The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-04-27


and success in some form may come to and
abide with them.
LOYAL MEN FOR OFFICE.
The committee understand that it Is the
deliberate purpose of Congress to maintain
the policy Of the act Of July I'd, 1852, which
is to keep the Offices of the Government in
the hands Of loyal men. Treason should not
be made respectable by the robes of Office.
Places of honor, trust and pro6tshould be be-
slowed on the loyal only. True men can be
found in the insurrectionary States to fill all
such places, and none other should be eselected.
! No law of the nation ought to be 80 changed
as to render any other course possible. And
in this regard the committee entirely concur
in the bold utterances made BY President
johnson, both while the war was in progress
and after octual hostilities had ceased.
! INCONSISTENCY oE THE PRESIDENT.
| When he, as Military Governor Of Tennes-
see, was abont calling. convention to reor.
ganize civil government in that State, and
asked, ssbut in calling convention to restore
the State who shall restore and re-establish
it Shall the man who gave his influence to
destroy the Government Is he to particit
pate in the great work of reorganization I
Shall he who brought this misery upon the
State be permitted to control its desfinies r.
He knew, as did every loyal man, that there
was but one proper course to pursue, and he
marked that out in bold, brave utterances ID
answer to his own question when he immet
diately followed them with these words:
't1f this be so, then all the precious blood Of
our brave soldiers and officers, 80 freely
poured out, will have been wantonly spilled.
All the glorious victories by our noble armies
which have been sown with dead heroes dur
ing the rebellion, will have been made mem
orable in vain. Why all this carnage and
devas tationg II was that treason might be
put down and traitors punished. Therefore,
say that traitors should take back seat in
the work of reconstruction. If there be but
FIVE thousand men in the State loyal to the
Constitution, loyal to freedom, loyal to jus
tice, these true and faithful men should con-
troll the work of reorg Anization absolutely
These declarations Of the President are in
entire harmony with the policy established
by the act of July 2, 1862; and when, the
10th Of April, 1865, he asserted that sit is
time the American people should be taught
to understand that treason is q crime-not
in revenge not in anger, but that treason is .
crime and should be esteemed q such, and
punished as such,n he uttered an appeal for
the s'test oath" Of such force that the COM
miitee cannot disregard it, End is constrained
to reach SO desirable result. And the CON-
mittee is of opinion that one Of the most
effective means of making treason odious is
to close all official doors against traitors.
Fill the Offices of the Government with none
but loyal men-put no traitors on guard.
This, in the judgement Of the committee, will
surely make treason odious, and tend TO pro-
duce harmony Of action between the Legis-
lative and executive branches Of the Govern
ment.
The committee does not suppose that the
President, when he declared, s'if there are
but FIVE thousand men in Tennessee loyal to
the Constitution, loyal to freedom, loyal TO
control the work Of reorganization and refor-
nation absolutely meant to be understood
as fixing a numerical limitation; but rather,
as announcing the doctrine that loyal men,
however few in number, should be the sole
repositories of political power and official
influence. This must be the true interpre-
tation of his words; for ap1 other would be
inconsistent with his emphatic and often re-
eated denunciations of treason and traitors.
THE PRESIDENTIAL RECORD.
On the ID of March, 1861, he said in the
Senate:
Show me who has been engaged in these
compromises, who has fired upon our flag,
who has given instructions to take our forts,
and custom houses, and arsenals, and dock
yards, and will show you traitor. We're /
President of the United States, l would do
as Thomas jefferson in 1906 did with Aaron
Burr would have them arrested, and if
convicted of treason within the meaning of
the Constitution, by the Eternal God would
execute them.
While Military Governor Of Tennessee, he
said:
These leaders must feel the power of the
Government. Treason must be made odious,
and traitors must be impoverished. Their
great plantations must be seized aud divided
into small farms, and sold to honest, indus
trious men.
Again on the 21st of April 1865, as Presi-
dent he re-afirmed these sentiments by say
| ing:
| Treason must be made odious. Traitors
must be made odious and impoverished.
They must not only be punished, but their
social power must be destroyed; and after
making treason odious. every Union man and
the Government should be reimbursed out OF
the pockets Of those who have inflicted this
great suffering upon the country.
These quotations from the emphatic utter
ances Of the President show that the COM
mittee isnot wrong in its interpretAtioa Of his
declaration that ssif there are but five thous-
and loyal men in Tennessee, they should alb
solutely control the work of reorganization
and reformation He did mean by this
language to declare as principle Of the Gov
ernment that to loyal men alone should pow
er be entrusted. And this principle is Of
general applicA.ion, and % he seems to have
regarded it for he has affirmed it both a
Military Governor of Tennessee and Presi-
dent of the United States.
! APPMcATlox OF THE ACT.
/ The act of July 2, 1862, applies this prin-
the United States 1t shuts ont he disloyal
! from Office. It makes treason odious u
teaching the people that no traitor is worthy
to hold any position Of public trust under the
Government. The principle Of that act il
just, its policy wise, and its observance is de
manded by the highest interest Of the nation.
THE PROPOSED MODIFICATION.
But modification Of the oath Of Office es
tablished by that act 10 recommended by the
President, the Secretary Of the Treasury, and
i ton referred to the committee az q subject
matter of inquiry. Ifthis Recommendation i.
to be followed it should be based ON some
very urgent reason. No temporary incon
venience will answer as : justification for /
departure from the sound policy in regard t.
which the President and Congress 50 perfectly
harmonized. The committee win endeavor
By careful consideration Of the message anf
accompanying documents. to ascertain upor
what support the proposed modification o.
the oath Of Office rests.
iContnssd te0uFsvl
| ~------------
THE civil rights Law i duly going into ef
feet in the South, notwithstanding ths advics
To nnl;fv Il ~ fr.alv e;ven 4, prrsiAeut Jnhn