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<aqi-LL-li'iUUL-Bgg-*UIL-LJLJJl!J.^iJ!-Lj-J.-'Ji-JL._BJ- ^l'JLLJ-L_J , 'JLJL'L?l-ik-. H.. ? ' . 1 U-LjjiLlUJi^L-UJ-1'....,_!LJLlLJLi!iU-I~ .. '.'-LLLJJJi_li. J- LL LL. J__L._JJ._Sft*"9 iw.re?fn ?re i? :;:-"m#|P^^i?S gggg aa- ^j^ig g?|. #.. 2i>'?7u/ic, pw? seT/* tc ?rue, an<# ii musf followf as the night the day, thou can*st npt then be false to any man" t ^ v' BY lt. A.. THOMPSON & CO.] * , PICKENS C. H., S. C., SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1865! [VOL. I-NO. /16V u, i '.1 J- _I_^_,_Lu___i_;_i?_.-_1 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE. % Fellow- Oitizens of the Senate and Ifouse*qf Represen tuiives : ,~ To express .gratitude to God, in tho name of'tho people,* for tho preservation of the Uni ted States, is ray first duty in addressing you. Our thoughts next revert to the death of tho late President, by an act of parricidal tveason. The grief-of the nation is still fresh ; it finds ?onie solace in tue consideration that he lived to eujoy' the highest proof bf its confidence by entering on the renewed tenn of the Chief Magistracy, to which ho had been elected; jthat he brought tho civil war substantially to a close ; that his loss was deplored in all parts .of the Union ; and that foreign nations have rendered justice to his memory. His remov al cast upon mo a heavier woight of cares than ever devolved upon any one of his predeces sors. To fulfil my trusb I need the support ..and confidence of all who ?ire associated with lue in the various departments of Government, and Ibo support and confidence of tho people. There is but ono way in which I can hope to ..gain their necessary aid ; it is, to state with frankness the principles which guide my con duct, and their application to the present ?tate . of affairs, well aware that the efficiency of my labors will, in a great measure, depend on your aud their undivided approbation. The Union of the United States of Amo'ri .oa. was intended b^ its authors to fast as long ns the States themselves shall last. "The Union shall be perpetual," aro thc words of the Confederation. ." To form a more perfect Union,"* by an ordinance of thc peoplo of the , Unitei States, is thc declared purpose of the ?Constitution. Thc.hand of Divine Providence v was never moro plainly visible in tho affairs v of men than in tjio framing aud the adopting of that instrument. . It ts, beyond comparison, :> Ah^.^reiy-cst^vcut. in Anvurieau.hHory ;, and, indeed, ts it not, of all events in modern times, Ifclt?j most pr?t-nant with consequences for eve Jv*ry people of tho. earth ? The members'of the Convention which prepared it, brought to their woVk the experience of v the Confedera tion; of their several Staten; and of other Re publican Governments, old and new j but they %.. needed aud they obtained a wisdom superior to experience., Aud when,'for its validity, it requi.rc?l the approval of a people that occupied , a large part of a continent and a/jtod separately *in many distinct conventions, what is more wonderful than that, after earnest contention and long discussion, ul 1 feelings and al) opin iona, were Ultimately > drawn in nive way to its support ? ("; v . . ' Tue Constitution, to which life was* th ps imparted, contains within Itself ample resour ces ?r its own preservation. It has power to i . eurbrco the laws, punish treason arid0insuro <Iom.ostic tranquility* In case of thc usurpa tion of thc Government of a Statfoby one man, or an oligarchy* it becomes a duty of the Uni ted States to make good the guarantee to that . Statc^of a Republican fenn of government, and so to maintain the homogeneousness of all. Docs* the lapse of time reveal defects? A simple mode of amendment is provided tn the Constitution itself, so tlmt its conditions, can always be made to conform to the requirements of advancing civilization. No room is allowed oven for tho .^nought of a possibility of its coming to an etid. ' And these powers of self preservation have always boen asserted in their /domplote integrity by every patriotic Chief Magistrate--hy Jofto;\son and Jackson, not Joss thandy Washington and Madison. Tho puting advice of thc father of his Country, while yet President, to the people of the Uni ted States,.wa?, ithat. "the free Constitution1, which was the work o?* their Jianda, .might be .sacredly maintained;" and the inaugural words of President Jefferson* held up u tho preserva tion of tho GeqCral Government, in its'Con ?ti?dtional vigor, as/the sheet anchor of our pqaeo nt'home apd safety abroad;" Tho Con stitution is the work of "tho peop)?f>f the United States," and itslibuld bo tts indestruct ible as tho people. ? U is not strange that the framers hf. the Constitution, which had no model in thc past, should not have fully comprehended tho ex cellence of their own work. '' Fresh from a struggle against arbitrary, po wer, mhny patri ?'otjs.'sufforcd from harrosstng fears of an ab sorption of the fixate Governments | by the Oo??raj Government, and many frqm a dread that the Stuto?? would^brAtk away'Trom their orbits. . ,But thc vory greatness of our coun tiy ahould'allay appr?hension of encroachments , hy tho General Government. The Subjoots . ;'tS|l come unquestionably within its juriadit? ( V ' ; . ' - ' ' ' ii .