The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1866-06-28

not ne permitted 10 take it again in the
same way. You will doubtless agree
with Congress that men enough csn be
found who have never committed THIS
wicked and bloody perjury 10 I'LL the of
fees. both State and National and that
it is but q reasonable precautiou for pub
lie safety to prevent these men from
again coming into power. There Is no
political or moral obligation To trust
them again. and every dictate Of pru-
der ce. Justice, love for the Union, and
adherence for the rebellion demands
that they should not be again trusted.
The fourth section proclaims the val
iditv of the public debt of the | nited
States. including debts incurred for pay
ment of pensions and hOuntIes Tor ser
vice in snppressing the rebellion. and
prohibits the United States, or any State
from assuming or paying any debt in
Cured in aid OF the rebellion or any
claim for the loss or emancipation Of
slaves.
The strong svmpathies manifested by
Northern Democratic leaders for the
holders Of the rebel war debt. and their
malignant hostility to the holders OF the
bonds of the United States, makes this
amendment necessary Shoald the great
calamity happen that the National Gov
ernment should pass into the possession
of the Democratic party we are not at
liberty to doubt but what they would
cause it to assume the payment OF the
rebel war debt Not only are the Incll-
nations of the Northern members al
ready i'm that direction, bat their well
known pusillanimitv In the presence OF
Southern men would overcome any fears
of unpopularity at home, and they would
march up promptly to the support OF
the measure as soon as 1t WAS demanded
by the Southern wing Of the party -
Should the Southern wing demand a. Il
condition tol their support that they
should be paid for their slaves. who can
doubt for moment when they consider
the love and devotion of Northern Dem
ocratic leaders to slavery, the history Of
the passage OF the Nebraska bill, and
hundred other political events which
have occurred in the last thirty years that
the demand will he promptly acceded to.
The amendment Is, therefore, Impera
lively required. by the sympathies. cow
ardice, aud the habits OF submission To
Southern men by which Northern Demo
cratic leaders are distinguished.
To say that men who but yesterday
ernmcnt, having been vanqushed last
night may to day, without condition or
hindrancc, resume their seats N Con
gress and take part in the administration
of affairs, would be proposition OF
which we might saw, in homely phrase,
t'there Is no sense in IL 1t would he
to destroy all distinctions between loy-
atty aud treason, TO contound all dliter-
enCe between the support OF the toN
crnment and the destruction of it 1T Is
an old saying that treason II justified by
its success, hut this would Justify IL
equally in defeat TINS proposition he
longs to the class of vile sophlstrleS
whcrewlth the country was asSalcd at
the beginning of and throughout the war
and. which were the fiimsy and trans
parent garments bv which Northern
men sought TO cover the hideous naked
ness OF their sympathy with rebellion.
They said .'the Government could not
coerCe State that 1t was Incompati-
ble with the nature oJ = government to
preserve It's existence by force, and
that our Government had no right 10y
force ot arms to preserve its life against
rebellious violence.
Mr.. Buchanan. in his message to Con
gress in December, 1850, committed
UlIDselI TO lnc llcpHCelNabIN 100ilSn
paradox. that States under the Constitu
ton had no right to secede, but that if
they attem ted secession. the Govern
ment had no power 10 prevent them from
so doing And again, during the war.
when it became manifest TO the world
that the rebellion could not he snppre~-
sed and slavery preserved, Mr. Lincoln
was furiouslv denounced as usurper, ty
4
tion Of freedom And now. a proper
conclusion. we are told by the authors
OF these infamous savings that vanquish-
ed rebels may. and ought to. without
condition. hindrancc or DELAY, return TO
their places Of trust, ProHt, and power
in the Government. just as if nothing
had happened
The right TO protect itself against
public or secret enemies, and to punish
or impose conditions upon traitors is an
essential principle in every form Of Gov
ernment. and without It no Government
can exist In our Government the law
has prescribed death as the punishment
for treason. bat it is true in Government
as in everything else, that the greater in
cludcs the less The Government NAV
commute the non punishment Of death
TO imprisonment. II may remit the i'm
pri>onment and insist only upon the
forfeiture of political and civil rights
and II may leave 10 the traitor his civil
rights, depriving him only "f certain
political rights. or it NAV forgive the
crime in all conseq ences, and restore
him t. full citizenship, as s living monu-
ment IF pardoning grace Every step
that has been taken IN the work of re-
construction thus far has proceeded np-
on this principle. And here | NAV he
allowed to remark, that reconstruction
consists of two distinct things, which
are in many RESPECTS independent of
each other.
Frst-The reorganiz alton Of the State
Government, IN the States lately in rebel
lion
>econdly-The admission of Senators
and members of Congress from such
Ststes to seats in the Congress. of the
United States
The first part was undertaken bv
Pesldent johnson, ami whether proper