The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1868-01-31
How Reconsttuction can be Constitu.
n tionally Effected. p .


4 Geore's to the people Of the United States
written. We suppose, ~ Hon. Hersheli v
johnson, We .6nd the following striking ar
gum whichwe commend 10 the sttentio,
Of sE true friends Of The Union 10 The North
t'" States. It will repay sny person 70
The trouble Of careful perussl:
1--WE beg TO offer smother view for IN.
les!m consideration Of the Northern people
They slmost universally contend that seces
sio" wss . noili'y The wsr having so de-
cIoed - . question Of practice, IL 10 no,
necessary now TO contest il as question %
right. Then: lstihe assumption be granted
1t follows. then. that not only the ordins n &C
Iof secession YVES void, but that al the SUB.
"quent proceedings = the entire fabric
Erected UPON it-were also void. This fabric
was the State goveromsnts which were in
'exissencs and 10 operation when the COO.
federste srms were surrendered an the W
was terminated. These State governments
were illees' becsUse they were built on .
lbresch OF the true constitutional relation
between the Sstes and the Federal Co
eminent. These propositions are true, upon
the assumption ,bsi secession was a nuli,y.
as insisie upon by the Northern people. -
II ioilows from them ihst the s stes were
never out OF The Union. and ,hs, they retain
et their right 10 continue 90 such, ho~ever
their Visible orgsnlzstion and constitutions !
relations may have been disturbed by seces.
sion.
so far, all is plain and cary. The nex,
s'eps 10 the beginning OF 'he difficulty. Ii
'hese Sis,e governments were void, snd
therefore tell with the Confederate csuses,
how can their places be consiitu'ionolly sup.
plier! Csn IL be eone BY reconstruction?
8v new State governments constructed by
'hs President. Congress. or any other power,
Surely NOT. No department Of the Govers :.
Imeut Of the Unl..J o,..e.. nor III " ,...p
ro@tioet. 10 iny-sied ~i,h power TO con-
s'ruct governments tor The Sisies. Iusieod
|of being conferred by The constitution, il 10
'pa!pabiy Inconsistent with IL. The du,y
and the whole duty Of ,ae Unired States
with respect to the State povsrnmsa,s is
Cherry defined in the C,n,ti,u,ios. Thai,
duty 70 to guarantee to every Sss,e q re.
publican form Of governrnrn'; 10 gusran
tee il. no, 10 create Ito preserve MT de
siroy snd then reconsttuc, II. C.n voul
guarantee what does no. sx's,t Tie very
idea Of guaranteeing a povernmen, implies,
The cre-exi, ,encs Of the GOV.
srmen'. Aud this il precisely the duty
which the Uniied States owe 20 esrh State
Ito support ard uphold abe government
with which each State s,sried ~ the Union.
whe her that sisrt was mode st the begin.
ming or At a later period Of our history.
"Whenevrr the s'sH wss made esch
State stsrted in the Union with re eprbH.
can form OF government. This Ia. certainly
true Of Georgia and all the original thirteen:
and the admission OF other States, a, sub.
stquent periods, was . confession BY the
Government. which il is estopped from de-.
ryiog that they. too, were republican. The
Government, therefore, with which q State
savted in The Union 10 the Government
which the United States il obliged 10 up.
hold. I, may be modified In the legitimstsi
wsy--thst is. by the people Of the S,sie,
but slwsys under the Limitation that il must
remain republican in form. And eiDcs the
failure Of secession, and The decision By
sword that secession was . nulli,y. o. .
question Of practice. II would sesm, that
esch State 10 bound to preserve iis original
relation TO the Uniuu, ~ well Is 10 have, q
republican form OF government. When ID
,htre 10 q breach Of either Of these limiis.
lions the the thread Of !eeslily or consli,u.
Iionsiiiy 10 dropped. All thst msy come /,
10 on an illegal basis and void. I
Such 10 the inevitable conclusion. viewingt
he subject IRON the Northern s,sndponl. Ii
What. then 10 the remedy! Is It for Con. b
gress 10 s,ep in and construct new gov h
We have already shown the, 4
hey have no such power Bot the remedy '
= 10 90 back and pick up the thread Of le. S
.ali,y right where Il dropped. os. in other y
words, sestors the goversmsst, which ,,wss .
wrongiulIy displaced. Itwss not destroyed .
~ secesslos. sssoming secession to be void; ;