-? - vi tion aro so numerous" that it "must ever natu rally refuse to be embarrassed by question? that lie beyond it. Were it otherwise, the Executive would sink beneath tho burden, the ohannels qf justice would be choked ; legisla tion would be obstructed^y excess; BO that there is a greater temptation to exercise some of the functions of the general government through the States than to trespass on their rightful sphere. " Tho absolute acquiescence in thc dooisions of tho majority " wns, at the beginning of the Century, enforced by Jcifer son "as tho vital principle of rcpublios/' and tho events of the last foufye^rs have estab-. lish?d, we will hbpe forever, that there lies no appeal to force. The maintenance of the Union brings with it utho support of the State governments in, all their rights;" but it h not ono of tho rights; of any State government to renouuccSts own' place in the Union, or to nullify the laws of* the Union. The largest liberty is to be main tained iii tho discussion of the nets of the. FcdcraT Government; but there is no appeal from its laws, except to the various branches of that government itself, or to tho people, who grant to thc members of the legislative and of the executive departments no tenur? mit a limited ono, and in that manner always retain the power of redress. *, "The sovereignty of the States," is tho language of the Confederacy, and pot tpo lan guage of tho Constitution. The latter con tains the emphatic words : " Tho Constitution, aud tho laws (if tho United States which shall be made iu pursminpo thereof, and all treaties made or which shall be made under tlib au thority of thc. United States,. shall be thesu prcuie law of thc land f and the judges'in ovcry State shtdll be bound thereby, anything iu thc Constitution or laws of any St?to to ind contrary notwithstanding." Certainly tho government of the U". States' is a limited government j and so is every State government h limited government. With us, this idea of limitation spreads through every form of administration, general, State, and municipal, and rests on thc great distinguish ing principle of the recognition of the rights of num. Tho ancient republics absorbed tho individual in the State, prescribed his religion, and controlled his activity, The American system rests on the assertion of the equal light of every murr to life, liberty t and the pursuit of happiness ; to.freedom of conscience, to the culture and exercise of all' his faculties. ?AB a consequence, tho State government .is limi ted? as to thc general government in the in terest pf tho Union, a%to tho individual citi zen in the interest of freedom. States, wiih proper limitations of power, arc essential to thc existence of thc Constitu tion of the'United States. At thc very com mencement, when we assumed a place among tho powers of the earth, thc Declaration of In dependence was adopted ?by States ; so also were the Article of Confederation ; and when " tho people of tho United States" ordained and established tho Constitution, it was the assent of tho States, o\\p by one, which gave it vitality. In the .event, too, of any amend ment to tho Constitution, tho proposition of Congress needs the confirmation of'the States. Without Smites, ono great branch of>the legis lative government, would bo wanting. And, if we look beyond tho letter of the Constitu tion to tho character of our country, its capa city for con|prt:ncnding within its jurisdiction a vost continental empire, is duo ta the system of States. Tl\c best security for the perpet ual existence of thc States is tho 44 supreme authority" "pf tho Constitution of tho United States. Tho perpetuity of tho Constitution brings with it tho perpetuity of the States ; their mutual relation makes us w.Jmt wo ard, and in our politioal system their connexion is indissoluble. The whole ^?noot exist without the parts, nor. parts without tho whole. So l?hg na trio Constitution of.' the United States endures, the States will endure; tho destruc tion of the one is tho destruction of tho other; the preservation'of .the ooo is the preservation of tho other. . ? have thus explained nly viows of the mu tual relntiom^f tho Constitution and the States, because they u?fdld tho principles on whioli I have sought tO/Solvo tho momentous questions ano! ovoroomo tho appaling difficulties that met mo at th? very commencement ot my adminis tration. ' It has been my steadfast object to psoapo from thc sway of momentary plissions, iiud to derive a healihg polioy frtim the funda mental aud.unchanging priooiplca of tho Com stitutiou. . i. ' I found'the Stoics suffering from tho effects of a civil wor. Resistance to tho general gov ernment appeared io have -exhausted itself. WPhe United States- had Recovered possession fpf their forts and arsenals j and. their armies tyoro in' tho occupatiorrx of every State which hud attempted to secede. Whether thc terri tory within the limits of those States should ;?