Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-12-11
President Johasons Message.

F-Lo.c Cit;s.as # the Senate and House of Rep
rcscnidiic.s:
The continued disargtnization OF the Union, tC
which the presi,eA, has so often called the attcn
,ion of Congress, is yet sutj .ct OF proiounc
and patriotic cDac:rn. We NAV, however. find
SINE relief from th.' anxiety IN the reflection
tina, the painfa 70 tical 81 uation, although be
fore untr;ed by ourselves, is not new in the expe
rieucc .f naions. P..li ical science, perhaps n
high perfected in our own time and country nj
in any otlcr. has nat ye, disclosed any means By
which civil war. can be absolutely prevented. An
enlightened mutton. however, with wise and
ben.iceat Constitution of free government, may
simins; heir fr quency and mitigate their severl
" by directing sll its proceedings IL accordance
WITH is fundam ,nt i law.
When civil war has been brought to close
IL l. manfeStly rhc first interest and duty of the
st ,te to repair the injlrcs which tho war has
inicted au TO SC sur, the benefit Of the lessons il
tc.iShes d, uliy and rs speedily Us rossible This
duty was, upon the termin ation OF the rebei.ion,
promptly accepted, not only by the Executive
Department, hue by the inSurrcc.ionary States
themselves, ANA restoration, in the fts. moment
OF ;eaee, was believed 10 he a. easy and certain
ss it was Indispensable. The ex pec:a'ion., how
aref then so reasonably and confidently enter
tsinel. were disappointed by legislation from
which Eel: constrained, by my obligations to the
Constitution, ~ withhold my assent.
I: il, therefore, i source OF profound regret,
t1a' IN c,mpiying with the obligation imposei
upon the President by the Constitution. to give to
Congress +. ON tiulc TO tima information of the
Uni,n, am unable to communicate any definite
nijlslmaut, satisfactory to tho American people.
nt the uuex.ions which, snco tie Gloss of the re-
bellion, >hayo agita:ed the public Tiad. On the
c ern;rary. cHadrr compels mo 20 declare that at
this tire there il Union as cur fathers under
s.no til, .rm and "a they Iusant it TO ne under
s;p-: ny US Tue Union which they est tbishcd
c:n exist only where MI the States represent
r,, in b1:h Hvus . vf Congress where one State
i. as .rn- o. her 70 regulate It's int' rnai con
c-rr,s .cSlrdia- ~ its cwI Will. aad whero the
Iava IF the reiArI Government, strinctly ron-
tu.d "a ma.ters Of national juris lic,iol, apply
" ti. equal to.cs ~ al tho people Of every Sec
tia TaI; Su:i: IS mt The present "state of the
,.ion" Is IL 'iamctoy fact, ard sc ail must nc
F.,o~l.i xe Ill IT the resinration ct 'he Starcs to
their proper legal relations With ihc Federal Gov
ernu.en. aal w.tl nne ano,hsc. acc"rdinS to the
te,.as Of ih. o.isiu..l compac., would be ,hc
srcl.eat trlnpvfal blessing whieh God, in His
kin les; providence, could bestvw upon this nation
l. becun our i'm. eratve duty to coniiIer whether
,.r il i. impo. si%e effect this desirable
consummaion.
Tnr Union aud the Constitution are ius.parable
As luny zs one is oLeyeI by al parties the other
vii! be preserved and if oac is destroyed, both
must parish together. The destruction If the
Constitution will be followed by other and still
grea' sr calamitics. Il was Crla:ncd not only to
f,r,n Il more perfect union hc.wecn the Statee,
but IN "e.tatli,h justice, insure domestic tran
guilty, provide t": the common defence, promote
tae general welfare, and secure the blessing OF
Iincrry t, ourselves and our po-tcrity." Nothing
iDs ,arts in oil
rlrts Of the country will accomplish these great
ends. Without that obedience, we can look for
va-d only TO continual outrascs upon individual
ri-uis inccssant breaches uf the public peace,
national weakness, financial dishouor, the total
loss of our prosperity, the general corruption OF
morals, and The iinal extinction Of popuiar fee
dom. To save gu. country :roh: evils so appall-
ins as these, we should renew our efforts again
and again.
