Year: 1866

aside, but the state Of war 10 longer
exists, and the sentiments, the pas
sions, the relations of war have no
longer lawful or rightful place any
where throughout our broad domain.
We are again people of the United
States, fellow-citizcns of one country,
bound by the duties and obligations
of common patriotism, and having
neither rights nor interests apart from
common destiny. The duties that
dcvolve upon us now are again the du-
ties of peace, and no longer the duties
of war. We have assembled here to
take counsel concerning tho interest
of peace ; to decide how we may most
wisely and effectually heal the wounds
the war has made, and perpetuate the
benefits it has secured, and the bless
Providence, have sprung up in its fiery
track. This is the work, not of pas
sion, but of calm and sober Judgment;
not of resentment for past offences pro-
longed beyond the limits which justice
and reason prescribe, but Of liberal
craftsmanship which tolerates what it
cannot prevent, and build it's plans and
hopes for the future rather upon a COM
munity of interest and ambition than
upon distrust and the weapons of
force.


POLITICAL RESULTS OF THE WAR.


In the next place, we call upon you
to recognize in their full significance,
and to accept with all their legitimate
consequences, the political results of
the war just closed. In two most i'm
portant particulars the victory achicv-
ed by the National Government has
been final and decisive. First, it has
established beyond all further contro-
versy, and by the highest of all human
sanctions, the absolute supremacy OF
the National Government, as defined
and limited by the Constitution of the
United States, and the permanent in
tegrity and indissolubility of the Fed
eral Union as necessary conse-
quencc and, second, it has put an
end finally and forever to the exis-
tence of slavery upon the soil or with
in the jurisdiction of the United
States. Both these points became di-
rectly involved in the contest, and
controversy upon both was ended alb
solutcly and finally by the result.


THE RIGHT OF REPRESENTATION.


In the third place, we deem it of the
utmost importance that the real charac-
ter of the war and the victory by which
1t was closed should be accurately m-
| derstood. The war was carried on by
the Government of the United States in
maintenance Of its OWE authority, and
in defence Of its own existence, both of
which were menaced by the msurrec;
ton which it sought to suppress. The
suppression Of that insurrection accom-
plshed that result. The Government
of the United States maintained by
force of arms the supreme authority
over all the territory, and over al, the
States and people within its jurisdiction
which the Constitution conters upon it;
but it acquired thereby no new power
no enlarged jurisdiction, no rights of
territorial possession or Of civil a,phori-
ty which it did not possess before the
rebellion broke out. All the rightful
power it can ever possess is that which
is conferred upon it, either in express
terms or by fair and necessary implica.
'tion, by the Constitution of the United
States. 1t was that power and that au,
thority which the rebellion sought to
overthrow, and the victory ofthe Fede.
raj arms was simply the defeat of that
attempt. The Government of the Uni
ted States acted throughout the war on
the defensive. 1t sought only to hold
possession of what was its own. Nei-
ther the war, nor the victory by which
it was closed, changed in any way the
Constitution of the United States. The
war was carried on by virtue of its pro-
visions, and under the limitation which
they prescribe, and the result of the war
did not either enlarge, abridge, or in
anv way change or affect the powers it