The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-08-07

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!. whence the President derived his right to
prescribe ssterms" on behalf of the UNI
ted States, or where Provisional Cover
nor, appointed by the President, and
Convention, irregularly and nnlawfully
convened, found their authority to accept
them on behalf of the State. Or, finally,
we must assume that the President held
possession of the Southern States as con-
quered territory, over which he exercised
the power of Commander-in.C Chief of the
army and navy And this is the ground
upon which the President did place his
Proclamation. "Whereas," he says, "the
President of the United States is, by the
Constitution, made the COMMANDMENTS
Chief of the army and navy, as well as
chief executive officer of the United
States" "Whereas, the rebellion which
has been waged, &c., &C.. but whose or
ganized and armed forces have now been
almost entirely overcome, has, in its rev.
olutionary progress, deprived the people
of the State of South Carolina of all civil
government; and, whereas, it becomes
necessary and proper to carry out and
enforce tho obligations of the United
States to the people of South Carolina,
in securing them the enjoyment of re-
publican form of government" &C., &c.
| Then the action of the President was the
action of military authority, wise and ju-
dicious it may be, necessary and justified
by the exigency, but which could estab-
lish no permanent political relations with
the United States until it had been con-
frmcd by the law-making power thereof
1 admit that Congress could have con-
frmed the Presidents action, and it would
have been eminently wise had they done
so; but they did not, and would not, and
the Presidents action was therefore only
an effort for good, for which he deserves
all honor but which could not possibly
give us right to claim readmission.
Now, the Reconstruction Act does give
us this right. It's provisions may be
harsh, but once complied with, our right
is established by the law of tho land. 1t
has terminated the contest between the
conflicting powers of the Executive and
Legislative departments of the govern
ment; it has been passed with the neces-
sary constitutional forms; it has stood
the test for all practical purposes of ex-
animation before the Supreme Court, and
it is now in active, unchecked, lawful
operation. To say that because we have
not been admitted, therefore we will not
be, is to forget that the whole question at
issue has been-who has the right to ad-
NIT US, and upon what terms, and that
this question is only now settled by the
passage of the Act itself This Act rep
resents the sense of the Northern people;
it passed Congress after prolonged dis
cussion, and by large and decided vote.
In special session called for the express
purpose, it has been reconsidered and
reafirmed. The leaders of the Republi-
can Party-Sherman, Fessenden, Wilson,
Frelinghuysen, Colfax, the most influential
of the Republican press, have declared
that it was meant to be. and would be,
treated as fnality. In the two years Of
angry strife, the necessity of restoration
of the Southern States to their natural
place in the Union has been forcing itself
upon all the great interests of the coun-
try. Considerations of foreign as well as
domestic policy urge the healing of our
internal divisions, and reasoning, as mon
must do, upon the probabilities before US,
there is no just ground for doubling that
if it's provisions are complied with, it will
be fairly and promptly executed. But
suppose it is not Is not this practical
question we'll worth your consideration
If there is still in Congress malignant
will, and behind that will power to deny
you the poor benefits of even this Act,
what further oppression will not that will
and that power make your refusal to obey
an excuse for pcrpetrating?
2. The next reason given why you
should vote against Convention is, that
if YOU refuse to call a Convention, the
present military government will be con-
tinued, and that governments is better than
any which the Convention would franc.
Now, in tho first place, what possible
assurance have you that if you reject
Convention, the present military govern
ment will be continued? Are not all the
probabilities the other way? 1t is fairly