The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-12-04
Presidents s Message.

Presidents Message.
This important communication from the
& -..af Magistrate to the Congress of the
,.;,o1 States is read with more than ordi-
Z .,r interest at this period Of national
4 80, and apprehension.
b THE message begins by informing Con-
\ --o,, that 1.-the continued disorganization
B A. the Union, TO which the President has
4 ., of,cn called the attention Of Congress,
3 ... vc, a subject Of profound and patriotic
usoaccrn.'
!, is the duty Of a people, after such a
.,,,mitv as the recent civil war, to repair
%. Injuries promptly. The Executive of
.t, nation and the southern States felt
.-i, and were ready to proceed promptly
=. Work with this object. But they were
,.,,2p9ia;ed by legislation to which the
President was forced TO withhold his con-
1 .s,,. He regrets this, and, Furthermore, is
.-;cyel that he is unable to communicate
,,v dcGnitive adjustment Of the questions
satch have agitated the public mind; on
I ss contrary, he declares that "there is
4 uao Union as our fathers understood the
~.eTm and as they meant it to be under
stood 10y u.s. The restoration of the
safes TO their legal rights, according to
the terms OF the original compact" Mr..
I,ENsoN says would be the greatest tenn
o1-al blessing which God, in his kindcst
g-oyidcnce, could beStow upon us. 1t is
our imperative duty to consider how to
cacc, this "most desirable consumma-
ton"
Dlating upon the Importance Of the
-e,toration of the Union, and the ruin and
aa.rchy which must cnsue upon a failure to
,iablish it upon the basis Of the Consti-
81. u, he declares that this is matter of
.sy solution. There is no obstruction
,w 10 the enforcement of the laws, and
.g military or other necessity, real or pre-
ended, which can prevent obedience to
he Constitution, either North or South.
The mere will Of the Government, cor
some one or more Of its branches, is the
only obstacle that can exist to perfect
union of all the States"
The President expresses the opinion that
they all lmcauing the departments of the
GoyerumenD may finally concur in some
mode of settlement "cousistent with our
thcir) true interests, and with our (their)
"sworu duties to the Constitution" That
this may be done is 9 hope "too natural
and too Just TO be easily relinquShed. :"
The message proceeds to argue that the
len southern States are still in the Union,
on the ground that the ordinances Of Sc
ces,ion were mere nullitieS, and that the
war can only be Justified on that ground.
The war did not expel these States from
the Union. The Government so under
stood il; SO did they who fought for it..
Successful war waged for the preserva-
,.va Of the Union could not legally have
a" effect of disSolving it. Congress could
do nothing with or without the Executive
that could separate the States from each
other. Congress submitted the constitu-
;ional amendment to the southern States,
aud accepted their act upon it as the law
fll act Of their highest function. If not
States in the Union, their act would be
lug2tory.
The message reasons this point at some
length, and AYERS that the constitutional
duty Of the Government requires that the
Of 22d July, '6l, declares that the war was
conducted solely for the preservation Of
the Union and the supremacy of the Fede-
ral Government, and should cease when
that is accomplished thus pledging the
national honor, by act of Congress, in addi-
ton to the constitutional obligation, to the
restoration ofthc Union; and the President
cannot see how the pledge can be repudi-
atcd.
According to his views on this point, en-
forced at much length, the President re-
cgmmends the repeal Of the reconstruction
So, ot the last Congress as being in direct
c0li!ct with the Constitution. He pro-
nouuces al! congressional interference with
tie State governments and the elective
franchise Of the States as usurpatlon, and
aot authorized by the Constitution.
President JOHNSON does not desire, he
says, to save those engaged in tie rebel
lion from the proper consequences OF their
crime, but the measures of Congress visit
he punishment indiscriminatcly upon the
Innocent and guilty. He speaks Of them
As against the spirit Of Christianity and the
primitive justice of this age and country,
which " does not consist in stripping whole
States Of their liberties and reducing
their people to slavery" The message
exhibits the danger of violating the Con-
Sttution for a temporary and partial OBJ
jet. Iftac guarantees Of the Constitution
may be broken in this manner for tempo
Ta!y purposes, they may be destroyed
everywhere aud for all time. at IS the
curse Of deSpotism that it has no haltlng
place" "The morality is always false
which excuses wrong because 1t pro-
"poses to accomplish a desirable end"
But" il continues, "the end itself Is an
evil, as well as the means," and "the
sutIugation Of the States to negro doml-
nation would be worse than the military
despotism under which they are now
suffering"
The President truly says that 1t was be-
Leved before hand that the southern States