notice here that they who make
this argument deny that individuals who
go into rebellion can deci,izenize them
selves so as that the United States may,
as to any individual, accept his renunci-
alton OF any power appertaining to citi,
zenship, and declare him to have ceas-
ed to have the powers of one of peo.
pie, an elector of a State. Note care,
fully, also, that these same persons all
maintain that 1t is wrong, and most of
them that it is illegal, to try and punish
as traitors those who waeed this rebel
lion, and in persuance of this dcctllne
their Representatives vote nearly solid
against furnishing as traitor Davis, the
bead of tho rebellion. Now, this it is
averred is the constitutions! law of the
Republic.
Mr.. Speaker, may l borrow from
another (Mr. Greeley a method of Illus.
trating this kiud of constitutional law
Whatever Is a principle of our Con-
st'tutlon is capable of being written out
into explicit and affirmative requirements
OF the Constitution. Let us write the
above constitutional law out into Ian.
guagc, not unjust or tortured, but fairly
st'llng what this doctrine atlirms. II
reads thus when written out:
Article nine, section one Whenev-
er hereafter 4 causeless rebellion shall
arise, and war be waged against the
United States, so great and bloody that
the rebellion shall ia fact abolish and
overthrow all the constitutions and laws
of eleven States OF this Union which
recognize the supreme authority Of such
Union, and shall remove from office all
officers who have taken an oath to sup-
port the Constitution of the United
States, and shall enact and enforce in
the place Of such constitutions and laws
only such as recognized the supreme au-
thority of usurpei and rebel govern
ments, and in the place OF such loyal
officers shall put such legislators and
officers alone as shall swear to support
such rebellion, and shall kill, irprison,
or Danish all such persons in such eley>
en- States as will not aid in the said war
to destroy this Union, and shall con,in-
ue to wage such war for four years, and
therein shall kill three hundred thousand
of the loyal people, and, by starving and
other practices of barbarians, shall mur-
der sixty thousand more, and shall in
flict upon the nation debt of S4,00O.-
100000, and shall lay waste and desc
late the entire land, aud shall not cease
such war until totally overlhrown in
overwhelming and crushing defeat.
then, and in all such cases, the people so
actually engaged in such rebellion, war,
starvings, poisonings, and other barbar-
GUS practices for the overthrow of the
Government as aforesaid, shall not be
deemed to have dore any act forfeiting
or suspending any power or privilege of
a citizen of the United States, or of an
elector in any State, nor be deemed to
have put it in the power of the United
States to declare forfeited or even sus.
pended any power OF such persons to
ele"t the rulers Of the Republic but, on
the contrary, all such people, while so
engaged, aud the States, as bodies-pol-
tic, which they compose, shall, during
all SAID four years Of war, be deemed
and held to be true, loyal, and republi,
can people and States of this Union
and as such shall, despite the prohibi-
ton of the United States, be entitled to
elect one third Of the Senators, Repre-.
sentatives, and Presidential electors of
the United States, and shall thereby be
enabled In the Senate and House to de-
feat any act necessary to the existence
OF the Government of the United States,
and which requires the assent of two
thirds of such Houses or of either House.
And moreover, it shall be lawful for
those who originate, lead in, and exc,
cute such war, rebellion, and murders,
at all times to be elected to the offices
of President, Vice President, Senators,