Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1866-09-27
EBENsBURG, Sept. Is, 1866.

WIN. LEWIS, ESQ, DEAR SIR-Your
note is before me, and with it the resolu-
tions it refers to. / recognise your right
whether as a voter in my district, or a
journalist, to ascertain the views of any
candidate offered for your support and
fortunately for me, | am able, without
any hesitation to make you a frank and
candid reply.
/ need not tell you that if elected and
admitted to a seat in Congress, L should
be required to take an oath to " support
the Constitution of the United States" :"
In that instrument | find that. "tke Sen
ate Of the United States shall be COM
posed of two Senators from each State"
and that &c Representatives and direct
taxes shall be apportioned among the sew
eral States which may be included within
this Union, according to their respective
numbers &c. believe with the late
President Lincoln and his Cabinet-with
the Congress which inaugurated the war
to put down the rebellion and prevent Sc
cession: with the statesmen in the forum
and the soldiers in the field that no
State can secede from the Union All
the acts of the Government. ip all its de-
partments, were based upon the duty of
preserving the 1" Union of the States"
For this we labored-for this we incurred
our enormous debt-for this we gave the
lives of our brethren.
That the Union was 3oresercea is not
now matter OF argument-it is history
Every Southern State is now moving on
peacefully under her own Constitution and
laws while the Judicial Department
takes cogniZance of every Southern State
in the administration of civil and criminal
jurisprudence, and the Executive Depart
ment collects its proportion of the taxes
to pay the National debt, and "takes care
that the laws be faithfully executed"
If Mr. Stevens, who embodIes the rad
ical idea, were asked how many States
are in the Union, even he would unwil-
lingly give the same answer as the STU
dent in Geography, "thiriy six" Yet
while any radical would make this an
swer and while sour flag" the proud
emblem of our nationality, flngs its
thirty-six stars to the breeze, from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the lakes
to the gult-while our gallant tars float
the same g starry ensign" on every sea
under the Heaven these same radicals,
by refusing them that which makes .Shlte,
and without which State cannot e1ia.
would reduce them to subjugated provin-
ces.
Believing, then, that every State in the
South is entitled to two Senators in Con-
gress, and as many members of the House
of Representatives as the act of Congress
provides, L can at once % subscribe to the
sentiments " of the resolutions to which
you refer. And while, under the other
clause of the Constitution, which makes
each house judge of the "qualifcation
of its own MEMBERS" U0uid refuse a
seat TO any DIsLoYAL member, and every
member refusing to take the test oath
prescribed by Congress. 1 would make
the disqualification personal one, and not
permit it to impair the rights of a Sow
ereign State.-Hoping you will excuse
the crudeness of the foregoing views,
arising from the extreme hurry in which
they are written,
l remain very respectfully yours,
X. l.. JOHNSTON