Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1865-10-11
Craftsman s 9onrnal.


CLEARFIELD, PA, OCT II, 1865.
The Admission of Southern Representatives.
Members of Congress will shortly be elect
ed in the Southern States, and the question
of admitting them will at once assume a
practical hearing. Since the commencement
of the war, Congress passed q test oath to
be administered TO its members as follows:
81 have never voluntarily borne arms a
gainst the United States; | have never given
aid countenance, counsel or encouragement to
persons engaged in armed hostility thereto.
This oath has never been recinded, and is
q matter of much anxious inquiry in some
parts of Virginia at present. A Mr. G. w.
Sewell has put some inteTogatories to Gov.
Pierpont in reference to the eligibility of
candidates under the oath In reply the
Governor says:
''It is peculiarly painful at this time, ,in.the
disturbed condition of the State, when there
are so many petitions for pardon on file at
Washington, and meetings being held IN
all the counties of the State, passing resolu
tions declaring the loyalty of the people to
the Federal and State Governments, that
tudJ SHOuiu Dc fSdSOu loT TdlSluS tltSe
questions Congress, acting under the pro-
visions of the Constitution of the United
States, which is in these words, to wit
Each house shall be judge of election re-
turns and the qualifications of its own mem
bers, has passed joint resolution declar
ing that all its members shall take the oath
to which you refer that resolution prescrib-
ing the oath, will have to be repealed before
any member who cannot consclensclously
subscribe to it, can take his seat. 1t is not
expected Congress will repeal that reso-
luton in order to give seats to members
who cannot take the oath" He concludes
As follows: But has it not the appearance
Of persistent continued rebellion, for men
to run for Congress, who by the law of Con
gress cannot take their seats
The language of Gov. Pierpont is une-
quivocal. Either the oath must be recind-
ed by Congress, or those who aided in the
rebellion cannot take their seats, if elected
and Congress will hardly abolish the oath
But, should these ex-rebels claim their
s1-ssJe t,7 q ing encouragement to persons in
armed hostility to the Government? On
this topic the Richmond Wing says:
''f the simple giving of crust of bread
to confederate soldier were a disqualified
tlon, then very many of the officers and men
OF the Federal army would be disqualified,
tor they very often gave food and shelter to
confederate soldiers, prisoners in their hands
Manitestly the question of m0ttre is to de-
eide the matter. If aid, countenance; coun-
sci, or encouragement of any kind were given
to those who were making war upon the
United States, because they were making
war and tor the purpose of assisting them
IN such war, then it Is clear the oath cannot
be taken. But if bread were given to a sol
dier, because he was human being, and
was suffering or likely to suffer, the case is
as we conceive, altogether different. With
out question, there may have been acts that
would imply motives, such for example, as
furnishing arms, but in matters of ordinary
humanity 1t must be left to the conscience
OF the party concerned, to determine wheth-
er his motive was or was not one of hostility
to the United States There can be no
other rational Interpretation of the oath. P"
This indicates that some nice debate will
arise in Congress as to whether the mem
bers now being elected in the late rebelious
States can conscientiouslv take the oath or
not. That there is a strong desire on the
part of President johnson and the people
of the North to have the South represented
in Congress again, there is no doubt. But
there is an equal determination that the
Congressional halls shall not again resound
with reasonable TRADES against the Govern
ment, and the loyal people Then the sim
plest and most effective way of deciding the
question, is to admit only such members as
can conscientiously purge themselves of tn
charge of treason, by subscribing to the test
oath, prescribed by the act of Congress, un-
hesitatingly.
A POLISH SETTLEMENT IN TEXAs.-It is
stated that an agent, appointed for the pur-