Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1869-05-15

faiirh N ihe fiaifs shd che main
itnanfe N their Foftfnmfnis sfs
AZ mnfh uiihin iho dosis and Gaze
~ The t.onsiiiuiion ~ iho pfcssfra.
lion ~ The lniun AMI the malnien
anee ~ the Naiiohal GoveFnment
The Constitution In ell lis pros isions
ltrss a. an understandable Uni0h,
composed ~ ihdcstTuttible States
When, therefore. Texas Leeamo
one ofihe United States. she entered
into an indiss0luble relation. An
the obligations NJ perpetual union
and all the GUARANTEES " the lispnb-
lean Government in Tho Union at
taehed at once TO the Este, The
act which eOnsummaied her Admis-
sion into the Union was s0Ineshal
more than a compact il was the in
corporation Of new member into
the political body, and il was final.
The union between Texas aud the
other States was as complete, as
perpetual aud US indissOluble as the
union between the original States,
There was no place for reeOnsidera-
ton or revocation except through
revolution, or through consent of
the States, Considered, therefore,
rs transactions under the COnstitu,
ton, tho ordinance Of secession,
adopted by the convention aud rati- |
fled by q majority Of tho citizens of
Texas, and all tho acts of her Leg.
islature, intended TO give effect TO
that ordinance, were absolutely
null, They were utterly without
operation in law. The obligations
of tho State, as n member of the
Union, and of every citizen Of the
State, rs q citizen Of tho United
States, remained perfect aud unim.
paired. II necessarily follows that
the State did not cease TO be a State,
nor her citizens TO be citizens, of the
Union. lfthls were otherwise tho
State must have become foreign and
her citizens foreigners. The war
must hare ceased 10 be Tdr for tie
Of rebellion and must hare
become a wdr for conquest and SUyu.
patton.
The above covers the vital points
Of the question rs TO the pcrpctuity
IF the Union, and from the premises
laid down the Chief Justice argues
hat tho governmental relations of
Texas to the Union remained unal.
.ercd during the war, and the rights
Of tho State rs n mombcr of tho
Union and Of her people rs citizens
If the United States now only tenn.
porarily suspended. That is re-
.ognition of the doctrines which
lavc been contcndcd for by the :
Democratic party; rs opposed to the
schemes of the Radicals.
II is TO be regretted that the Chief
Justice did not SEQ fit to follow up |
lis argument to its logical conclu- |
zion. fla State Government can
cgally sue for and recover money,
IS this provisional government of
Texas has done, then it is for all ]
'thcr purposes complete and valid
state Government, such as is rccog-
lizcd by the Constitution of the
United States; and if that of Texas ]
20 such, there were those in all the
'thcr Southern States equally so,
md the reconstruction theories of !,
he Radicals are unconstitutional 1
'ased on an absurdity. Tho Chief
Justice weakened his opinion when,
n lodging the gravest issue before o
lin, he said: a
1--WE do not inquire here into the
onstitutionality Of this legislation,
o far rs it relates to military au- n
hority or to the paramount author II
ty Of Congress" cl
And again: c,
Nothing in the case before us =
cquircs the court to pronounce
alignment upon tho constitutionality
f any particular provision of these
The reconstruction acts"
Still this decision is one which y
ill help to fix right views in the \
Iinds of thinking people; and it is
ut the beginning Of the end. Tho ST
me must surely como when reason
ill assume its sway over the minds :
the American people, and when
W will be again strictly regarded,
nd the Constitution, with all its
DIVISIONS, be held sacred as it once T
as Ia