Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1861-07-12

But, more than this, there are maey singla
| regiments whose members, one and another.
possess full practical knowledge Of all the arts,
sciences. professions, and whatever else. wheth,
er useful or elegant, is kaoRn 10 The world
and here ia scarcely one from which there
could not be selected President, Cabinet.
Congress, and perhaps a court abundantly
| competeut-to administer the Government itself
Nor do ] say this is not true also in the afmy
Of our late friends. DOW adversaries in tbiS
contest. BIT If il is, so mnch better the
resson why the Government which has confers
/ red such benefits 90 both them and rs sbould
not be broken up. Whoever, 10 any section
! proposes TO abandon snch Government, would
| do we'll to consider in Difference to what prin-
eple il is that be does il. What better be a.
likely to get ia its steadf Whether the subs
stitute will give, or be intended to give, so
much of good to the people2 These are sorae
foreshaaowiDgs on this subject Oar adversss
ries have adopted some declarations Of indepen-
dence in which, u3like the good old one, PEN
ned by Jefferson, they Quit tbe words, ,sAlr
men are created equal" Whyq They have
adopted temporary national constitutions
in The preamble of which, unlike our good old
! Que, signed by Washington, they omit "We
| the people," and substitute s'We, the deputies
Of the sovereign and independent States.''
! Why? Why this deliberate pressing out of
view the rights Of men and the authority of
| the peoples
This is essentially peoples contest On
| the side of the Union it is a struggle fer
unaiut4inipg 10 the world that form and sub
stance Of government whose leading object is
10 elevate the CONDITION of men; to lift artificial
weights from all shoulders, TO clear the paths
Of laudable pursuit for all; to afford all an
unfetterad start, aud fair chance in TIE race
of life.
Yielding to partial and temporary departures
froD necessity, this is the leading object of
the Government for whose existence We con-
tend.
am most happy to believe that the PLAIN
people understand and appreciate this Il is
worthy Of note that, which in this, the Gov
ernmeut's hour of trial, large numbers Of those
| in The army and navy who have been favored
with the Offices have resigned, and proved
false to the band which had psmpered them,
not one common soldier or common sailor Is
known to have deserted his flag. Great honor
Is due to those officers who remsiued true des-
pite the example Of their treacherous associates
But the greatest honor and most important
fact of all is the uncommon frmness of the
common soldiers and common sailors. To the
last man,so far known they have successfully
resisted the traitorous efforts of those whose
commands but hour before they obeyed "a
absolute Law. This is the patriotic instinct of
/ plain people. They understand, without an
argument. that the destroying Of the Governs
ment which was made by Washington means no
good TO them. Ger popular Government has
OFTEN been called an experiment. Two points
IN 1t our people have already settled the sue
eessfnl maintenance against formidable inter-
nal attempt to overthrow it. 1t is for them to
| demonstrate to the world that those who can
| fairly carry an election can also suppress a
rebellion-thst ballots are the righiful and
| peaceful successors of bullets, aud that When
ballots have fairly and constiutioual,y decided
there eau be no successful appeal except to bal
| lots themselves at succeeding elections. Such
will be great lesson of peace teaching men
what they cannot take by an election, neither
can they take it by war; teaching all the folly
OF being the beginners of war.
Lest there be some nneasiness in the minds
OF candid men as to what is to be the course of
the Government towards the Southern States
after the rebellion shall have been suppressed,
the Executive deems it proper TO say it will be
bis purpose. than. as ever, to be guided by The
Constitution and the laws, and that he proba-
| bly, will have no different understanding of the
powers aud The duties Of the Federal Govern
ment relatively 10 the rights of the States aud
the people, under the Constitution, than express
sed in the 1uaugeral Address. He desires to
preserve the Government, that it may be ad-
/ ministered TO all as it was administered by the
men who made it. Loyal citizens, everywhere,
have The right to claim this Of their Govern
/ - a.
withhold or neglect it. 1t is not perceived
that 10 giving it there is any coercion, any
conquest or subjugarion, in any just sense of
| the terms.
The Constitution provides, and all the States
have accepted the provision, that the United
| States shall guaranty to every State in this
| Union arepuhlcan form of Government. But
if a State may lawfully go out of the Union,
having done so, it may also discard the repub
lican form of Government, so that, to prevons
its going out, it is all indispensable to use
every means to the end of maintaining the
guarantee. When an end IS lawful and OBJ
ligatory the indispensable means to obtain il
are also lawful and obligatory.
/, was with the deepest regret that the Exe-
cutive found the duty Of employing the war
power, in defence of The Government forced
upon him. lie could but perform this duty
or surrender the existence OF the Government
No compromise by public servants could in this
case be made. Not that compromises are not
often proper, but that no popular government
can long survive marked precedent, that
those who carry an election can only sava tha
| Government from immediate destruction by
giving up the main point upon which the pep-
pie gave the election. The people themselves,
and not their servants, can safely reverse their
own deliberate decisions. As private citizen
the Executive could not have consented that