Year: 1867

government OF States, politically
united by voluntary common con-
sent, and not the government of
a single nation or Of individuals
aggregated in an entirety, it is a
federal and not a national govern
ment. Being a federal and not a
national government, sovereignty
resides in the people Of the several
States, and not in the people Of all
the States aggregated individually
in an entirety. 1t is republican,
as the willof thepeoplei expressed
and known by and through repre-
sentatives electe5 by themselves:
and to whom they are responsible
for their action. Hence ours is Il
great federal republic, and not
gre; grand, controlling national
government. This being the the
ory Of the Government which we
have ever upheld and maintained.
and the General Government Of
the Union having been founded,
organized and projected for the
attainment of a specific end, as
set forth in the preamble to
the Constitution, and South Caro-
lima believing, in 1860, that the
great end and aim for which the
General Government of the Union
had been founded had failed, inter-
posed her sovereignty, and by an
ordinance Of secession, withdrew
from the Federal Union. After
her withdrawal, the Constitution
and Government Of the United
States was no more to her than
they were to England or France.
She, together with the other
States that thought and acted as
she had, adopted q new constitu-
tion and ran up a new flag, and
put forth all of their energies and
resources in a bloody war Of four
years duration for the establish
mcnt of a new union and a new
Government. When the armies
they had put in the field were sur
rendered. the union and govern
ment they had attempted to e>ta-
bIish was abandoned, and general
disintegration ensued. At the SUP
render the generalSin in the field sur
rendered no principle, for no prjn-
ciple had been put in their hands;
they surrendered their armies and
munitions of war acknowledgements,
put in their hands for the accom-
pGishment Of an end. South Car
oIina, however, by the interposi-
tion of her sovereignty and her
withdrawal from the Federal I'm
ion, imperilled her political exis


tence, and having been vanquished
upon the field Of battle, lost it, and
is now a conquered province Of
the United States.


The bills recently enacted by
the Congress Of the United States
for the reconstruction and re-or-
ganization Of our State Govern
ment, by reducing South Carolina
to the position Of a conquered
province fully justifes the theory
of the Government which we have
ever upheld and maintained, to
wit: That sovereignty resides in
the people Of the several States,
and not in the people Of all the
States aggregated individually in
an entirety. A sovereign State in
the Union cannot be reduced to
the position Of a conquered pro-
vince and be in the Union. South
Carolina, a sovereign State, is re-


duced to the position Of a con-


quered province. She cannot,
therefore, be in. that Union. 4
sovereign State in the Union can
not get out Of it except by her
own voluntary exercise Of sover


eighty. South Carolina was 8
sovereign State in the Union, and
is now out Of it. She, there
fore, got out Of it only by her own
voluntary exercise Of sovereignty.
For a State to exercise sovereign
ty, sovereignty must reside in her.
South Carolina in getting out Of
the Union, exercised sovereignty
therefore sovereignty must reside
in her. Wherever sovereignty re-
sides there alone the allegiance OF
the citizens is due. Sovereignty
resided in South Carolina; @here.
fore the allegiance Of her citizens
was due alone to her. The con-
clusion is irresistible that the bills
recently enacted by the Congress
of the United States for the recon-
struction and reorganization Of
our State Government by reducing
South Carolina to the position OF d
conquered province, eXpunge from
the Statute books Of our country
and the history Of our times every
trace of o charge Of treason and
perjury against the heroic and
gallant dead and living who fought
for the independence Of their State
and seIf.government; and it should
be a source Of sincere congratula-
ton among the friends OF civil
freedom and constitutional liberty
that the Government, by the re-
lease from prison of Mr.. Davis, has
shown a will to carry them to
their legitimate conclusion, and
has not let the escutchecr Of this