>? held as conquored territory, under military ?authority etnauating from tho Presidentas the head of the army, was the* first'question that presented itself for decision, vi- Now, military governments, established for un indefinite period, would have offered nose? ra&urity foi* the early suppression of discontent ; ^Vould have divided the people into the van quishers opd the .vanquished j ?nd would have envenomed hatred rather than have rostered affection. Once established, n? precise limit tb their continuance was coucoivablo. They would have occasioned an incalculable and ex hausting expense. Peaceful emigration to and ?from that portion of the cpuntry is one of the best means that can be thought of for tho res toration of harmony j and that emigration wnnld have b^cn prevented ; for, what' emi-. Sr?'nfc from abroad, what industrious citizen M home, would place himself willingly under ..'military rule? The chief pensons who would ! haye- followed in thc train of the anny would lia\te been dependents on the ge n eral go vern - f?prlu?>r',nien w|io expected profit from the inisfirTcs of their erring fellow-citizens.. , The powers of' patronage and rule which would havo*been .exercised, under the President, over Vast, and populdus, and naturally wealthy -region,are greater than, unless under extreme necessity, I should bo-willingto entrust to any one pian ; they are stich as, for myself, I could never, unless on ocoasions of great emergency consent to exercise. The wilful uso of such ?jx^ers, if .continued through a period of years; Would liavo endangered the purity ot thc gen eral administration and the liberties of the States which .remained loyal. ' Besides, thc policy of military rule over a conquered territory would lflivo implied that the ?tates whoso inhabitants may have taken part in tho rebellion had, by the' act of those inhabitants, ceased to exist. But the true theory is, that all pretended acts of secession were, from? the beginning, null and void. The States cannot commit treason, nor.screen the individual citizens who may have commit ted treason,.any more than they can make val id treaties or engage in lawful commerce with any foreign power. The States attempting to secede, placed themselves in a condition where their vitality was impaled, but not extin guished-their functions suspended, but not destroyed. But, if any State neglects or refuses toper form its offices, there is tho more need that tho general government should mamtain all its authority, and, as soon as practicable, resume the exercises of all its functions. On this principle I havo acted, and have gradually and quietly, and by almost imperceptible steps, sought to restore tlie rightful energy of tho general go/eminent and of tue States. To that end, Provisional Governors have "been ap pointed fouhe States, Conventions called, Gov ernors elected, Legislatures assembled, and Senators and Representatives chosen to tho Congress of tho United States. At the same timo, tho Courts of tho United States, as-far as could .be done, have been re opened, so that the laws of the United States may be enforced through thpir^gency. The blockade ^as been remove^ and the custom houses rc-cstablishod in ports of entry, so that thc revenue of thc United' Stages may be coll?cted. The Post Oflfcee Department renews its c?nseles^ activi-* ty, and tho general government is thereby en abled to communicate promptly with its offi cers and agents. , The courts, bring security to persons' and property ? -tho opening of the port? invites tho restoration of industry and Commerce ; 'the post offioe renews thc facilities nf SQoial intercourse and of business. And is it not happy for us all, that tho restoration of each One of these functions of the general gov ernment .bringa with it a blessing to tho States pvor which they aro extended ? ta it hot a sure promise of ..harmony and renewed attachment to tho-Union'that. After all. that has happened, the re turn of the goneral government I is Imo wu only as a honcfioence\ .. 1 know Very well that this policy is attended with some risk ; that.for its success it requires at least the acquiescence,of tho States which it concerns; tluit it implies an invitation to those otate.? by re? noding their allegiance to the.'Unitcd SUtos. to resume their fondions as States of tho Union. But il, jk,a risk that mu?t bo taken 5 Mn tho choice of difficulties, it ia tho smallest risk ; and to diminish, !.. . 'v.1 '' '. -.' -, * '*? '' - ? . .-' v >.)1 ' ' '/,' rind, if possible, to remove all, danger, I Jiav^ felt it incumbent on mo to assert op? other power H?-^\ .tho general government--tho powor of pardon. Asno State cnn.throw a defence over the ornoo of treason, the power < ' pardon is exclusively vested in tho Executive ?o\^noient of tho United Stotts. In exercising that pow.cr, I haye taken eve^ymre-^ caution t6'connect it with the'clearest recogn^nlftt***" of the binding . force of the lows of the United States, mut an^tnqualiflcd acknowledgement of tho great social chungo of condition in regard to slave ry which has grownoUt of Hie war. * ? Tho ri<?tt 6tep which I have taken to restore th? constitu$OHnl rehitions of tho State's, has been-an invitation to 'them to participate in tho high office of amending .thc Constitution. Every putriotnmst wish forj? g?nernl amnesty at the earliest 'epbch oonsistent?with the'public-safety. For this great end there ls need of a cqnourrence of all opinions, ana the spirit of mutual