The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-08
Missouri and the Pro-sIavery Democracy.


Missouri and the Pro-SlaveIy Democracy.
OUR Democratic contemporary has made an
other of its Rip Van Wrinkle discoveries. 1t has
Just found out that there is radical party" in
Missouri, which has not been altogether idle
during The last two or three years. lugu-
b1ious leader, ponderous and pathetic, Informs
us of the misdoihgs Of these terrible radicals
Item FIRST. Beating the Democrats in electing
members OF a Constitutional Convention, 'at
period most inoppoItune for the Inauguration
of any material change in the organic law OF
the Stater-said "period" being "iuopportune"
on account Of the absence of large nunber5 Of
good sound Democrats in PRICE's and other
Rebel armies and OF stlll others serving the
same cause in the honorable capacity of BUSH
,ohackors aud gteriAdsl The entire Improperly
of the radicals taxing advantage OF such a con.
dition OF social derangement'-as our cOnten-
porary de'icately phrases ito outvote the
Democrats, and secure control Of the State,
must be at once apparent to every candid mind
--espec ally OF the COpperhead order.
Item Second Sad Constitutional Convention
removed large numbers OF Democrats rcm
Office, and lett their places O be TILED by good
sound Union men. Sad tn ng, this, no DOUBT
for the fellows who were olsted, bat a very good
acted similarly on several occasions during the
war; The. started out b. ousting CLAIBORNE
JACKSON, another good Democrat from the
office of Governor. However, as they al Ways
acted through Conventions representing the
sovereignty of the people, their action was in
the highest sense legal, ana IS justified by hume.
rous well-esta blishe1 precedents.
Item Third. When some OF these oustnd officers
attempted to usurp unlawful authority, and t.
set themselves up in opposition to the sovereign
power OF the people, the radical Governor,
Colonel FLETCHER, nipped the incipient Rebel
lion in the bud and executed the law. This
our contemporary calls "beng literally torn
from the bench"
Item Fourth. The radicals who had elected
the Convention we're next guilty OF voting to
ratlfy the Constitution which tue Convention
had framed. Certainly, this is Just what they
did. The Convention had adopted Coustltu-
ton which made Missouri a free State, wncn
declared her forever one OF the United States OF
America, which bound her citizens to yield
paramount allegiance to the Government of
the Union, and 10 resist all efforts for its disso
luton, which dis'ranchised all Rebels, bush
wackers ETC., and which contained more lloeral
and progressive features than are to be found in
the Constitution OF almost any otner State in
the Union. Having done Just what the people
elected them to do, oil course the people ratified
their work. But our contemporary says that
''bayonets were at every poll to distranchise by
intimidation and violence amajoTity of the legal
voters of the State" There is but one weak
point in this assertion, and that is that Ii lacks
the element of truth. 1t is pure fabrication.
The radicals carried the State only the tall be-
lore by forty thousand majority, so that they
had no occasion for bayonets. The charge is
made simply to cover the disgrace(ul defeat the
Democracy sustained.
Item rith, The oath of pureation. This is
decidedly OF the iron-cad order, we admit. The
people OF Missouri suffered zoo much from the
Rebellion to tamper with its authors or abettors.
They went on the principle that loyal men, and
they alone constitute the State. But our con-
temporary, by the usual cheap and character
istic Democratic device of garblng, attempts to
draw very moving and mournlul, as we'll as
false picture oil the effects of this oath. 1t
says:-
The form OF the oath is oO lengthy to be given in
full, but here is d specimen clause ;-Or any other
Ter ms indicating ms dlsafection to ths Government
OF the United States in its contest with kebenOn or
his Sym0Gthy teih those engaged % such ReJeLitOB"
Hence, II a iaiher clizsn OF Missouri ma pened to
have had a sOE a resident or Virginia or Alabama,
who either voluntarily entered or aogS cORScTipte6
into the Southern army, that parent, un eSs he
shOu stutlly himself and sutle those natural emo
tons which, for wise and benollcent purposes, God
Las mp anied IN the heart of every nun whose IN.
stincts are degree above the brute creation,
by theprOVisiOns OF this oath OF loyalty, dIslran.
chised.
This pathetic dodge was quite the fashion with
the Democrats in Missouri when the ConstItu.
tion was under discuss on. Their sons were so
universally either in the Rebel army or in the
bush as "bushwhackers, - that this idea seemed
to occur to them almost instinctIyely The
oath, however did not have this extent, nor did
they really believe it 10 have it, as they demon.
strated by taking 1t and voting. Either the De-
mocrats did not believe the oath to nave such a
scope as this, or else they committed wilul and
corrupt perjury in taking it, As the masses OF
them took it, il is more charitable to inter that
the charge they made OF its covering cases like
the above was made merely for political eject.
The real provisions OF the oath, 80 far as they
related 10 sympathizina with the Rebellion,
we're these:-That the person taking it
had not, "by act or word," manifested his
adherence to the cause" of the enemies of the
United States, Tor his sympathy with these en-
gagged in exciting or carrying on rebellton;" and
that he had never, with a view to avoid enrol
ment in the militia of the Safe, or for any other
purpose, enrolled himself, or authorized himself
to be enrolled, "as disloyal or as a Southern
sympathizer, or in any other terms indicating