Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-09-13
THE UNION STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE.

t THE UNION STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
This important committee had large
meeting Monday afternoon, at their rooms
No. 1l05 Chestnut street. Reports from the
different counties were received, and all
were of the most gratifying character.
The following address was ordered to be
published
COMMITTEE Rooms, No. 1105, Chestnut st.
PHILADELPHIA, September 8, 1866.
FELLOW CITIzENs-The superficial observ-
: er might suppose, after the fearful strug-
giles, sacrifices and sufferings of the last
five years, that we could safely relax our
! efforts and watchfulness, and, returning to
our individual affairs, permit the machinery
Of government to run itself. An intelli-
gent and patriotic survey Of the situation,
however, will not warrant any such con-
clusion, but will impress us more than ever
with the truth and wisdom of the adage,
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty"
Six years ago the people lawfully elected
Abraham Lincoln President of the United
States. The minority enemies of our gov
ernment and country, refused to submit to
their defeat at the polls, and, for the first
time in our history, appealed from the bal
lot-box to the sword. They defantly threw
off all the obligations of constitutions and
laws, rushed madly into civil war, and
fought with malignity and desperation for
four long bloody years in the wicked at
tempt to overthrow and utterly destroy the
government handed down by our fathers
This they did under the pretext that State
had constitutional right to secede from
the Union. The same thing had been at
tempted by South Carolina in 1868 but,
under the vigorous administration of Pres
ident jackson, the effort signally failed,
and the doctrine on which it was based
was repudiated. But in 1856, when the
Democratic party of Cincinnati nominated
James Buchanan for President, they revi-
we'd the old State rights dogma of seces-
sion, by readopting the Virginia and Ken
lucky resolutions of 1898 and 1899, as a
part of their platform And at the Charles
ton Convention, in 1860, although the par
| ty there split into two parts, the one nomi-
mating Douglas and the other Breckenridge
for President, both factions readopted these
| same resolutions. These resolutions do
not hold the relations of the States to the
United States as constituting a govern
ment in the ordinary and proper sense of
the term, but declared to be merely COM
pact, and that Gas in all other cases of
compact among parties having no common
Judge, each party has an equal right to
Judge for itself, as well of infractions as
of the mode and measure of redress"
Under this free Democratic charter for
rebellion, the election of Abraham Lincoln
was claimed by the rebel States as an in
fraction" of the compact" and they
chose secession and civil war as the "mode"
Al, IL
the government as the measure of re-
dress" Hence, when the war broke upon
us in all its fury we found the Democratic
party paralyzed. 1t was suddenly brought
face to face with the practical application
of its own political. creed, by its own polit-
ical friends. Hence, too, the sad demorali-
zation and want of loyalty and patriotism
shown by that party during the whole war.
Those of them who preferred their country
to their party and platform abandoned both
platform and party, and under the flag of
their country manfully rallied to put down
the rebellion, while the leaders and the
mass of the party did otherwise.
They had 50 repeatedly proclaimed the
right of secession they believed it, and
were everywhere found justfying or ex-
cusing the rebellion, denouncing every |
means used to suppress it predicting the |
war failure, and endeavoring to make |
good their predictions, and boldly denying |
there was any power in the government to |
"coerce State" The Democratic party |
thus acquired a reputation for connivance
at treason and disloyalty to the country
which justly consigned it to continuous and
overwhelming defeats, until at the close of
the war it had not a Governor or Legis- |
lature in a single loyal State, except little |
Delaware and the Legislature of Kentucky. |
And since the Philadelphia Convention it |
seems to have fallen upon the expedient of
other noted criminals, and resolved to sally |
forth under a new name.
Not until April, 1865, were the rebels |
finally overcome, and then only by the pow.
er of our armies, which they could no long
er withstand. There was no voluntary
surrender, but their arms were stricken
from their bloody hands. The great con-
spiracy against freedom had failed, and the
armies and people of eleven revolted States
were at the mercy of the conquerors, pro-
Tossing willingness to accept any terms |
the vctors might impose. Congress had
then recently adjourned, and, under the law,
would not assemble until the following De- (,
cember, unless convened by the President |
in extra session. The occasion seemed to
be one of sufficient novelty and Importance
to require meeting of Congress, but the
President judged differently. He proclaim.
ed that these States had been deprived of
" all civil government" and the Supreme
Court of the United States declared the
whole population thereof to be alien enc.
mics"
The President proceeded, by proclama-
tions, by appointment of provisional gov
ernors and other means, to create govern
ments for these rebellious States, and up
on the annual meeting of Congress made
report of what had been done, and recon-
mended the admission of Representatives
Congress claimed to have jurisdiction over
the whole subject, and proceeded to inquire
whether or not governments had been es-
tablshed, and whether, under all the cir
cumstances, it would be proper to restore
those rebellious people and States to their