Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1864-08-24

The bill provided for the civil admins
tration Of the laws Of the State till it
should be IN iit temper to govern itself
. repeating all laws recognizing slavery,
and making all men equal before the law.
These beneiicient provisions the Presi-
dent has annulled. People will die, and
marry and transfer property. and buy and
sell and to these acts of civil life courts
and officers are necessary. Congress leg
lSlated Tor necessary things, and the Pres
ident depriYes them of the Protection of
the law
The Presidents purpose to instruct his
Military Governors "to proceed according
to the blIl'- a makeshitt to calm the dis
appointment its defeat has occasioned- is
not merely grave usurpation bu! trans
parent delusiou.
ne cannot proceed according to the
GIiI alter preventing it from becoming
law,
/ Whatever is done viii bo at his will and
pleasure, by persons responsible to no law.
and moro interested to secure the inter
ests and execute the will OF the President
than OF the people; and the will of Con
gress is to be she'll for nugit," "unless the
loyal people Of the rebel States choose to
adopt it,"
Ii they should graciously prefer the
stringent bill 10 the easy proclamation
still tho registration will be made under
no legal sanction it will give no assurance
that majority Of the people of the States
have taken the oath if administered, it
will be without legal authority; and void
no Indictment will lie for false swearing
at the election, or for admitting bad or re-
iecting good votes it will be the farce of
Louisiana and Arkansas acted over again
under the iormstf this bill, but not by
authority of law.
But when we come to the guarantees Of
future peace which Congress meant to
anact, the forms, as we'll as the substance
OF the bill, must yield to the Presidents
will that none should be imposed
/ 1t was the solemn resolve of Congress to
protect the loyal men OF the nation against
three great dangers, y the return TO pow
or otthe guilty leaders of tho rebellion, (2)
the burden of the rebel debt
Congress required assent to those provis-
ions by the Convention Of the State and
ii refused, it was to be resolved.
The President "holds for na,rghtr that
resolve Of Congress- because he is unwill-
ing "to be inleXihly to any one plan ofre-
S,oorr9tion.,o" and the, people o, the United
states are not to be allowed TO protect
themselves unless their enemies agree
to it.
The order to proceed according to the
bill is therefore merely at the viii Of the
rebel States and they have the option to
reject it, accept the PROCLAMATION of the 8th
Of December and demand the Presidents
recognatiCn
Mark the contrast! The bill requires a
majority, the proclamation is satisfied with
one-tenth; the bill requires one oath. proc
lamation, another ; the bill ascertains vo-
ters 10y registering, the proclamation by
guess the bill eXacts adherence to exist
ing territorial limits, the proclamation ad
mits Of others the bill governs tho rebel
States BY lar, equalizing all before it, the
proclamation commits them to tie law
less discretion of military Governors and
provost marshals the bill rorbids electors
Tor President, the proclamation and de-
feat Of tho dill threaten us with civil war
for the admission or exclusion of such
votes the bill eXacled exclusion of dan
gorous enemies from power and the relief
Of the nation from the rebel debt and the
prohibitalior of slavery forever, so that
thesupprcssion of the rebellion will double
our resources to bear or pay the national
debt, free the masses from the old dOmi-
nation of the rebel leaders, and eradicate
the cause Of war; proclamation secures
neither of these guarantees.
1t is silent respecting the rebel debt and
the political exclusion of rebel leaders
leaving S!avey exactly where il was by
law at the outbreak Of the rebellion, and
adds no guaranty even of the freedom OF
the slaves he undertook to manumt'
1t is summed up in an Illegal oath,with
out a sanction and therefore void.
/ The oath is 10 support all proclamations
Of the President during the rebellion hay
ing reference to the slaves
Any Government is to be accepted at
the bands Of one-tenth Of the people not
oontrPvening t,at oath.
Now that oath neither secures the abol.
freedom of the slave the President de-
clared free.
# does not secure tho abolition of sla-
very Tor the proclamation Of freedom
ition of slavery nor adds security to the
free merely pro'essed to free certain slaves
while il recognized the institution,
Every Constitution Of the rebel States at
the outbreak of therebelion may be adop-
ted without the change Of a letter for
none of them contravene that proclama-
ton none Of them establish slavery.
1t adds no security to the freedom Of
the slaves.
For their title ia the proclamation Of
freedom.
4 lit be unconstitutional, an oath to
support it is void. Whether constitu-
tiona or not, the oath is without authori-
ty of Jaw, and therefore void.
If i. be valid and observed, it exacts no
enactment by the State, either in law ro
Constitution, to add a State guovnty to the
proclamation title and the right ofa slave
to freedom is an open question before the
State courts on the relative authority Of
the State Law aud the proclamation.
i If the oath binds the one-tenth VINO
take it, it is not exaoted Of the other nine
tenths who succeed to tho oontroi OF ihe
State Government, 30 that 1t is annuiled
| ..,t l., ,Lo cL of recognitiOn.