The weekly union record., 1865-09-02
The Union State Central Committee to
the Loyal Men of California.
S.xFe,xr,.,, A,r,-, o.


Ou the 9th day of September next ian cleo
tion viii be held 10 this State. a, which will be
chosen members of the Assembly for two
years, and one half of the members Of the SEN
ate for four years, besides the County Officers
10 every county throgho0t the State. II
would seem to be unnecessary for this Commit
Tee to indicate to you the importance OF this
election Our success or defeat presents 10 Us
simply this question: Shall We abandon to The
enemy the fruits of our four years struggle. or
SHAH We by one more united effort assure a
loyal future TO our young State?
1t IS useless Tor Us to disguise the fact that
there exists within the party in various coun-
ties of the State, much disafecliou Ii has
been said that there are DOW 40 issues before
the people : that the mission and work OF the
Union Party are finished. II cannot be that
this is the judgment of the loyal men of Cali
forna. Never were there more momeutous
issues before any party. What more import
ant issue could possibly be presented. than the
simple one OF whether you shall be governed
by loyal men or traitors II no principle were
involved, this alone should call forth your most
earnest aud enthusiastic exertious
For four years the Union men of California
have done battle against a party composed Of
the worst traitors in the whole land. Those
battles have been victories, because We were
united. In the flush of full success. aud be.
fore the fruits of our hard won 6eld have been
secured, are We about to voluntarily Law down
our arms. aud take TO our embrace our defeat
ed but still defiant foes 1t cannot be. Itis
not possible that Csliforniaus can be guilty of
such political suicide. Losing sight of the
work OF reconstruction yet before the Union
Party, ambitious men have allowed themselves
10 be drawn into course of action which can
not be other than the destruction OF the Union
Party. and the triumph, not alone of its eue-
mics, but OF the deadly enemies of the country
Office acquired by the aid of traitor votes, Will
only prove legacy of shame. There is no
middle ground. Y Iou must be for the country
through the Union organization, or against
the country in the company of traitors Di
vision can only result in disaster No person.
al friendship or political jealousy can Justify it.
Any success outside of the Union Organization
will be, not the success of Union men, but of
traitors; for it will be the first step towards
placing the latter in power. Defeat the regu
lar nominations in any considerable number of
counties at the approaching election, and your
State government will inevitably pass oct Of
your hands at the next State election Be
lIeving that this disaster can only be averted
\ uuiOo dDO iiltltN ~ tuI OVID ranks, We earn
estly urge and implore all Union men to stand
firmly by the the regular organization. If
sacrifices of feeling are necessary. let them be
made. Higher queetions than mere Individual
qualification and success are involved in this
contest let there be USIoN-complete per
feet, fraternal and let the most loyaI be the
most earnest to accomplish it. Let the har
mony that existed among the representatives
! Of Opr Marty AT tho loia
the earnest desire exhibited by that body that
all true Union men should discourage and
avoid irregular, independent organizations.
appeal in the strongest manner to the calm
Judgment of all true Union men, to Law aside
all private and personal considerations. and
stand as of old, shoulder to shoulder. in solid
phalanx, while we infiict upon the same old
enemy one other and final Gettysburg. With
this, California will be worthy of the proud
position she has so Dobly won as the mos,
loyal State in the Union: without it. she must
accept the shame of defeat and all the train of
evils that viii inevitably flow from it.
ALFRED BARsrow. Secretary.
The PRESIDENTS THEORY OF REoRGA AYIzA.
TIoN.-lnjustice is so frequently done to Presi
dent johnson by those who oppose his policy
of reorganization that many people have no
correct notion of the case as it stands in the
Presidents mind. The following statement,
in letter 10 the Columbus (Ohio) State Jour.
nal. said to be semi official. presents the Presi
dents theory clearly:
The true key to the Presidents proclama-
ton is that be holds the doctrine that the So
called Acts Of State secession are null and
void. and all acts done in pursuance thereof
and hence that all Office held under rebel au
lhority can be declared vacant BY the military
authority of the President of the United
States on the quelching of the rebellion. Fur.
iber that the State Constitutions and laws in
force at the date of the pretended secession,
having been held in abeyance during The war,
remain in full force and effect. as they origi
nally stood before they were changed and sub
iected to recognize rebel authority. Th re-
fore, his proclamations reeite, That whereas.
the fourth section of The fourth article of the
Constitution of the United States declares
that the United States shall guarantee to
every State in the Union a republican form of
government" therefore, be, as President of the
United States. proceeds TO put in motion the
machinery that may enable the legal, lOval
voters of the State TO set in operation against
the civil Government referring back to The
date of the so-called ordinance of secession. to
ascertain who are the legal voters of the state.
/ However, by his authority as Commander IN
Chief of the army. he prevents the rebel legal
voters from exercising the right of suffrage by
requiring be test oath set forth n the amnesty
proclamation of May %, 1865. By this ac-
( tion he enfranchises no one. but by virtue of
his pardoning power, prcscrbes the condition
on which legal, loyal voter of the State may
exercise his pre- existing right of suffrage. by
acknowledging the Government of the United
States, without which oath he is 20 voter IN
der the Constitution and laws.
/ President johnson believes that neither him
self DOR Congress has any constitutional right
to create a voter but that power the people
/ of the several Sbtes composing the Federal
Union have rightfully exercised from the
origin of the Government TO the present time
/ 1t by no means follows, as some argue, that if
/ the States are as they were, ante bellum, that
\ IL Johnson b.e