Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-09-18

pendent of the Union. OF course It is not for.
gotten that all the new States framed their
CONSTITUTIONS before they entered the Union;
nevertheless, dependent upon, and preparatory
10; coming into the Union"
lnquestionably the states have the powers
ara rights reserved to them In and by the ma
.ional constitution, and upon this point. In an
o.ner part or this great message, Mr.. Lincoln
1 sa!s:-"Ihis relative matter Of national power
ana sIate rights, as principle, is no other than
| The principle OF generalitg and locality. What
| ever concerns the whole should be confjded to
inc whole-to the general governments: while
Wna.eser concerns only the state should be left
| exclusively to the state This is ali there is OF
| original principle about it
Mr.. Lincoln held that the United states is
Hdtlop, ana mat Its government Possesses
ample power under the constitution to maintain
It's authority and enforce its laws in every part
81 ITS Wnn The denial Of INV principle by
and who rightly claimed that it was ineonsist-
| ent with state sovereignty, made up an issue
| over which arose one OF the leading controver-
| sizes which led TO the civil war. The result OF
| the war decided that controversy in favor of
nationality and in favor OF the supremacy OF
| the national government.
This decision Is la accordance with the prin-
| cipleS OF the fathers. On this day ninety-two
| years ago the delegates in convention at Phila-
delphia agreed 10 the constitution OF the nlted
states. which was afterwards ratified and
| adopted. ON the same day, September IL, 11S1,
Gen. Washington sent letter transmitting the
constitution to the Congress In session In New
York. la that letter he said
| The friends OF our country have long since
| desired that the power of making war. peace
and treaties that OF levying money and reyu-
latlDg commerce, and the correspondent eXecu.
tive and judicial authorities should be idliy aud
| eHecluaily vested In the general government OF
| Ne I mon; 1t is obviously Impractical
ole In ne FEDERAL government OF these states TO
| secure all rights OF Independent sovereignty TO
each, aid Yet provide for the Interest and safety
| OF all In all our deliberations on this
| SUBJECT, we kept steadily I'm our view that which
appears TO us the greatest interest OF every true
Ameiican-the consolidation OF our Tnion-in
which is involved our prosperity, felicity safe
~, perhaps our national existence"
said:
"The unity OF government. which constitutes
| you one people, is also justly dear to you
| The name Of american, which belongs TO you In
| your national capacity, must always eXalt the
| Just pride of patriotism more than any appella-
ton derived from local discriminai ions"
! On the question OF human rights Mr. Lincoln
was equally explicit, and often declared that It
| was involved In the conflict. and TO be decided
| by the result. In his matchless message. already
| quoted, he says "Our adverSarieS have adopted
| some declarations. In which, unlike the good sid
one renned by Jefferson, they omit the words
| 'all men are created equal Why? They have
| adopted temporary national constitution, in
| the preamble OF which, unlike our good old Que
signed by Washington, they omit, we the peo-
| sovereign and independent states Why? Why
this deliberate pressing out OF view OF the rights
| OF men, and the authority OF the people? This
| is essentially peoples contest On the side OF
| the Union, it is struggle for maintaining In
| the world that form and substance OF govern.
| ment whose leading object Is to elevate the
| condition OF men; to lift artificial weights from
| all shoulders: to clear the paths OF laudable
| pursuit TO ALL to afford to all an unfettered
start and fair chance In the race OF life
| Yielding to partial and temporary departures
| from necessity, this is the leading object OF the
| government for whose existence we contend
| am most happy to believe that the plain
| people understand and appreciate this"
| ON the subject OF suffrage, Mr.. LincoIn's
| guiding principle was that +" no man is good
| enough to govern another man without that
other mans consent"
Thus We have from the lips and pen OF Mr.
| Lincoln-the great leader and representative Of
| the UEfon cause-in the most solemn and
issues of the war. He held that the Union is
| perpetual; that its government Is national and
! supreme: and that all OF it's Inhabitants should
| be free, and be accorded equal civil and polIt-
| iCal rights.
These are the great fundamental principles
| affirmed on the one side, and denied on the
| other, upon which the appeal was made to the
! God of battles. | do not undertake to review
| the debate as to the nature and powers Of the
| government of the Union, and as to the doc
| trine OF State rights, which began with the
| foundation OF our institutions and which was
| continued until 1t was huShed by the clash Of
| arms. 1t IS enough for my present purpose to
say that, as matter of history, all OF The po-
| l1tical parties OF the past, when charged with
the responsibility OF directing the affairs OF the
| government, have maintained In their practical
administration OF 1t, precisely the same prin-
| The principles as 10 the powers OF the national
| government which were acted upon by Wash
| 1ngton and jackson, and which are sustained
| by TIE decisions OF Chief Justice Marshall and
| by which Lincoln and the Union armies crushed
| the rebellion and rescued the republic, are
among the legitimate and 1rreversible results
OF the war which ought not to be questioned.
| Touching the remaining important contro-
| versy settled by the war, the public avowals of
| opinion are almost all In favor of the faithful
ceptaIce OF the new constitutional amend
| ments. On this subject the speeches Of public
| men and the creeds and platforms OF the lead
Ing political parties have for some years past
| respective national conventions adopted
| resolutions recognizing the equality of all men
| before the law, and pledging themselves. in the
| words Of the democratic national convention,
| 'to maintain emancipation and enfranchfse-
| ment, and to oppose the reopening OF the ques-
| lions settled by the recent amendments to the
| constitution" In 1876, the great political par
| ties again, In the language of the st. Louis
| national convention, affirmed their devotion
| to the constitution OF the United States, with
It's amendments universally accepted as final
| settlement Of the controversies that engendered
| the civil war" Notwithstanding these declara-
tons, we are compelled to take notice that,
to Ie-estabiish slavery if they could, and no no
one would again attempt to break up the
Union by secession, there still remains In some
he coOTed eaeas OF the
which are guaranteed to them by the constitu-
ton as 1t now is. In the crisis OF the war Mr.
IluColu dpptdlcu 10 tne cOiOroQ people 10 take
| up arms. About two hundred Thousand re-
! spoIded to the CALL enlisted In the Union
| armies, and fought for the Union cause under
| the Union flag. Equality Of rights for the COL
| ored people, from that time, thus became one
| OF the essential issues OF the war. General
| Sherman said, "when the fight is over, the hand
| that drops the musket cannot be denied the
| ballot" Jefferson said long before, "the man
who fights for the country is entitled to VOTE"
| When, with the help OF the colored men, the
| victory was gained, the fifteenth amendment
| followed naturally as one OF its legitimate re-
| suits No man can truthfully claim that he
| faithfully accepts the true settlements OF the
war, who sees with Indifference the fifteenth
amendment practically nullifled.
No one can OyerState the evils which the
country must suffer if lawless and violent op-
position to the enjoyment OF constitutional
| rights Is allowed TO be permanently successful.
The lawleSSneSS which to-day aSsailS the rights
OF the cOlored people will find other victims to-
morrow. This question belongs to no race. to
| no party, and to no section. It is question in
which the whole country is deeply interested
Patriotism, justice, humanity, and our material
interests, all plead on the right side of the cues
tion. The cOlored people are the laborers who
produce the cotton which, going abroad to the
markets OF the world, gives us that favorable
balance OF trade which Is now doing so much for
the revival Of all business. The whole fabric OF
society rests upon labor. If free laborers suffer
from oppression and injustice, theywil either be-
come discontinued and turbulent. deStrOyerS or