Year: 1866

DulldS It's plans ana hopes Tor the future,


rather upon community of interest and
ambition than upon distrust and the wea-
pons of force.


In the next place, we call upon you to


recognize i'll their full significance, and to
accept with all their legitimate consequent


ces, the political results of the war just
closed. In two most important particulars
the victory achieved by the national gov
ernment has been final and decisive. First
it has established beyond all further con.
troversy, and by the highest of all human
sanctions, the absolute supremacy of the
national government, as defined and limit
ed by the Constitution of the United States
and the permanent integrity and indissolu-
bility Of the Federal Union as o necessary
consequence; and second, it has put an
end finally and forever to the existence of
slavery upon the soil and in the jurisdic.
tion of the United States. Both these
points became directly involved in the con-
test, and controversy upon both was ended
absolutely and finally by the result.


In the third place, we deem it of the ut
most Importance that the real character of
the war and the victory by which it was
closed should be accurately understood
The war was carried on by the United
States in maintenance of its own authority
and in defence Of its own existence, both
OF which were menaced by the insurrection
which it sought to suppress The sup
preston of that instruction accomplishes
that result. The government OF the Uni
ted States maintained by force of arms the
supreme authority over all the territory,
and over all the States and people within
its jurisdiction which the Constitution con
fcrs upon it: but it acquired thereby 10
new power, no enlarged jurisdiction, no
rights of territorial possession or of civil
authority which it did not possess before
the rebellion broke out. All the richt.ul
power it can ever possess is that which is
conferred upon 1t, either in express terms
or by fair and necessary implication, by
the Constitution Of the United States. Ii
was that power and that authority which
the rebellion sought to overthrow, and the
victory of the Federal arms was simply
defeat Of that attempt. The government
OF the United States acted throughout the
war on the defensive. 1t sought only to
hold possession of what was already its
own. Neither 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 provis,
ions, and under the limitations which they
prescribe, ana the result of the war did not
either enlarge, abridge, or in any way
change or affect the powers it confers upon
the Federal government, or released that
government from the restrictions which it
has imposed.


The Constitution of the United States
is today precisely as it was before the war,
the Supreme law of the land, anything in
the constitution or laws Of any State to the
contrary notwithstanding" and to day, also,
precisely as before the war, all the powers
not conferred by the Constitution upon the
general government, nor prohibited by it
to the States, are reserved to the several
States, or to the people thereof"


This position is vindicated not only by
the essential nature of orr government, and
the language and spirit of the Constitution
hut by all the acts and the language of our
government, in all its departments, and at
all times from the outbreak of the rebellion
to its final overthrow. In every message
and proclamation of the Executive it was
explicitly declared that the sole object and
purpose Of the war was to maintain the au.
thority OF the Constitution and to preserve
the integrity of the Union; and Congress
more than once reiterated this solemn dec
laration, and added the assurance that
whenever this object should be attained,
the war should cease, and all the States
should retain their equal rights and digni-
ty unimpaired. 1t is only since the war
was closed that other rights have been as
serted on behalf Of one department of the
general government. 1t has been pro-
claimed by Congress that, in addition to
the powers conferred upon it by the Con-
stitution, the Federal Government may
now claim over the States, the territory
and the people involved in the insurrcction,
the rights of war, the right Of conquest
and OF coniiscation, the right to abrogate
all existing governments institutions and
laws, and to subject the territory conquer.
ed and its inhabitants to such laws, regu.
latlons and deprivations as the legislative
departments of the government nav see fit
to impose. Under this broad and sweep.
ing claim, that clause of the Constitution
which provides that "no State shall with.
out Its consent be deprived of its equal
suffrage in the Senate ofthe United States"