Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1864-09-14
The Hope of Re-Unlon.


muddle the theory of the Republican
party, and to conceal its utter incomp patti
DiIity with our constitutional system.
lake the map, look out Massachusetts,
and Georgia. There is no reason, geo.
graphical or of any kind, which makes a
political connection indispensable to Ell
ther. Neither lad any natural right to
say to the other: Join mo in a common
Government, and TO feel hurt at a refusal
but they and Others did join for their
common benefit. They did SO through a
compact, and could do so in no other Way.
BY that compact they settled upon the
subjects OF government, subjects of Just
the same interest to one as the other
1t SO happened that certain of those
States had social and political system
which they chose to perpetuate, and that
certain others, which originally had the
same system, choose to abandon il.
The States which had abandoned that
system, not content with having their own
way about themselves, conceived that they
had some right 10 wish the others to fol
low their example. and upon the wish fol-
lowed the determination to make them do
so. First. they tried the London organ
grinders system of annoyance; at last,
the use of the common Government
against the object of their dislike. The
: democracy has never had but one doc
triEe. Whatever internal system Georgia
chooses, she ought to have, without inter
ference or hostility from her sister States.
Hel right of Judgment is perfect, COM
plete, and entire. Instead, however, of
discussing her right of judgment, and de-
Gliding upon that, tho Republican party
proceeded to discuss slavery. 1t is no
difficult thing to prove to a northern man
that slavery is an cvil; ; but what then :?
IT 1t were ten times the evil it is, what is
it his business outside of his State2 The
simple difference, then, between the Dem
ocratic and Republican theories is, that
the first proposes to guide itself by the
terms OF the agreement between the
States, known as the Constitution, and
the other by moral sense"
Now, moral sense" is like an ape If
| hold him he bites you, if you hold him
he bites me. The moral sense of England
as late as the middle of the eighteenth
century, made her stipulate, in a treaty
with Spain, for the right of furnishing
negro slaves. Atpresent her moral sense
revolts at slavery, but sees no crime in
i0iHi"S OIL =" "".~;. oriur, trade
In other words, 'moral sense" used az
Republicans use it, means will, despotism,
torturing of Romanists by Protestants, and
of .Protestants by Romanists. If the
southern States had been peopled by No
hammedans, the "moral sense" of the
North would have been aroused against
polygamy; if they had been inhabited by
Jews, the "moral sense" of the North
would have re-enacted the scenes which
Josephus paints; if they had been the
homes of Roman Catholics and the North
had been exclusively Protestant, its mo
raj sense" would have been shocked at the
mass.
We Democrats intend to tell the people
of the Southern States that we do not
propose to set up any higher law than the
! Constitution, nor any higher principle Of
morals than good faith. We ask those
Republicans whose eyes the last four years
have unsealed to join us in saying SO. We
propose complete reconciliation, leaving
all questions of right and wrong in the
past to the past.
A plain old woman was once asked
about some passage in the Eible. do
not understand it, said she; indeed there
are many things in the good book do not
understand, but | understand enough to
live TO God in this world, and hope to see
him in heaven.
So Democrats can no more read the Re.
publican then we can read the secession
doctrines of the Constitution; but we can
read in it security for every State, pro
lection 10 every right, peace and good
will.
At any rate, The community canno'
lose by q change four years more OF sucf
an Administration would either show tbC
world despotism over, or universal ciyi
war iu, the United States,- World.