Ia me the process of restoration seems per
r,e.ly plain and simple. 1t consists merely IN
faithful application Of the Constitution and lava.
The execution of tho laws is not how obstTucted
OF opposed by physical force. There is no mill
tary or other necessity, real or pretended, which
c,a prevent obedience to the Constitution, el.hei
North or South. All the rights and all the obli-
ps;iors of States and individuals can be pro,cctod
h nd cafuIcel by means perfectly consistent with
the fuudame ntal law. The courts may be every
where cpen, and, if open. the.r process would be
unimpcded Crimes against the United States
c,n be prevented or punished hy the proper judi
cal authorities, in d In amer entirely practicable
and legal There is, therefore, no reason why
tie Constitution should not be obeyed, unless
those who exercise its powers have determined
IN It it shall be disregarIed and violated, The
mere naked will of this Government, or OF some
one or more Of its branches, is the only obstacle
that can exist TO perfect union OF al the States
On this momcntous question, and some Of the
measures growing ont Of it, I have had the mis-
f,rtune 10 differ from Congress, and have eI-
pressed my convictions without reserve, though
with becoming Difference to the opinion of the
Legislative Department. Those convictions are
not only unchanged, but strengthened by subse.
,ueut events ana further reflection. The tran
sccadent i'm oortance of the subject will be suti-
r.nt excuse for caliioa your attention to some OF
The reasons wnirh have strongly influenced my
own Judgment. The hope that we may all hnnily
cuncur in mode of settlement, consistent ut
once with our true interests aud with our sworn
duties to the Constitution, is too natural and too
Just to be easily reliuquished.
It is clear to my apprehension that the States
lately in rebellion are still members Of the ma
tional Union. When did thsy cease to b. so !?
TIE orinan Of secession" adopted by por-
tiUn lin most of them very small portion) OF
their ci;izcns, were nero nullities. IT we admit
now that they were valid and eFcctual for the
nnrDose intended by their authora, we sweep from
under our feet the whole ground upon which VIC
justified the war. Were those States afterwards
expelled fr IN the Union by the war? The direct
contrary was averrca by this Government to be
its purpose ard was go understood by all those
who gave their blood and treasure to aid in its
prosecution. 1t cannot be that successful war,
wagcd for the preservation Of the Union, had the
legal effect Of dissolving it. The victory of the
nations arms was not the disgrace of her policy
the defeat of secession on the battlefield was not
the triumph of its lawless principle. Nor could
Congress, with or without the consent OF the
Executive, do anything which would have ths
effect, directly or indirectly. Of separating the
States from each other. To dissolve the Union is
10 repeal the Constitution which holds it together,
and that is power which does not belong to any
Department CT this Government, OF to all Of them
Knitted.
This is SO plain that it has BEEN Acknowledged
bv nil branches of the Federal Government. The
Executive (my predecessor as well as myself) and
tnor heads Of ell the Departments have uniformly
opt.d upon the principle that the Union is not
on1v undissolved, bus ndssoluble. Congress
e,br;tted an amendment of tho Constitution to
be ratified by the Southern States, and accepted
their acts Of ratification US necessary and lawful
sxerci.c of their highest function. If they were
not States or were States out of the Union. their
consent to change in the fundamental law of
the Union would have been nusatory; and Con-
press. in asking it, committed r.oli ical absurdi
tv. The Judiciary has also given tho solemn
sanction of its authority to the same view Of the
case rhe Judges of the Supreme Court have
included the Southern States in their circuits and
tbav are constantly, IN banc aud elsewhere, ex-
arcis;np jurisdiction which docs not belong to
them. uuioss those States ere States tf iie Union.
If the Southern States are component parts of
Tho rnion. the Constitution is tho supreme law
f,r them. as /. is for all the other States. They
ara bound to obey it, and so are we. The right
- the Federal Government, which is clear and
nroues est;ona5le, to enforce the Constitution upon
them, implies the correlative obligation on our