Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1867-12-12
The Presidents Message.

. SIS Of the Presidents MeSSaSe-ltS character
and suggestions:
The Presidents Message, is State paper Of
extraordinary power and directneSs. 1t IS a
philosophical and statesmanlike document
written, too, in a style of singular purity, luml-
nousness. and vigur. Its fraukuess directnesS
and moderation are alike remarkahle-ior
while it avoids nothing and evades nothing, and
sounds pummet deep all the great questions OF
the day, no trace of passion or resentment Is to
he found in it from the beginning to the end
At the very threshold, the President enters up
un that question of reconstruction which Is up
permuSt in mems minds. He declares that the
duty. at the close of civil war, to repair Its
Injuries and secure, as fully and rs speedily as
possible. the benefit of its lessons, was promptly
accepted at the termination of huStiIities. not
only by the executive department. but by the
insurrcctonary States themselves; but the eN-
prctatinus of restoration. which it was hoped
would follow, have been disappointed by legs-
latiun. from which the President felt conStrain-
ed. hy his obligations to the constitution, To
withhold his assent. "Caudor,' says the Pres
ident. ..compcls ne to declare that, at this time
there is no Union as our fathers understood the
term. and as they meant it To bc understood 10y
us" Whilst the views Of the President upon
this branch of the subject are, III the main, the
same which he has expressed on this subject on
former occasions, they are expressed IN tone
of even greater emphasis and earueStucss.
He shows that the States lately in rebellion
are still members of the national Union. aud
that if we admit now mat the ordinances OF
secession were valid aud eilectual for the pur-
puse intended by their authors, we sweep from
under our feet the whole ground upon which
the war was Justified. Nor were thuSe States
afterwards expelled from the Union 10y the war,
the direct contrary of which was averred 10y the
government to he lis purpose and 1t cannot be
that "A successful war, wagcd iurthc preservation
Of the Union, had the legal effect oI dlss"lylng
it, To dissolve the Union Is 10 repeal the cou-
-tiiutiun witch holds 1t together, and that tins
Is 4 power which does not belong 10 any de-
partmcut Of this government, or all ul them u
ritcd has been acknowledged not only by the
executive in its action upon tie subject, out by
C,uyress. in submitting au amendment OF the
.ou,titutinn 10 be ratified 10y the Southern
states. and accepting their act Of ratification;
aud by the judiciary where judges have M
en- led the Southern States IN their circuits, aud
arc constantly exercising jurisdiction which
IT, ,s not belong To- them unless these States are
IA the lujon. The declaration ui Congress, 10y
au almost unanimous vote uu I'D JuIy 1861,
Is also quoted that the war was solely iur the
preservation of the Union, aud Is pronounced
~ the President a solemn public official pedSc
i tine national honor, and which was made not
To- rebels only, but drew thousands oi loyal
u,cu iu the South, and hundreds Of thousand
lin tLe North. to give their lives in the belief
that the pied - would be carried out, and tue
violation Of winch would make the war not
.IIy 4 failure but fraud. The President.
therefore, rec mme, e repeal ol the acts ol
e. u.rcss which placed ten ii the Southern
STATES uuder the domination ui military mas
tcrs, aud very cunrteously, though p"lulediy,
saws t. Congress, III calm reflection shall sat
lsly a majority of your honorable bodies that
the acts referred to are not ouly violation ol
the national faith, but IN direct couiiIct with
the constitution. dare not permit myself to
I.ult that vuu will Immediately strike them
from the statute bOOk.
The President then proceeds to demonstrate,
from the general provisions OF the acts referred
To. that they are not only Objectionable lor ther
assumption Of ungranted power, but many OF
them are in conflict with the direct prohibitions
of the constitution. In addition to their uncou-
>iitutioualitv. the President regards them as
the most unreasonable mode OF punishment
that could be invented, inasmuch as they con-
found the innocent and the guilty IN one COM
mon and iudiscrminatc duom. Although the
{ military government Is TO be only provisional
} vet if tine guarantees of the constitution can be
broken Professionally, To serve temporary
purpo-c. and IN apart only of the country they
p can be destroyed everywhere, aud for all tune
In REGARD tn negro suffrage, the President oX-
presses shimselfexphcitly aud earnestly. Whilst
hrlliug that the blacks of the south are ent-
lied To- have the protection Of just laws tor all
their rightS Of person and property, he says
tlat it is not proposed merely that they shall
GOVERN themselves. but rule the white race
make and administer State laws, elect Presl-
dents and members ot Congress, and shape toa
Greater ur less extent. the future destiny oi the
whole country. Such a trust and power he
contends. would not be safe IN the hands oi q
race In whose hands no independent form oi
Government has ever been successful, ana VINO
in this country, are ignorant OF the nature oI
government from their former condition Of ser
vitude The influence Of the elective Irahchlsl
f,r cund is depeudeut on the intelligence and
ElrtUp ui those il WIt~t lldl4iao lt '' pm 49,
the case of those intelligent foreigners who en-
i,rate here we require a residence of five years
and. i'm addition. priuf Of good moral charac-
Ter. thus giving reasonable grounds lor tie be-
lief that thew will be faithful 10 theubIigation,
which they assume as citizens Of the republic
There is limit wisely observed hitherto which
makes the ballot privilege aud a trust; hut
10 give il ndiSgrimnatey tna new class, who'll
Iy mprcpared by previous hahits and opportu'
mites tn perform the trust which 1t demands
Is T., degrade it and finally destroy its power
Tie disrrdtr,d condition Of society, Industry
aud credit. render this peculiarly uupr"pIti"u'
time fnr the introduction Of such an experiment
Tie arrat difference between the tworaces rem
ders il impossible to fuse them IN a hoin"Hehe'
F., uu> mass. In the opinion Of the President u
{ will rcduire a strong standing army, and pro-
< lahahlv more than twn hundred millions o
dollars per an nnm. To- maintain the suprema' y
Of urarh.soy,inm-u after they areeSt.Hii'hed
sum which ii properly used, would l'rn'
sinking fund large enough t. pay 'he "noi'
,ati,ual debt In less than fifteen years.
The ewholecommeutaryo tie President uPor
reconstruction effected through negro suffrage
/ i> philosophical and dispastinnate picture %
t the utter iucompleieueSs # any such process t
+ reach reconstruction, demonstrating that
structure 71isNd n that Vsy will only h7ve -