the War came to an end
it was thought that four things had been brought about and effectually
accomplished as a result thereof. They were: first, that slavery had
been forever abolished; second, that the indissolubility of the Federal
Union had been permanently established and universally recognized;
third, that the absolute and independent sovereignty of the several
States was a thing of the past; fourth, that a national sovereignty had
been at last created and established, resulting in sufficient power
being vested in the general government not only to guarantee to every
State in the Union a Republican form of government, but to protect, when
necessary, the individual citizen of the United States in the exercise
and enjoyment of the rights and privileges to which he is entitled under
the Constitution and laws of his country. In other words, that there had
been created a National citizenship as distinguished from State
citizenship, resulting in a paramount allegiance to the United
States,--the general Government,--having ample power to protect its own
citizens against domestic and personal violence whenever the State in
which he may live should fail, refuse, or neglect to do so. In other
words, so far as citizens of the United States are concerned, the States
in the future would only act as agents of the general Government in
protecting the citizens of the United States in the enjoyment of life,
liberty, and property. This has been my conception of the duties of the
President, and until recently I have pursued that course. But there
seems to be a number of leading and influential men in the Republican
party who take a different view of these matters. These men have used
and are still using their power and influence, not to strengthen but to
cripple the President and thus prevent him from enforcing the
Constitution and laws along these lines. They have not only used their
power and influence to prevent and defeat wise and necessary legislation
for these purposes, but they have contributed, through the medium of
public meetings and newspaper and magazine articles, to the creation of
a public sentiment hostile to the policy of the administration. Whatever
their motives may be, future mischief of a very serious nature is bound
to be the result. It requires no prophet to foresee that the national
government will soon be at a great disadvantage and that the results of
the war of the rebellion will have been in a large measure