The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1867-12-07
The Presidents Message.

sf9s On Tuesday, the Sd inst, this important
document which has been looked forward to
with peculiar interest by mon d, all parties in
the Union. was presented to Congress-. It is
s one Of the pblost State papers everpreparod by
occupants of the White House, and as an or
;egnment entirely suesaius the President. in his
saoppositionito che unconstitutional and partisan
fsgsfslatien If congress.3 The leng.h. 1ofsethc
VIII W regret prevent t us 'i from pre-
Sentipg it in full in our columns but invite at
tention to the following full and carefully pre-
,,;pared synopsis which We find in tho Whining
9itonF Stdr.. aai4t aQtgn l,A
The President deplores tho continued disor-
ganization, of tho Union, and argues that
;s'when a civil war has been brought to a close,
i is manifestly the first interest and duty of
the State to repair the injuries which the war
has inflicted, and to secure the benefit of the
lessons it teaches ms fully and as speedily as
possible. This duty was, upon the termination
Of the rebellion, promptly accepted, not only by
4. the Executive Department. but by the insur-
rectionary States themselves, and restoration,
in the first moment Of peace was believed to
be as certain as it was indispensable. The ex-
pcctations, however, then so reasonbiy and
confidently entertained, were disappointed by.
legislation from which I felt constrained, ty
my obligations to tho Constitution, to withhold
a5TSyl my assent" septs'
10 is.a source of profound regret, therefore,
isth,.t -ho declares, 81 am unable to communicate
oany, definite adjustment, satisfactory to the
Il American people, of the questions which, since
tho close of the rebellion, have agitatcd the
public mind. On the contrary, candor com
slpels to declare that at this timo there is no
: Union as our Fathers understood the term, and
i as they meant it to be understood by us. 4. The
Union which they established can exist only
where all tho States arc represented in both
Houses Of Congress; where! one State is as
free as another to regulate its internal con
germs according TO its own will land where the
laws of the central G Government, strictly con-
fined to matters Of national; jurisdiction, apply
eawith equal forco to all THO people of every sec
htiop. That such is not the present state of
1.-the Union ion is a melancholy fact"
/. ? ~
He alludes to the Importance of rc.cstablish-
ing the Government according to the terms of
III the original compact and says: "To me tho
process of restoration seems perfectly plain and
simple. It consists merely in faithful appli-
cation of the Constitution and laws The exc
tcution of the laws is not now obstructed or OPP
/; posed BY physical force. There is no military
or other necessity, real or pretended, which
can prevent obedience to the Constitution,
y either North or South. All tho rights and
all the obligations of States and individuals
can be protected and enforced by means per-
fectly consistent with tho fundamental law
y Thecourts may be everywhere open, and, if
open, their process would be unimpcdcd
Crimes against tho United States can bio pre-
n'vented or punished by the proper judicial au-
thoritiss, in a manner entirely practicable md
legal. There is, therefore, no reason why the
Constitution should not be obeyed, unless those
Who exercise it's powers have determined that
* shall ho tiisfegarded and violated The mere
Haksd viii tins f5 Government, or Of some ono
or moro of its branches, is the only. obstacle
o1thatfcan exist to a perfect union of all the
a,l go lRs-r a IL lli
is'' Tho President then alludcs to the conflict of
opinion on this question between himself and
:" Congress, indulging the hope of concurrence
IN a mode Of settlement, and says: It is clear
TO my apprehension that the States latel7 in
~ rebellion are still members of the National
Union. When did they cease to be so The
10 ordinances of fsecession,' adopted by portion
-T(in most of them very small portion) of their
citizens, We're mere nullties If we admit
-nlno that thoy wore valid and effectual for the
purpose intended by their authors, wo sweep
j from under our feet the whole ground upon
5Gwhich we justified tho war. Were those States
afterwards expelled from tho Union by the
warY The direct contrary was avcrrcd by
this Government to be its purpose, and was SO
by al! those who gave their blood
6 md treasure to aid in its prosecution. 1t can
not be that a successful war wagcd for the pre-
servation Of tho Union, had the legal effect of
oiiissolving it. Tho victory Of tho nations