The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-12-04

as. the great master-key Wnlch -unioeNa
and interprets all of them, that the at
tention of the House will be first tdirected..
M tits ~ fact of history that the obstlnite
and protracted struggle between the exc
cutive and legislative departments, arising
out of the claim Of more than .kingiy
power on the one hand, and as strongly
maintained by the operation of the just
rights of sov ercignty lodged with 1T BY
| the people on the other, which has con
vulsed this nation for the last two years,
and presented spectacle that has no ex-
ample here, and nonein England since tho
era of the Stuarts, began with the advent,
of the present Chief Magistrate. The
catastrophe that lighted him toehis place,
while it smote the heart of the nation with
grief and horror, was the last expiring
armed effort of the insurrection. The
capitol of the rebel government had fall
Een; its chiefs were .fugitives; its flag was
l.in-the dust; the strifcof arms had ceased.
|:;The hosts that had been gathered for the
Eoverthrow Of this nation had either melt
ed away in defeat and disaster or passed
under the conquering hand of the repub.
lie The extraordinary mission of the
Executive was fulfilled. Although, as the
|.Commander.in-Ch Chief, lie might possibly
treat with a belligerentin arms, the ces-
saton of the war in the overthrow OF the
re ebellon and the unconditional surrender
of.lhe armies had determined that power.
TO hold the conquered territory within
our military grasp until the sovereign
.powepof the nation vesting in the repre-
scntatives, the same which hadssgirt the
sword upon. the thigh of the Executive
and placed the resources Of the country,
in men and money, at his command,
should be ready to declare its will IN re-
lation to the rebels it had conquered was
'all5that- remained for him TO do. But the
duties of this sovereign were not yet at
an. end. An extent Of territory of almost
continental dimensions, desolatcd by war,
but still swarming with millions of people.
was at our. feet awaiting the sentence
which il had deserved.
The local governments swept away, as
they had been, in the opinion of the Prcs-
dent himself by the whIrlwind- OF the re-
bellion, were in ruins, willie communities
were in anarchy, the courts outlawcd, the
social tic dissolved, system of pretended
||laws existing in deadly conflict with the
Islawsot the conqueror, u people subducd,
|bdt-sullen and full of hate, and hostile IS
ever TO the power that had ovcrthrown
them; a-loyal element asking for protec-
|stion. new and anomalous relation with
,out.a T,aralIeli in history, about which the
wiscst of statesmen might well hesitate
land differ, supcr-induccd iratricidal strfes.
[thathud rnptured the original ties and
placed It's objects in the condition OF pub
Eiic enemies =, large army to be disbanGed,
and such indulgence extended, such, pun
ishnent inflicted and such security de-.
manded forithe future as the interests Of
peace and. justice might require. Never
in the history Of this or any other State,
have questions more numerous and vital,
more delicate or difficult, requiring graver
delibcration or involving the exercise of
higher governmental powers presented
themselves for the consideration OF Il peo.
ple. and never was Congress convokcd
|. m a more serious crisis of u State. The
duties and responsibilities of the men
who formed and organized the Union OF
these States, and OF those who assembled
hero in 1861, to consult upon and provide
the means for supprcssihg this great re-
belIion. were as nothing in tue compare
SON. and demanded certainly no hig ghcr
sasacity and no broader wisdom than the
task~of bringing back the dislnemhered
States. and fusing. these jarrlng and dis
cordant clements into one harmonious
whole
For this great work the supreme Ex-
ecutiye of the nation, even though he had
been endowed by nature with the very
highest of. organizing faculties, was obvl-
:ously untitled by the very nature OF his
Office. If Mr.. Lincoln had survived, it is
not to be doubted from his labtual defer
ence to the public will, that although Il
citizen of Il loyal State and enjoying the
public confidence in the highest possible
degree, he would have felt it to be his
duty to convokc tho representatives OF
the people to lay down his sword in their
presence and to refer itt to their ensisht-
ened and patriotic judgment to decide
what. was to be done with tile territories
and people that had been brought under
the authority Of the go"crnmcnt by our
arms.
The bloody hand Of treason untortu-
nately moved him away in the very hour
of the nations triumph. But if these
were reasons which could have made this
duty 4an imperative Que with him, how
powerfully % were they reinforced by the
double effect. of the tragedy that not only
dcprifved the nation of its trusted head,
but cast the reins of government upon
successor Tie new President was him
seJt,iu tic doubtful aud delicate position
Of !. citizen oil one Of the revolving States
Which were to be summoned for Judgment
before the bar of the American people;
1t was. perhaps natural that ne should
sympathize with the communities from