Year: 1866

a condition to abrogate the powers and priv,


ileges incident to State of the Union, and


deprive themselves of all pretence of right


to exercise those powers and enjoy those
privileges A State within the Union has


obligations to discharge as member of the


Union. It must submit to Federal laws and
uphold Federal authority. 1t must have a


government, republican in form, under and


by which it is connected with the General


Government, and through which it can dis


charge its obligations 1t is more than idle


it is mockery, to contend that people who


have thrown off their allegiance, destroyed


the local government which bound these


States to the Union as members thereof, OF


defied its authority, refused to execute its


laws and abrogated every provision which


gave them political rights within the Union,


still retain through all the perfect and entire


right to resume at their own will and pleas


ure all their privileges within the Union,


and especially to participate in its govern


ment, and to control the conduct of its af-


fairs. To admit such principles for one mo-


ment would be to declare that treason is al


ways master and loyalty blunder. Such a
principle is void by its very nature and es-


sence, because inconsistent with the theory
! VI S3OfCAAllCuG anu ldtdl W 40 CAiotCuCC.


On the contrary, we assert that no portion


OF the people of this country, whether in


State or Territory, have the right while re-


naming on its soil to withdraw from or


neglect the authority of the United States
| They must obey its laws as paramount, and


acknowledge its jurisdiction. They have no
right to secede; and while they can destroy
their State governments and place them
selves beyond the pale of the Union, so far
as the exercise of State privileges is con-
cerned, they cannot escape the obligations
imposed upon them by the Constitution and
the laws, nor impair the exercise of national
authority. The Constitution, it will be OBJ
served, does not act upon States, as such,


but upon the people. While, therefore, the
people cannot escape its authority, the
States may. through the act of their people,


cease to exist in an organized form, and thus
dissolve their political relations with the
United States That taxation should be
only with the consent of the people, through
their own representatives, is cardinal prin-
ciple OF all free governments but it is not
true that taxation and representation must
go together under all circumstances and at
every moment of time. The people of the
District of Columbia and of the Territories
are taxed, although not represented in Con-
gress. If it be true that the people of the
so-called Confederate States have no right to
throw off the authority of the United States,
it is equally true that they are bound at all
times to share the burdens of government
They cannot either legally or equitably re-
fuse to bear their just proportion of these
burdens by voluntarily abdicating their
rights and privileges as States of the Union
and refusing to be represented in the coun-
ellis OF the nation, much less by rebellion
against national authority and levying war.
To hold that by so doing they could escape
taxation would be to offer premium for in
surrection; to reward instead of Furnishing
treason. To hold that as soon as govern
ment is restored to its full authority, it can
be allowed no time to secure itself against
similar wrongs in the future, or else omit the
ordinary exercise of its constitutional power
to compel equal contribution from all to-
ward the expenses of the government, would
be unreasonable in itself and unjust to the
nation. 1t is sufficient to reply that the loss
OF representation by the people of the insur-
rectionary States was their own voluntary
choice. They might abandon their privile-
ges, but they could not escape their obliga-
ton. And surely they have no right to com
plain, If before resuming their privileges,
and while the people of the United States
are devising means for the public safety, rem
dered necessary by the act of those who thus
disfranchised themselves, they are compelled
to contribute their just proportion of the
general burden of taxation incurred by their
wickedness and folly.


Euual1y ohcurl ic tho ,,roto,oo %bo4 Al.
legislative authority of the nation must be
imperative, so far as they are concerned,
while they, by their own act, have lost the
right to take part in it. Such proposition
carries its own refutation on its face.


While thus exposing fallacies. which, as
your committee believe, are resorted to for
the purpose of misleading the people, and
distracting their attention from the questions
at issue, we freely admit that such a condi.
tion of things should be brought if possible,
to speedy termination. 1t is most desira-
BILE that the union of all the States should
become perfect at the earliest moment con-
sistent with the peace and welfare of the ma
tion, that all these States should become full
ly represented in the national councils. and
take their share in the legislation of the
country. The possession and exercise of
more than its just share of power by any
section is injurious, as well to that section as
to all Others Its tendency is distracting
and demoralizing, and such state of affairs
is only to be tolerated on the ground of
necessary regard to the public safety. As
soon as that safety is secured it should ter
inmate


Your committee came to the consideration
of the subject referred to them with the most
anxious desire to ascertain what was the con-
dition of the people of the States recently in
insurrection, and what, if anything, was
necessary to be done before restoring them to
the full enjoyment of all their original priv
ileges. 1t was undeniable that the war into
which they had plunged the country had ma
terially changed their relations to the people
of the loyal States. Slavery has been abol-
ished by constitutional amendment. A large
proportion of the population had become,
instead of mere chattels, free men and citi-
zens. Through all the past struggle these
had remained true and loyal, and had in
large numbers fought on the side of the Uni
on. 1t was impossible to abandon these
without securing them their rights as free
men and citizens. The whole civilized world
have cried out against such base ing-atitude,
and the bare idea is offensive to all right
thinking men. Hence it becomes important
to inquire what could be done to secure their
rights, civil and political. 1t was evident to
your committee that adequate security would
only be found in appropriate constitutional
provisions. By an original provision of the
Constitution, representation is based on the
whole number Of free persons in each State,
and three-ffths of all other persons. When
all become free representation of all neces-
sarily follows. As consequence the newt