Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-02-06
SPEECH
SENATOR NORTON

Mr.. Morton's great speech, as it
IS called, delivered in The United
States Senate on the Oath instant,
exhibits the peculiar power of the
orator as a logician, and presents,
in a condensed and compact formt
the argument in favor ofreconstruc
ton by Congress, as opposed to re-
construction by rebels or by the Ex-
ecutive. The Senator in the open
ing says; /.
The issue here to-day is the same
which prevails throughout the coun-
try, which will be the issue Of the
canvass, and perhaps for years to
come. To repeat what l have had
occasion to say elsewhere, it is be-
tween two paramount ideas, each
struggling for the supremacy. One
is, that the war to suppress the re-
bellion was right and just on our
part; that the rebels forfeited their
/ political and civil rights, and can
only be restored to them upon such
conditions as the nation may pre-
scribe for its future safety and pros
perity. The other idea is, that the
rebellion was not sinful, but was
right; that those engaged in it for
feited no rights, civil or political,
and have a right to take charge of
their State Governments and be re-
stored to their representation in
Congress just as if there had been
no rebellion and nothing had occur
red. The immediate issue before
the Senate now is between the eX-
isting State Governments, estab-
lished under the policy of the Pres
ident of the United States, in the
rebel States, and the plan Of recon
struction presented by Congress.
He then seeks for aproposition
upon which both parties are agreed
and starts in his argument from that
proposition. The proposition is,
that at the end of the war, in the
spring of 1865, the United States
were without State Governments Of
ann k1nd. This fact was recogniz
ed distinctly by the President of the
United Stqtes in his proclamation
under which reconstruction was
commenced in North Carolina. The
Senator continues:
The fourth section of the fourth
article of the Constitution declares,
that "the United States shall guar
antee to every State in the Union q
republican form Of government.
This provision contains a vast, un-
defined power that has never yet
been ascertained-a great superyis
ory power given to the United
States to enable them to keep the
States in their orbits, to preserve
them in anarchy, revolution and re-
belliou. The measure Of power
thus conferred upon the Govern
ment of the United States can only
be determined by that which is req
uisite to guarantee or maintain in
each State a legal and republican
form Of government. Whatever
power, therefore, may be necessary
to enable the Government Of the
United States thus to maintain in
each State a republican form Of
government is conveyed by this
proposition.
Now, Mr., President, when the war
ended and these Stat were found
without governments of any kind,
the iulis liction Of 5he United States,
under this provision Of the Consti-
tuition, at once attached the power
to reorganize State governments,
to use the common word, to recon
struct, to maintain anl guaran-
tee republican State governments in
those States at once attached under
this provision. Upon this PROPOSE
ton there is also q concurrence of
the two parties. The President has
distinctly recognized the application
Of this clause of the Constitution,
He has recognized the fact that its
jurisdiction attached when those
States were found without republi-
can State governments, and he him
self claimed to act under this clause
of the Constitution.
Il X 4 Il
We arc then agreed upon the sec
ond proposition, that the power Of
the United States to reconstruct and
guarantee republican forms of gov
ernment at once applied when these
States were found in the condition
in which they were at the end Of the
war Then, sir, being agreed upon
these two propositions, we are bro't
to the question as to the proper
form Of exercising this power and
by whom it shall be exercised The
Constitution says that "the United
States shall guarantee to every
State in the Union q republican
form of government" BY the
phrase Omitted States here is
meant the Government of the Uni-
ted States. The United States can
only act through the Government,
and the clause would mean precise
" the same thing if it read "Hhe
Government of the Uuited States
shall guarantee to every State in this
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