Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1866-12-15
Reeonstructiou.

struction of unexampled mildness and mag
nanimity. Congress closed its last session.
and left the ratification Of its work to the
people. The loyal States have adopted the
recon -truct'on policy of Congress. and have
repudIated that of the renegade President.
/ They have decided that the settlement of the
issues growing out of the rebellion shall be
made by the victors. and not by the con-
quered. They have decided that foresworn
TRAITORS shall not BE- permitted the opportu-
nl'y # npeatig their perjury. or of legislat-
nis ppon the rights OF loyal men. They have
deci ciled rhai the rebel debt shall not BE- used
"a corruption fund to bribe Members of
. Congre>s, and saddle bankruptcy upon the
nation. 1hey have decided that the Union
men # he South, as well as of the North,
shal he protected and that we shall not any
lougJ be subi.ct to the Shamefui r-proach.
thst olT aDn country. only. Is the Ameri
( caE citizen no, prot ctsd by the American
flag The ioyl people have no intention
7 1hal B III Grand Inquest Of tn nation, trail
t'4i ~iislil u dtIbNtN ~ cant Ai'f4t ScobS.
decide upon fixing the infsiny and punish
r,ent of treason; the President and his par
ti-nus nnacrouu'ahiY Gud,rrated the popular
mt. Il --nca when hey anticipated different
Neidic' i.oip lne , e7f-e-as well might they
have expected a sane court to draw its juries
from The jail. The people having rendered
! RI i, nm ba o,,e.t,no of -eoopstrnc-
ION. have right to expect that Congress
and ali other d partments of Government
shall recognize the validity of their verdict.
and carry it into execution; and more espec-
ially do tn expect that Congress will see
that their will, as expressed through the bal
| lot-box. j. registered in the Capitol of the
nation. The Legislatures of majority of
the Southern States have met. since the ad-
journm mt of Congress. and, under the ma
lign influence of tha Executive have rejected
the Constitutional Amendments. They have
been made to believe that their sanction was
nee ssary TO the validity of the Amendments
and that by their persisting in the refusal
of that sanction the whole Congressional
scheme of r, construction will be brought to
dead lock and that, by wearying the pa
tienre ri t'le people, the South will ultimate
ly prove victorious in the struggle. Perhaps
it is pity for Themselves that the Southern
i leaders are mi>informed of their true politi-
cal status-and perhaps it is best for the in
trrests of the country and humanity that
they continue in their error. Aristocracies
die hard when. killed by inches. and only
surrender their usurped privileges as they
are wrested from them by the people, and
their sudden and utter destruction is the
shortest and best remedy for the evils they
work in The body poli'ic. Whenever par
ticular class of men arrogate to themselves
the distinction of being the gentlemen. and
the natural law-givers and rulers of the
country, they make themselves a nuisance,
which needs immediate abatement in a re-
publican country. Before the rebellion the
South was governed by the aristocracy of
slavery. and through that aristocracy gov
erned the whole country. Since the war she
is governed by an aristoeracy of treason. and
she now seeks to foist it into the place of
p ,wer vacated by her when she entered up
on secession. Let her leaders hang out in
their attempt to force themselves into power
in the Government and they will learn from
Congress and the loyal people that the South
ern States have formed no part in the law
making power OF the Union since the day
when they entered upon their attempt to
DISRUPT it. Whenever people rise in rebel
! lion to their regular Government, they do it
with their eyes open to the consequences.
They know that if they succeed they are pat
riots. and If they fail they are rebels; and
the right of revolution is only limited BY
these conditions. Successful revolt is revo-
lution. and entities its authors to an inde-
pendent g vernment. Unsuccessful revolt
IS rebellion. and its authors and participants
have nc rights but what the law of the con-
queror gives them. If the South, when she
attempted to break the bond of the Federal
Union, and made war upon the Government
forfeited none of her rights under the Con-ti-
tution. then she had legal right to secede
guaranteed to her in that instrument. and the
loyal states art wrong now in refusing her
full privileges in the Government, and were
guilty of a still greater wrong when they CO.
creed and conquered her; and our Constitu-
ton. instead of being a bond of union be-
tween the States. in fact, offers premium to
rebellion and civil war. The fa!sity of so
astounding proposition has been determin-
ed b. the "voice Of the people" in the late
elections. Let Congress pursue the logical
consequences of the accomplished fact of the
subjugation of the rebellion, and proceed to
organize the nuc'ei of future loyal States 'in
the South by placing them under present
loyal Territorial Governments. To do this,
Congress will have tc depose the bogus rebel
State Governments hatched and fostered by
| the Executive, and as their sin of refusing
the "olive bral chi" Of Congress is, due to the
interference of johnson. no work of deposi-
ton will be co-rplete which does not include
him in it.
The San Francisco Bulletin is so hard
pushed for news since the Times has succeed
in breaking up the telegraph monopoly. that
it resorts to all manner of means to furnish
its readers with the latest intelligence, even
If it has to manufacture it. Here is a
sample:
.
| There was quite violent snow storm at
Mokelumne Hill. on the night of December
| 7th. r