Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-03-31

T ers Of the State shall be lodged, involve,
the right of the State to govern itself
T When deprived Of this prerogative tilt
States will have no power worth retain.
lug; and viii be gone, and they will be
/ subjected to the arbitrary will of Con.
gress. The Government will then bt
, centralized, if not by the passage Or
laws, then by the adoption, through par,
tisan ihuence, Of an amendment direct.
ly in conflict with the original design ol
the Constitution. This proves how nee.
essaTy 1t is the people should require the
administration Of the three great depart
ments of the Government to be strictly
within the limits of the Constitution
Their boundaries have been accurately
defined, and neither should be allowed
to trespass on the other, nor, above all
to eneroaeh upon the reserved rights o
the people and the States.
1 The troubles Of the past four years will
prove to the nation blessings if they pro,
duce so desirable a result.
Upon those who became young men
amid the sound of cannon and din OF
arms, and who quietly returned to the
farms, the factories, and the schools oi
the land, win principally devolve the
duty Of peTpetuating the union of the
! States, in defence of which hundreds OF
| thousands of their eOnlrads expired and
! hundreds of millions of National Obliga-
tiOns were incurred. A manly people
viii not neglect the training necessary
to resist aggression, but they should be
jealous lest the civil be made subordi-
nate to the military element.
We need to encourage in every legiti-
mate way, study Of the Constitution
for which the war was waged; knOwl-
edge Of and reverence for those wise
checks by those so soon to occupy the
places filed by their seniors, will be the
only hope Of preserving the Republic.
The young men ofthe Nation not yet un-
der the control of party, must resist the
tendency to Capitalization, or OUtgTowth
Of the great rebellion, and be familiar
with the fact that the country consists
of the United States, and that when the
States surrendered certain great rights
for the sake Of more perfect union, they
retained rights as valuable and impOr-
tant as those they relinquished for the
common veal.
This sound oldadoctrine is far different
from the teachings that led to the at
tempt to secede, and a kindred theory
that the States were taken out Of the
Union by the rash acts Of cOnspiratOrs
that happened to dwell within their bor-
ders, must be received and advocated
with the enthusiasm of early manhood,
or the people will be ruled by corrupt
combinations Of the commercial centeTs,
who, plethoric from wealth, annually
migrate to the capital of the nation to
purchase special legislation.
Until the representatives Of the people
in CongressamOre fully exhibit the diverse
views and interests Of the whole nation,
-, H., l..
discussion at the behest Of some party
leader, there will never be prop
er respect shown by the law making
power either to the judicial or Executive
branch of the Government. The gener-
alton just beginning to use the ballot
box, it is believed, only need that their
attention should be called to these con-
siderRtiOns to indicate by their votes
that they wish their representatives to
observe all the restraints the people, in
adopting the Constitution, intended to
impose on party excess
Mainly reviewing my administration
Of the Government, l feel that with a
sense of accountability to God, and of
having cOnscientiOusIy. endeavOred to
discharge my duty. I have nothing to
regret. Events have proved the correct
ness Of the policy set forth in my first
and subsequent messages; the woes
which have followed the rejection of
forbearance, magnanimity and COndi-
tional rule are known and deplOred by
the nation.
It is a matter of pride and qualification,
in retiring from the exalted position in
the gift Of the people, to feel and know
that in q long, arduOUs and eventful
public life my action has never been in
hueneed by desire for gain, and that
can in all sincerity inquire "whOm have
I defrauded?'' "WhOm have I oppress-
ed?" or at whose hand have I received
any bribe to blind my eyes herewith?
No responsibilities for war that have
been waged or blood that has been shed
rests upon me. My thoughts have been !
those Of peace, and my effort has ever |
to allay contentious among my country /
men. Forgetting the past, let US return |
to the first principles ofthe Government, /
and unfurling the banner of our country
upon it, in ineffaceable charac- /
ters, ''THE CONSTITUTION AND THE IN |
ION-ONE AND INSEPARABLE.n
CsIGNED1 ANDREW JOHNSON. /
WAsHINGTON, D. c., March I, 1859.