The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1866-10-24
ITnion Rorbecue In Mason County.

sesaer why. Tho GOvoEnor, c .ss {
!EtStadt ~ greeted witlrSto WY
chstrs, whom he proceeded to speak " hi
executive policy, and showed forth the justice
and necessity Of tho exclusion Of traitors from
political power. Ho said he Tss proud To
belong to what the rsbels called the, Rad'daC
party, for TINT party i, and alTays has bcen!
loyal; but that [alsor having given us THU
9ame, for political efTect-17.Ecir own party
name having become SO offensive they were
trying"to~ stcalvourrtrus -name4-.ths" Union
pqty'-from u.s. and to, make the unwlaEy
beliaya thsy wen mors loyal than1thoso who
have always-cvcn with their lives-deiendcd
tho government Though tho Conservative
party had bccu called the" What.is-it" party
hc believed by tive time tho fall election.
wero over, it would bo called the Whcrc-is.
fit.H, party! .t."M.l< ,:Yt>.;G. ;GE'.a
NM. Gen. W. II. Powell, formerly Of The
Cd West Va. Cavalry, was next introduced
The General stated that his sympathics were
entirely with the Union party Of tho country
and that he had no sympathy with the Con.
serrative = Conglomcratc Rebel : Democratic
party recently baptized and christcncd by
tho fearful patriots assembled in the wigwam
at Philadelphia. lie entered into an cxani-
nation Of the political course Of President
johnson; showed how he had preached
UnioniSm to the loyal people Of East Tenn
csscc, and affiliated with rebels nlter the bull
lot Of the assassin Booth had made him the
accidental President. lie concluded by an
eloquent appeal to the Union soldiers to
stand by those who. had always advocated
their interests while in the field, and stated
that he expected to hear good report from
1Wcst~Virginiaf nt'hcr'election"o on "thc"25th
inst. rr,yr,u. tlI"GfI>s ,
Senator Wiley followed Gen. Powell in an
eloquent address. lie paid 4 glowing tribute
to the two distinguished gentlemen who had
preceded him. lie said The words Of Stephen
a. Douglas, to the effect that there can be
but two partics--onc for the Government,
and tho other against it-arc as true to-day
ms thcy wcIc when their distinguished author
uttered them. The Senator then spoke Of
the usurpaton Of the President showing con-
cluSivcly, by citations from numerous author
tics, that tho President had violated the
Federal Constitution by assuming to himself
the power to control and make himself higher
than the Legislative branch of the government.
He then entered into all argument in support
Of the Constitutional Amendment, dwelling
particularly on that clause which relates to
citizenship, and showed thatit does not con.
tr tho privilege of negro suffrage.
Letters were received from Gen. Lightburn
and Gen. Harris, in reply to invitations to be
present, giving hearty encouragement, and
making convincing defense Of the Union
cause. We extract the following from Gen.
Harris letter: ...
The primary, indeed almost the only is$lir,
is as to who shall rule the countryside loyal
majority that, through great sacrifices saved
it, or the diSloyal minority that sought to
destroy it.. The latter having Subsidized llis
Accilcncy. President Johnson. hope through!
his power and Influence, to dictate the terms
on which they will return to the Cn:o,
which they tried to dcstroy; and in maxim:
those terms arrosatc to themselves the righ
! to control the policy Of the Nation as the,
did before the wnr. TO achieve this, the,
support the President in his .unwarran;c,
assumption orpowcr, in claiming to exercise
exclusive control over the work Of restoring
the seeded States, and denying to the lrsis
lat:vc department Of the Government, where
alone the power constitutionaIIy rests, an,
part in the matter The President llavin:
boldly claimed this usurpation Of power, rs ,
right pertaining to him, proceeds to tlcvrlol
his plan, which IN to lnnkc treason triumph
ant and honorable by the restoration Of rebel
to power and to humble loyalty, and make
it odious, by putting traitors in position t,
exercise paramount influence both in State
and National affairs This il n Government
of the people. The sovereign power reside.
in the people. 1t was the people that, in thu
exercise Of this sovereignty, subdilcd these
traitors at srlas, and put down tho rebellion
Both the President who, rs COMMANDMENTS
Chief Of the United States armies, so useG
these armies AZ to conquor the rebels, and thu
Legislative department Of the Government
that SUSTAINED the President in the discl,aly
Of this duty by clothing, tetling, and paying
hisnrmios, in order that the authority Of thu
Government might he yindioatcd, were mcr
" the agents oftho people, representing Their
sovereign will, and carrying out thcir deter
mination. It was the people, then. through
their ugcntS--thc President, the Congress ant
the army-that put down the rebellion; and
it is the people, and the people alone, who
have tho right to prescribe tho terms or
which these rcbcl States shall return to duty
BY whom shall the judgment of the people il
the case be made known, if not through their
representatives in Congress? 1t is clearly 4
political question, and, therefore, must he tho
subject Of legislation The President has nc
constitutional power to make, but only t.
execute laws. Tho wisdom Of the trainers o.
our,G overnmont'isin II Observation-Disclosures
conspicuous; for what safety could there, be
TO our institutions. Ven they at tho mercy oil
wicked man who, for his own ambitious
purposes, Is willing TO. makc treason triT