The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-12-12
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

Home Journal, but before our was
known the type had been distributed.
and now, inasmuch as tho length ofthe
document precludcs the thought OF
publishing it in our columns, and we
lave waited until a late hour in hopes
of getting the extra alluded to, we must
content ourself with a briefsynopsis.
The message will challenge universal
attention. Its spirit is up to the de-
mouds of the hour, and its composition
clear and powerful in all the clements
Of a first class State paper. We may,
in truth, say that the cogent reasoning
ofthe President is SO powerful that the
.Jacobins will hardly be so silly, not
withstanding their known rec~klesanesa,
us to attempt a controvcrsion. The
Home Journal is especially pleased
with the moral courage the President
exhibits in opposing the Authorization
of this country. The issues are fast
resolving themselves to two points,
to.wit:
Whether this is to bea mongrel Mexi
can concern, or a proud and prosper
GUS white mans Government. We
have no hesitancy in saying that we are
willing for the issue TO be made. The
white and black niggers are struggling
to ruin our land. We want to see the
line drawn between them and the Dem.
ocratic party. We want to know who
is for m%iscegcnation and Arricaniza-
ton, and who is too wdHe and too no
bic, and too decent, to join in with such
miscreants for the sake ofofilcc. Hence
our determination to battle for the Dem
ocratic party. 1t is the white mans
party, and must rule out the host ofnc-
crocs, both white and black, who are
keeping the Union broken and oppres
sing the land with Bureaus, military
organizations, and taxation that no
government can long survive.
Now, we are no admircr Of President
Johnson, because we think he talks
well without acting so well. We think
he should have refused to carry out the
internal and unconstitutional acts OF q
Rump Congress, composed of usulpers.
In other days we have heard him say
that Virtue could not compromise with
Vice, or Truth with Error. We Lave
lately seen that he regarded the acts Of
tAi, internal land ofusurpcrs at Wash
ington as unconstitutional, and We o
dercd why, in the face Of his oath AMI
his Judgment, he should permit such
acts to be carried out. Bat he gives Us
Il reason in his Message for his on-
duct, and Il reason we can almost anc
ton when We think Of the terrible con
sequences Of civil strife. But then the
thought occurs: What is gained by
concession to robbers. And il the sun
ever shown on "obhcr, certainly it
meyer shonc on more Infamous or vim
dictiyc than the robbers Of our liberty
who call themselves, par excellence, 10y
81 men.
But, to the Message: The President
thinks our FIRST duty at the close Of the
var was to repair the injuries the war
had inflicted, and secure the benefit OF
the lessons it teaches. This duty was
promptly accepted, not only blythe Ex-
ccutivc department, but by the insUr-
r~octionary States themselves, and res
torat.on, in the first moment Of peace,
was believed to be as easy and as Ger
tain as it was Indispensable
The expectations, however, then 50
reasonably and confidently entertained,
were disappointed by legislation from
which he felt constrained, BY his obi
cations to the Constitution, to with
hold his assent, and now there is no
Union, where one State is as free as
unothcrt to regulate its internal affairs
according to its " will. An clabo-
rate argument follows on the Constitu-
1ion-the Union and Constitution are
inseparablc. AS long as one is obcyed
the other will be preserved, and it one
is destroyed both must perish togeth-
or. There is no military or Other he
c~cssity, real or pretended, viii IA can
ureyent obedience to the Constitution,
either Norti, or South. He hopes that
We NAV ultimately concur in 4 plan Of
settlement consistent with our true III
tcrast, and our sworn duty is too natn-
raj and too Just to be easily abandoned
II is clear to the President apprchen-
sion that the States lately in rebellion
are still members of the Union. Mr..
Lincoln, his predecessor, as well as
himself, and heads of all Departments.
have adopted and acted upon the prin'
c;ples that the Union is not dissolved,
hut is indissoluble. Congress submit
ted amendments to the Constitution TO
Inc Southern States, and accepted
thcir acts of ratification. Judges OF
- tbc Supreme Court have included
Southern States in their Districts. II
the Southern States are component
narts Of the Union, the Constitution is
The Supreme law for them rs well as
for other States.
They orc bound to obey it and so are
we. Icing sincerely convinced Una.
these views are correct, the President
rco,omcnds the repeal ofthe acts pa