The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1868-03-19
From the New Orleans Picayunc.j

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The scheme for dividing Texas has
grown up suddenly ut Warrington in
to great favor with the Rae icae ltisto
be made party measure, ard pressed
through with the power Of The party
organization, which is 80 mighty there.
Thus much the Geographic dispatches
tell us, but they fail TO give us any idea
Of the alleged grounds for urgency in
that matter, which has now slept for
twenty years. The real motive is trans
parent but we suppose the authors Of
theproject will haye'thc art, or assume
the dcccncy to cover it with some nise
Of a public good, for taking the extra
ordinary step OF cutting II State into
pieces, at the moment OF such general
excitement on SO many great topics,
and on the eve Of a political struggle
which couvulscs the whole country, as
it was never cOnyulscd before in tim,
~ofpeacc, scarcely less SO than it was
convulscd when civil war was felt to be
imminent.
The occasion Of public disorder is,
however, the opportunity Of party /;
and, however named, in any net for
consummating this outrage, the real
motive for dividing Texas, is, that q
multiplication Of States is ut this time
within the power Of the party in office
aud may never occur again. The mul.
tiplication of States, now, means also
the multiplication OF votes in both
Houses Of Congress, and e'e:;Or j
votes for tue Presidency in favor OF a
party, which feels that it may need
them in order to be saved from politi-
cal ruin. Six new Senators, from
States wherein the majority of whites
has been suppressed by proscriptive
laws, maintained by force, and black
majority is made all powerful, make up
IA corps Of recruits which, whatsoever
may be the issue Of the next Presiden-
tial election will fortify the Radical pow
err imprcgnably in the Senate for IN in
definite period, and secure every Rad
ical measure which this Congress can
pass into law, against the possibility of
repeal. Here is the powerful motive
which makes the manufacturing ofnew
States out Of Texas n measure oil
party urgency with the Radicals in Con-
gress now, when they have power, that
they may not have agaiu, to divide i'll
to suit themselves, disiranchisc their
adversaries and rule the negro borough
by party caucuscs in Washington.
The title of authority to divide Tex.
as is peculiar. 1t exists in the same
form and terms which the constitution
provides for the division of other States
in the Union--that is, with the consent
of Congress and Of the Legislatures of
the States concerned. But Texas came
into the Union as u republic and indie.
pendent, from without, pre-existing,
with u republican form of govern.
ment," and by special compact, in the
form of ajoint act of two governments
In that act it was provided specially, as
follows:
Sec. 3. New States, Of convenient
size, not exceeding four in number, in
addition to the said State ofTexas, and
sufficient population, may here.
after, with the consent oil the said State
be formed out of the territory there If,
which shall be entitled to admission I'm
Ter the provision OF the Federal con >,
.titution. "
The power of division which would
,rima Jaeie, have existed under the con
'titatiOn, is thus confirmed by particu.
ar compact, in the terms of the con
stitution that is, "with the consent oil
The said State" The division of a
State has already occurred in the sepa-
alton Of Massachusetts, from Maine,
by the regular forms of law, and by ::
hat of West Virginia from Virginia, p
,nder a form of law, but actually by :
iolence. This of dividing Texas is all
epetition of the West Virginia case. =
nth circumstances of aggravated vio- =
ence. In Virginia, they had the sem {,
lance Of q State Legislature, which did
ot emanate from any authority out 9
( the State, but purported to represent
n elected organization, for the people,
,itbin the limits ofthe organic State.
hat Legislature gave the consent, and
was 6guratiyely taken 10 be an indie
consent Of Virginia. It was
ogus, to he sure. but it was domesticI
and the division had theI :,
rm Of being with the consent Of the VII
Iefesfd paStiqe 10 the separation.