The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1867-03-13

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just and humane TO oppress and trsmple
upon subjugated peafls. / do not doubt
that the army officers 20 a. well entitled
to this confidence ss my other class Of
men, but the history of the world has
been written in vain II il does, not teach
US that unrestraiped apthofity can never
be safely trusted inNhuman hands, II is
almoss sure 10 be more Or less abused un.
der any circumstances, and ii has always
resulted in gross tyranny where rulers
are strangers to their subjects, and come
among them as the representatives Of q
distant power, and more especially when
the power that sends them is unfriendly
Governments closely resembling that
here proposed have been fully tried in
Hungary and Poand, and the suffering
endured by those people reused the sym.
pathy Of the entire world. It was tried
in Ireland, and though tempered by the
principles Of the English law, it gave
birth to cruelties 20 atrocious that they
are never recounted without just indigna.
ton. The French Convention armed it's
deputies with this power, and sent them
to the Southern departments Of the Re.
public. The massacres, murders, and 9th.
er atrocities which they commi tied show
what the passions Of the ablest men, in
the most civilized society, will attempt to
do when wholly unrestrained by law.
The men Of our race, in every age, have
struggled to.tie up the hands Of their
Governments. and keep them within the
law, because their own experience of all
mankind taught them that rulers could
not be relied on to conoede those rights
which they we're not legally bound to re.
spect. The head Of q great empire has
sometimes governed with mild and pa.
ternal sway but the kindness of an ire.
sponsble agent never yields what law
does not extot. Between such master
aud the people subjected to his domino.
ton, there can be nothing but eamity.-
He punishes them If they resist his au.
thority, and if they submit to it he hates
them for their servility.
come now toa question which is, il
possible, still more important. Have we
the power to. establish and carry into exc.
cution measure Ike this2 l answer,
certainly not. five derive our authority
from the Constitution, and II we are bound
by the limitations which it imposes, the
proposition is perfectly clear that nc
branch of the Federal Government, ex,
executive, legislative or judicial, can have
any just powers except those which it de.
rives through and exercises under the or.
ganic law Of the Union. Outside Of the
Constitution we have no legal authority
moro than private citizens, and in it w
have only SO much as that instrument
gives US. This broad principle limits all
our functions and applies to all subjects
1t protects not only the citizen of tn,
United States which gre within the Union
but shields every human being who come
or is brought under our Jurisdiction.
We have no right to do in any on,
place more than in another, that whicl
the Constitution says we shall not do q
all. If therefore, the Southern State
were in truth out of the Union, we coult
not treat their people in manner which
the fundamental law forbids. Some peo
pie assume that the success Of our arm
in crushing the opposition which wa
made in some States to the execution o
the Federal laws, reduced those State
and all their people-the innocent as vel
as the guilty-to condition Of vassalage
snd gave us power over them which th
Constitution does not bestoW, or define o
limit No fallacy can DO more transpar
ent than this. Our victory subjected th
insurgents to legal obedience, not to th
yoke Of an arbitrary despotism. Wher
an absolute sovereign reduces his rebel
lious subjects, he may deal with them ac
cording 20 his pleasure, because be ha'
that power before; but when limitet
monarch puts down a rebellion, he mus
govern according to law. II an insurreC
ton should take place against the author
ity Of the State Government, and end il
the overthrow Of those who planned il
would il take away the rights Of tho peo
pie Of the counties where it was favore
by q part or a majority Of the population
| Could they for such o reason be who'll
outlawed and deprived Of their represen
tation in the Legislature? --r.3
Ihavc always contended that the Gov
ernment Of the United States was sovel
sign within its constitutional sphere-tha
, it executed its laws like the States them
, selves, by employing its coercivs power
directly to individuals, and that it ooul
put down insurrection with the same el
feet as State. The opposite doctrine
the worst keresy Of those who advocat
secession, and cannot be agreed to withou
admitting that heresy to be right. Inva
sion, insurrectioD, rebellion aud domesti
violence we're anticipated when the Gov
ernment was framed, and the means Of rs
pelling and suppressiug them were wisel
provided for 10 the Constitution, but
was not thought necessary to declare tha
, the States in which they might ocou
should be expelled from the Union.
!, Rebellions, which were invariably sup
pressed, occurred prior to that out Q
which these questions grew, but th
, States continued to exist and the Unio
remained uubroken. In Massachusetts
in Pennsylvania. in Rhode Island, and i
, New York, at different psrivds in our biz
] tory, violent and armed opposition 10th
United States was carried on, but the N
} lations Of those States with the Rsderl
Government were pot, supposed 70 be u
terrupted or changed, for tho rebellion
portion Of the population were defeste
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