conciliation. All parties in the late Wrible conflict must work together itt harmony, It is :not too much to ask in the Darno of tho wno)r> people, 'that on the one side, the pinn Of restoration shall proceed in confotmity With a willingness, to cast the disorders of the past into oblivion; and that, on,tho other, the evidence'of sincerity in the future maintenance of the Union shall bo put beyond.?ny doubt by the ratification ? of the proposed1 amendment to the Constitution, which provides for the abolition of slavery forever within tho limits of our country. Solong as the adoption of this amendment is delayed, so long will doubt, and jealousy, and uncertainty prevail? This is tho measure which will efface the sad mem ory (ff this past ; this is tho measure which will most certainly call population, and capital, nnd se curity to those parts of tho Union that ncod them most. Indeed, it is not too much to ask the Staten which aro now resuming their places in the family of thc Union tq give this pledge of loyalty and . peace Until it is done, the past, however much wc may ?desire it, will not be forgotten. Thc adop tion of the ndmondmcnt re-unites us beyond all power of disruption. It heals tho wound that, iy still imperfectly closed ; it removes BlaVcry, the element Which* hasvso long perplexed and divided the country j it makes us once moro a united peo ple, renewed and strengthened, bound more than ever to mutual affection and support. * The amendment to the Constitution being adopt* od, it.wouil remain for tho States, whoso, powers ... have been so long in abeyance, to resumo their ?daces.iffthc two branches of the National Legis ature, and thereby complete the work of restora tion. Herc it is for you, fellQW-citifcens of tho Senate, and for you, fellow.citizens of the House of Representatives, to judge, each of you for your selves, of the elections, returns, and qualifica tions of your own members. , Tho full assertion of the powers of the general ? government requires the holding of circuit courts Jp\ of tho United States within the' dist riots r here their authority' lias boen interrupted. In thc present posture of our public affairs, strong objections have been urged to holding those courts in any of the States whore tho rebellion has existed ; and it WAS ascertained, by inquiry, that the circuit court Of the United States would not bc held in the District of Virginia during the autumn or early Winter, nor until Congress should have " an opportunity to consider and act on the whole subject." To your deliberations tho restoration ofvthis branch of the civil authority of tho United States is, there fore, necessarily referred, with thc hope that early provision will bo made for tho resumption of all its functions, lt is manifest thnt treason, most flagrant in character', has been committed. Per sons who aro charged with its coniniission should have fair and impartial trials in tho highest.civil tribunals of the country, in order that the Consti tution and the laws nlay bo fully vindicated j the truth clearly established and affirmed that treason is a crime; thnt traitors should be punished and the. offence mndo infamous, anil, at th? E?fne t?me, t?ns.t the question may be judicially settled, finally and forever, that no State, of its own will, has the right to rendunoo its placo in the Uni6n. The relations of the ?general government towards * tho four millions Of inhabitants whom the war has called into freedom, has engaged my most eeriouH consideration. On the propriety of attempting tb mako the fitcdmen electors by the. proclamation of the Executive, I took for my counsel the Constitu tion itself, tho interpretations of that instrument, by its authors and their contemporaries, nnd recent legislation by Congress. When, nt the fir^t move ment towards independence, the Congress of the United States instructed tho several states to in stitute governments of their own, they left ?neb State to decido for itself tho conditions for the en joyment of thc elective franchise. During the pe riod of the confederation, there continued to exist a'vorygreal diversity in the qualifications of elec tors in thc several States; and ever? within a State a distinction of qualificat ions prevailed with regard to tho officers who were to bo chosen; The* Con stitution of tho United States recognizes these di versities when it enjoins that, in the choice of. members of th'e House of Representatives of the United Staten ..the electors in. each ?tate eljall have thc qualifications requisito for electors pf the most numerous branch of the State Legislature.*} Afterthe formation of tho Constitution, it remained, aa before, the uniform usage for each State to-en large the body of its electors, according' to ito own judgment ; and, under this system, ono State?ttCTr another hus procecd?d to increase the number of electors, until now universal -sniTrngo. or something very near it, is' the general rule* ij$o fixed was this reservation of pawer in tho habits of the peo" plo, and so unquestioned has .been the interpreta tion of thc Constitution, that during.th? civil war the late President never harbored tho purpose*-, oertainly never nvowed t ho purpose -of disregard* - [SEK TOUltTH PAClKv] ?