Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1867-02-02

agement and extension of the insti'
tuition ofslavery, while another class
believed II was intended TO protect
and permit the spread Of that insti'
tuition. One class Of thinkers be-
lieved that, in the adoption Of the
Constitution Of United States, the
people of each State, previously dis.
/ tinct, became merged and amassed
into one people, for certain purposes
embraced within the scope and OBJ
iects of that Constitution, and TO
that extent lost portion Of their
State sovereignty whereas another
class thought that the people OF
each State retained their exclusive
identity as a sovereign State, and
could therefore withdraw the powers
delegated to the General Govern
mont by tho State. For it was
hardly ever questioned but that a
sovereign power, the people, could
reform, alter, or orabolish" their form
of government; but tho question
was, who, for that purpose, In refer.
ence to the General Government,
constituted the people. The Consti-
tuition, as it was thought, did not,
in express terms, settle either of
these questions-of slavery or seces-
sion. Construction, analogy, and
facts Of history were resorted to for
their solution. The greatest intel
lects OF the country, for more than
fifty years, had exhausted the argu-
ments on both sides, and had con-
tinually diverged the more the long
or they debated them. These differ
ent constructions necessarily led to
radically different results in tho
scope and action of the Government,
and in the modelling of society un-
der it. One was adapted to tho
progressive ideas of the North; the
other to the stationary views Of the
South. The weaker party sought
to escape the consequences Of tho
construction Of the stronger by
withdrawing from the Union-not
to prevent the Northern States from
retaining the government over
themselves with their own construc-
tion, but to insure its preservation
as to the Southern States as they
understood it, I
This statement of these questions
that have been settled is here made
for the purpose, and for the purpose
only, of disrobing them of numerous
irritating adjuncts and incidents Of
passion and prejudice; Of inviting a
liberal and charitable consideration
for the motives of the mass of those
in Texas who participated in scces-
sion, and to facilitate a more ready
comprehension of the reasons why
the minority, who did not want to
secede, so promptly acquiesced in
the decision of the majority, by
which the unity Of the people was
secured and preserved.
The war was brought on by these
questions and their surroundings,
The South was overwhelmed by
superior force. Measures of concil-
iation, pacification, and readjust-
ment were set on foot by the Presi-
dent, which were responded to and
acted upon by the people of Texas
by taking the amnesty oath, by
amending their constitution which
was in force previous to 1861, ac-
knowledging the supremacy of the
Constitution and laws of the United
States, declaring the ordinance of
secession to be null and void, and re-
nouncing the claim of the right of a
State to secede, declaring the slaves
to have been freed, and preventing
involuntary servitude, except for
crime, within the limits of the State
ordaining the full protection Of the
equal civil rights and immunities of
all persons, irrespective ofcolor, and
forbidding the Legislature forever
thereafter from making any pFOyis-
ion for the payment of any debts of
the State, or the Confederate States,
contracted during the war. Under
this amended constitution, the off,
GERS of the State have been elected,
supplanting those of the provisional
government, and are in the perfor-
nance Of their duties, the organiza-
ton of the State government being
as complete as it ever was before
the war, in full harmony with the
Constitution and laws of the United
States, and commanding the respect,
confidence, and obedience of the
great body of the people. The laws
of the United States are being exc
cuted within it's limits without
hindrance or resistance from the
people or State authorities. The
Federal army is on our frontier for
protection; the Federal judiciary
are performing their functions; the
United States mails are being car
ried all over the State; the navy is
protecting our commerce; the Off
GERS of customs and internal revenue
are doing their duty; and the peo-
pie are paying dutirs and taxes as
in other States. What more could
be said of the States of New York
and Ohio, except that they have
their Senators and Representatives
in Congress to speak for and repre-
sent The ights, interests, and neces-
sites of their States, and to defend
their people from unjust aspersions
and Misrepresentation, when neces-
sary? :,
Texas was annexed or admitted
into the Union by an act Of Congress
which has never been repealed, and
she is now performing the duties
and resting under the obligations of
a State in the Union, except that
one of the departments Of the Gov
ernment-the Congress-has not
admitted its Senators and Reprcsen-
4o+;~os aIoot to aaafc within their