The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1867-12-18
The Presidents Message.

The Presidents Message.
The following are the most i'm
portant points of the Presidents
message, as arranged by the :Mer-
cury for those who may not have
had the tune OF the patience to
read the whole document.
1.zAnd in the first place above
them all, is the distinct aeknowl-
.edgment, that the Southern States
laid down their arms, on the faith
Of the declaration of Congress-
that the sole object of the late
war on the part of the United
States Government and the North
ern States was a restoration of the
Union. The President says: 81,
ssThe constitutional duty is not
the only one which requires the
State, to be restored. There is
another consideration which,
though Of minor Importance, is
yet of great weight. On the 22d
day of. July, 1861, Congress. de-
clared, by an almost unanimous
vote of both houses, that the war
should be conducted solely for the
purpose. of preserving the Union,
and maintaining the supremacy of
of the federal constitution and
laws, without impairiag the digni-
ty; equality and rights Of the
State or of individuals, and that
when this was denetthewar should
cease. / do not sag that this de-
elaratien is personally binding ON
those who Joined in making it, any
more than individual members of
Congress are personally bound to
pay public debt created under a
law for which they voted. But
At soas a solemn, public, official pledge
OF the national honour, and [ can
not imagine upon what grounds
the repudiatien Of it is to be iusti-
fed. Fit be said that we are not
bound to keep faith with rebels,
let 1T be remembered that this
promise was not made to rebels
only. Thousands Of true men in
the South were drawn to our stand
ard by it, and hundreds of theus--
ands in the North gave their lives
in the belief that it would be car
ried out. It-was made On the day
after the first great battle Of the
war bad been fought and lost.
All patriotic and intelligent men
then saw the necessity; OF, giving
such an assurance, and believed
that. without it the war weald end,
Ia disaster to our cause, Having
given that assurance iR the ertrens
ty Of our peril, the violation Of it,
now, in the. day Of our power,
woeld be rude rending Of that
good faith which holds the moral
world together i; oureountry would
cease to haze arg claim upon the
confidence Of men; 1T scoutd naakes
the soar not only a failure bat a
traad.'
2, The next important point,
made in the message is, that seces-
sion was void; and that the:South-.
ern States are.now as; they have
ever been within the Union and
under the Constitution of the Uni
ted States with all it's guarantees.
1t says: -.
1T is clear to my apprehension
that the States lately in rebellion
are still members Of the National
Union. When did they cease to
be so? The ordinances Of seces-
sion,' adopted by a portion Gin
most Of them a very small portion)
of their citizens, were mere null
ties IF we admit now that they
were valid and efectual for the
purpose intended by their authors,
aoe s,oeep from under our feet the
aohole ground upon eohich re justified
the War. Were those States after
wards expelled from the Union by
the war? The direct contrary
was averred by this government
to be it's purpose, and was so un-
derstood by all those who gave
their blood and treasure to aid in
it's prosecution. It cannot be that
a successful war, waged for the
preservation Of the Union, had the
legal effect of dissolving 1t. The
victory of the nations arms was
not the disgrace of her policy :;
the defeat of secession on the bat
tle-6eld was not the triumph Of
it's lawless principles. Nor could
Congress, with Or without the
consent Of the Executive, do any
thing which would have the ef-
feet, directly or indirectly, of sep
arating the States from each other.
To dissolve the Union is to repeal
the constitution which holds it to-
gether, and that is power which
does not belong to any depart
ment Of this government, or to all
of them united.
"This is so plain that it has
been acknowledged by all branch
es of the Federal Government.