National Republican., 1876-10-20

ABOUT RECoNsTRUcTIoN-REsPoS OF THE Sc
CEssIoN DEMOCRACY TO THEIR NORTHERN AL
LIES.
CHAPTER Joint resolutions concerning peace,
reconstruction and independence.
Whereas among the political parties in the
United States the question Of reunion of those
States with these OF the Confederacy is being
agitated, and in order to promote such reunion II
is urged that delegates he chosen from each of the
meet in convention to reform the Constitution of
the United States, which proposition is coupled
with the quasi pledge that such amendments
shall be made to that Constitution as will forever
guarantee the institution of African slavery in the
States of this Confederacy; and whereas it is pos
sible that the political party in the United States
approaching election in choosing the Executive OF
that Government, and that consequently the FORE
going proposition may be attempted to be made to
the States of the Confederacy: Now we, Of the
State of Texas believing that 1t is proper to meet
such proposition in advance, have resolved as fol-
lows:
Resolution /. That neither the above proposition
nor any other can be made to the people Of this
State by the United States or any foreign people,
the only organ Of the States in the Confederacy
for the transaction of business with foreign ma
tiOns, and such proposition II made at all must
be made to the Government of the Confederate
States, and n made to the government Of this
State will not be entertained.
Resolution 2. That we recognize in that proposi.
U0n no good faith, but merely an insidiOus policy
to ''divide and conquer" policy through which
1t is hoped to detach some of the States Of the
C0UfeQeracy, thereby 10 weaken and Qem0rallze
the rest. To accomplish this an appeal is made
to our love of property, which, as It is the all.
prevailing motive to the action of the people Of
the North, they supposed would control our con-
duct.
Resolution g. That 1t will be well for the people
of the North to understand, even at this late day,
that the Southern States did not secede from the
Union upon any question such as the mere
preservation Of the slave property of their citi-
zens, but that. being free and sovereign States,
they were resolved TO preserve their freedom and
their sovereignty; they were free to govern them
selves as they, and not others, saw fit. They
were free to change their government to erect
new one, and to make whatever alliance they
should choose. And after nearly four years Of
arduous war these States are still unwayering In
their resolution to preserve their freedom and
their sovereignty, without which all else is value
less
Resolution 4. That could the present war and
past experience while in the Union would warn
us from any reunion with the people of the North.
written Constitution, adopted by our ancestors
and theirs, which contained plainly y-worded guar
snteeC of the rights of all, by them and their
sworn representatives deliberately and persist
emily violated to our injury, and finally, after
years of discussion, when the question was under
standngly before the people atlarge, they elected
q Chief Magistrate, with the purpose that he
should destroy our liberties in disregard Of the
Constitution which he had sworn to support, thus
exhibiting radical and widespread national de-
pravity, to the honor of human nature, never ex-
hibited in the world before.
Resolution s. But we could not, IL we would,
war. Our enemies have repudiated every princi-