North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1865-09-13

freeman, freeman Of Pennsylvania, been sta
ken and imprisoned, dispossessed of their
free tenements and liberlies," and "octlawed
and anished," and 'hurt and injured !"
without "the legal judgment of their peers !"
and contrary to "the law of the land" And
this too withn our own Commonwealth, at
time when no hostile drum-head was he ard
and no armed soldier lifted his head against
the government within all our borders.
At this hour, when military necessity can
no longer be made the pretext for their con-
tinuence, when the authority Of the Federal
Government is admitted and recognized in all
the land, these abuses still exist. The
courts created by law are in obeyance, and
tribunals unknown to the Constitution and
laws usurp their power over life, liberty and
property. The great writ of freedom that
assures every individual the protection of
civil authority is fettered by the hand OF ar.
bitrary power, and the citizen is denied the
right of trial by jury of his peers. The
ID emocratic party of Pennsylvania believe
that THE HOUR HAS COME in which murders
BY military commissions should cease the
right of trial by twelve calm impartial sworn
citizens, should be restored, and the prvi-
ege Of the writ o: habeas corpus be free rs
the air.
| THE RIGHTS OF THE STATES.
Asidesfrnm these great cardinal doctrines,
| tho Ifth th.,l la nd ebo Ill,
~ of the fundamental principles of free gov
ernment, there is no subject more closely
allied with the preservation Of our form Of
government and the protection of our liber.
ties, than that of the relations Of the States
to the Federal Government. Both were ere.
ated for the benefit of the peopls, and within
the sphere of power granted or reserved to
each, each is supreme.
The obligation Of the citizen to the Feder-
al Government within the scope of the pow
ers granted to it is binding and imperative
and no one can absolve him from the duty
thereto So, also, the power of the States
over those matters not expressly granted to
the Federal Government or reserved to the
people, is equally clear, and the duty of the
citizen thereto is equally imperative and
binding, Upon the one hand, in their at.
tempt TO interfere with the powers granted
10 the Federal Government by the people.
all ordinances OF secession were utterly void
and the insurrection being suppressed, the
States resume their place in the Union and
the penalties incurred fall upor the individu-
ais engaged in the rebellion. So too upon
the other han it is the right of each State
to determine for itself the quaiica tions of
its electors without interference by other
States or by the Federal Government. Such
Is the doctrine of the Democracy, and such
appears to be the policy of the Presi-
dent, and yet, sectional prejudice, the love
of gain, increasing wrath and deeply masked
Iolitical purposes, seriously obstruct the pro.
cess of reconstruction and reconciliation {; and
they who should be foremost in attempting
to restore the harmonious unity of the nation
are loudest in denuncia,ion and most Jealous
IN pursuit of conquered foe. As between
the Federal Government and the States in
which the people have been in rebellion
against its authority, the only issue during
, the war was how should be the restoratio n
of that au' hority. The tired of no hostile
soldiery presses the soil Of one of them ,1o1c
In no one of them Is there aught of objection
nol0 to the assessment and collection of Fed
eral taxes, to the creation Of Federal custom
houses, courts and postofices, or to the
peaceful transit OF munitions of war and
troops. The wonderful exhibition of dev-
astated country, of defeated armies, Of hu-
inflated people and pf enanc,pated slave 8
ought to be sufficient to arouse the sympa-
thes and engage tht purest devotion of the
Christian and the Statesman but uncon-
cerned at the condition of the white people
OF the States, deslrous only to perpetuate
their political power regardless of the vital
INTERESTS uf six millions of their own rae e
and Of the Importance Of their rehabilii alton
in the Union, the leaders of the Republ can
party, as condition precedent to their res
toraion and to the release of the reign of
military authority, over o conquered and
euo"ise"e pe"p'e, deuanu Lnat the ne gro
shall be placed upon N political equality with
the white man, and they insist up N the use
of the arm Of the Federal G ,vernment to
effect il. and are moving for an amendment
of the Federal Constitution to perpetuare it.
Such practical interference would be a
paipabe iniraction of the Constitution. a
gross and unauthorized increase of central
power. and wanton overthrow Of the rights
Of the States. This dncrrine gives to the
CIT zen of Massachusetts, the right to aid in
prescribing the qualifications and color of the
voter in No"rh Carolina, and in practice will
give to the black man the control OF the great
States Of Louisiana, Mississippi and Souh
Can oina, and will send six black man to ,hs