Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1865-03-01
Congress.

next Saturday the term of the present ses-
sion of Congress will expire by its own
limitation So far rs any substantial
good can result to the country from It's
legislation, il were better il had never met.
The majority of lis members being bla-
tant, fanatical Abolitionists and rene .
gade Democrats, it would be unreasona-
bic to expect, that any good should come F.
out of such political Nazareth. If 1t
were to legislate in favor of the interests
OF the tciate man, ii would be the cIceptjOH
and not the rule. 1t is boasted by the
advocates of that political millennium, ne
gro equality and fraternity, (and we are
rapidly approaching the solution of that
question: that it has achieved imperisha-
BILE honor, by the adoption of the amend
ment to the Constitution abolislIing sla-
slavery. But even that may prove to be
barren sceptre in their hands and as fruit
less of practical results as was LincoIn's
Emancipation proclamation Summer, the
head and front of New ENGLAND fanata-
cism, has evidently no faith that Mree-
.fOu'tS, of the States will ratify If. He is
I prepared, in order TO accomplish the cher
lshed purposes of his party, TO rI0dCtte the
| plain letter of the instrument he proposes
TO amend He has introduced series Of
resolutions in the Senate. the substance OF
which Is, that the amendment shall be
valid and shall become part and parcel Of
the Constitution, whenever il Is ratified by
the legislatures of three fomttS Of the
States, oac'rcpresentcd in Congress. Could
legislative folly 90 further than this or
could more impudent attempt be made
to override Il plainly erected barrier of tie
Constitution. The States in rebellion,
are either IN the Union or they are not,
If they are in the Union, as Lincoln in
all his messages and proclimations has
uniformly contendcd, they must be inclu-
ded III the aggregate Of States, whose in
terests are proposed, thus vitally to bc af-
ttctcd by the action of the other States
1t would be a monstrous and urheard of
assumption of power, to declare that
HTee-f0InthS or even all the States not in
rebellion, can deprive the remaining States,
against their consent, Of their rights of
property in slaves, which it is admitted,
Is plainly guaranteed to them by the
Constitution. Any one State may abol-
ish slavery within its own limits, and
{ under our own peculiar system Of Gov
E eminent, no other power can. If they
I, are out of the Union and are to be treated
as alien enemies, then Congress has ne
. jurisdiction over them and the passage OF
2 the Amendment was simply a farce. The
=. most lamcnt;,ble evidence of the political
degcneracy of tie times, is to be found il
the intellectual mcdiocrity of the men
WHO, for some years past have beer
Il elected 10 Congress. This is espcciall,
i the case with reference to the Senate
{ which was once the most dignifed an,
intellectual delbcrative body in the world
1t was cmphaticaliy an assembly of stlttes
/, men in the fullest acceptation of the term
:, 1t yet contains some of the old lcavcn, bu
q not enough to infuse itself throughout tn
= whole. The elevation of "A man, to til
. high and responsible position OF q Senator
. ! docs not of itself confer greatness, fo
1 "pigmics, although perched on Alps, ar
piGmlcs still" The seats once honore
: 10y Webster and Choate, are now filled b
n such canting demagogues as Summer an
IF Wilson, Michigan once boasted of he
& lar-sceing and incorrutpablc Cass; nov
e she Is dlssraced in the person of tha
l. "eJTeJS of the Senate, ''Gl0Od letting
l. Chandler. Ohio, could once point wit
prlde TO William Allen-now, her cheek
are suttused with blush of shame at tn
senatorial rhapsodics of Ben Wade
Missouri leaned for support on the siron
right arm of 'sOld Buliiom;" Il. Grat
Brown Is now the sycophantic supporte
OF all the radical and destructive theoric
~ OF Wendell Phillips and Henry War
beecher. Kansas as if determined /
ouistnp all her sister States i'll the race
iS'loihlny, persistently retains Jim Ian
III 'he senate, instead of sending him I
- the penItcntiarv 'TIoSo mon oro tho ~