The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-09-26
Address Of the National UnioA Commit
tee 70 the American People.

FELLOW CITIZENS: Very grave differences
having arisen between your immediate Re.
sentatives in Congress and the President who
owes his position 10 yonr votes, We are i'm
pelled to ask your attention thereto, and to
suggest the duties TO your country which they
render imperative.
We shall avoid the use Of hard words. OF
these, there have already been too many.
And that the matters inissue n.ny be brought
within the narrowest cdmpass, let US first
eliminate from the controversy all that has
already been settled or has never been mtds-
pnte.
The Republic has been desperately assailed
from within, and its very existence seriously
imperilled. Thirteen States we're claimed as
having Withdrawn from the Union, and were
represented Tor years in hostile Congress,
meeting at Richmond Ten OF these States
were for time wholly ih the power of a hos.
tile confederacy; the other three partially SO.
The undoubtedly loyal States were repeatedly
and form,daby invaded BY Ksbei armies,
bloody battles Through four years Of ardn-
GUS, desperate civil strife, the hosts Of the
Rebel Conf.derscy withstood those Of the
Union. Agents oi that Cpnfederacy traversed
the civilized world, seeking allies IN their
war sgainst the Rspablist and ilGastugs the
rapacious and unprinciplsd to fit out armed
corsairs to prey upon her commerce. By
State athority, and in the perverted names of
patriotism and loyalty, hundreds Of thousands
of our countrymen verS conscnpted into
Rebel armies and made tp fght despeflselJ
Tor our national disruption and ruin. And
though By the blessing of God and the valor
and eonstaucy OF our loyal people. the Rebel.
lion was finally and utterly crushed, i did not
succurnb until it had caused the destrucien
of more than half lnilliop Of precious human
lives, not to speak ofproE~rty to the value Of
at least FIVE billions ofdcitsu.s
At length, the Rebel arnies surrendered,
aud the Rebel power utterly collapsed and
vanished. What then? s7
The claim OF the insurgents that they either
now reacqaire0ar had never forfeited their
CONSTITUTIONAL rights ia lhf Union, including
that Of representation In Uongress, stands IN
pointed antagonism alike 10 the requirements
Of Congress and to those Of The acting Presi
dent. Il was the Executive alone who, after
the Rebellion was no morss appointed Prosis'
ional Governors for the NOV submissive, IN.
armed Southern States, al the assumption
that the Rebellion had besp Revolutionary
and had deprived the peoTle under its sway
of uu civil government, and who required the
assembling of "a Convention, composed Of
delegates 10 be chosen By that portion Of the
people Of said Stats yhp are ioypl p the
United S.stss, oad aa ottts, fpr III pparpose
Of altering and amending the Coustitation OF
said STATE II vas President johnson who,
so late q October last-when all shadow Of
overt resistance to the Union had long inSe
disappeared-insisted that it WAS not enough
that State which had reyolted must recog-
nize her Ordinance of Secession - null and
void from the beginning, asd ratify the Con-
stitutionsl Amendment prohibiting slavery
evermore, but she must also repudiate s'every
dollar ofindebtednsss created to sid in carry
ing on the Rebellion II was be who or.
dered the dispersion By military force Of any
legislature chosen under the Rebellion which
should assume power to make laws Aftsr that
Rebellion had fallen. 1t Was he who reisSrsd
to Congress I'll inquiries - to tho probability
of Representatives from the States lately In
revolt being admitted 10 ssats in either
House, and suggested that they should present
their credentials, nor 1t the orgssiaation Of
Congress, but afterward. And finally, it was
be, and not Congress, Who suggested 70 his
Gov. Shsrkey Of Aisissippi, that
IF you e1tend the elective franchise =
all persons Of color Who can read the Oonstl
trtion of the United States in EnGtiah, and
write t0elf 9of008y 80V - IA pVSU&Sno " SUtoi
vho own real estate valssd It NOT lesss than
3s5e aud psy taxes .hsreon, yoa would eom-
fletely disarm the adversary, and ~ m *.
smnle that othsr States Will follow"
Ii, then,. thsre be any cousroversy - to the
neAtof fAs loy~t 6ensssso sezacs codditions
aud require guarantees of those who plunged
| na1lv snso sscsssiegAMd rebdko4 ne sapS
|porjsrS rsspectiseH u Aidrew Johnsoa md
Ia 0@uCrse caasa - auGagonistsspastie q
that contest, since their record places them
on the same side. sASr
| 1t being thus agreed that conditions Of re-
storstinn and guarantees aeaies. fatsRs sehslr
lion may b. enacted Of the States lasely in
revolt, ,shs right Of Cougrsss = vioss IN prs-
scribing those conditions and ia shaping those
guarantees is p,ainls fissoatsSsibss. Whether
Il take the shape OF lav or . constitutional
adSendment the action n cpngrsn6 y Htll.
Even ifthsy were 70 BE- ssttled By treaty, the
rati6cation Of the Senass, By ) vorthirda
ve1s. soalA b isdispsn6kle. SIhSss isteHaA
ius 10 the Federal ccnstijptioo, nor in ths
nature Of ths caee, that co36bune1cee ~ Exs
eoutise mouoply Of this pnfs9. asses8
What, then, i ths Grosnd u conplaiht
agsipee the action Of CoN9em7 sse~.
IL i chaeesd that tke sssion Of the- tive
Hqssh - tssty Asa 49, - 4oaa
~ isssss dsesadias. Colids bow ae,sl