Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1866-03-07
CLEARFIELD, PA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1866

and as much resentmentment as man
ought to have, but wo should conform
our action and our conduct to the ex-
ample of Him who founded our holy
lreligion not that ! wculd liken Him
to it, or bring any comparison, for i
am not going to detain you long. But,
gentlemen, came into power under
the Constitution of the country and
by the appreciation of the people, and
what did / find? / found eight mil
lions OF people who were, in fact, con-
tslemned nndcr the law, and the penal
ty was death; under the idea Of re-
venge and resentment, they were TO
be annihilated and destroyed.
O, how different this from the ex-
ample set by the holy foundcr Of our
religion, whose divine arm touches
the horizon and embraces the whole
earth--yes, He whofounded this great
scheme came into the world and found
our race condemned under the law,
and the sentence was death. What
was His example? instead of putting
the world or nation TO death, he
went forth with grace, and attested
by his blood and his wounds that he
would die and let the nation live. Let
them repent and etthem acknowledge
their allegiance. Let them become
loyal and willing supporters and de.
tenders of our glorious stripes and
stars and the Constitution of our coun-
try. Let their leaders, the conscious,
intelligent traitors, suffer the penalty
of the law, but for the great mass who
have been forced into the rebellion
and misled by their leaders, say le.
niency, kindness, trust and confidence
But, my countrymen, after having
passed through the rebellion and Civ.
en- such evidence as have, though
men croak a great deal about it now
when ! look through the battle fields
and see so many of these brave men
in whose company. | was in parts Of
the rebellion, where it was most diff
cult and doubtful to be found, before
the smoke of battle has scarcely pass
ed away, before the blood shed has
scarcely eongealsd, what do we find
| The rebellion is put down by the
strong arm Of the government in the
field but is that the only way ia
which we can have rebellionl They
struggled for the breaking up of your
4 government, ,kutbefore they are scarce
! ly out of the battlefield and before
our brave men have scarcely returned
to their homes to renew the ties o.
affection and love we find ourselves
almost in the midst of another rebel
lion. Applause.]
The war to suppress the rebellion
was TO prevent the separation of tht
States, and thereby change the char
acter of the government and the weak
j ening of It's powers. Now, what il
the struggle? There is an attemp
to concentrate the power Of the gov
crnment in the hands of the few, anC
thereby bring about a consolidation
which is equally dangerous and OBJ
jcctionable with separation. We fine
, that powers are assumed and attempt
ed to be exercised Of most extraor
binary character. What are they
: We find the government can be revo
t lutionized can be changed withou
{ g0inginto the battlefield Sometime
revolutions most dangerous to th
people are effected without shedding
blood. The substance Of our govern
l ment may be taken away, lcavinI
: only the form and shadow.
, Now, what are those attempts
, What is being proposedi We fin
) that, in fact, by an irresponsible cen
/ tral directory nearly all the powers o
the government are assumed, withou
even consulting the legislative or cx
. ecutiye departments of the govern
f ment. Yes, and by resolution re
Q ported by committee upon whom
s all the legislative powers Of the gov
| ernment has been conferred, that prin
' ciple in the Constitution which author
e ICES and empowers each branch of tn
E legislative department-the Senat
= and the House of Representatives
to be the judge of the election an
! qualifications of its own members, ha
/ been virtually taken away from thos
: departments of the government an
s conferred upon a committee who mus
r report before they can act under tn
r Constitution and allow members dul
I, elected 60 take their seats.
n BY this rule they assume that ther
o must be laws passed, that there mus
j; be recognition in respect to State j
a the Union, with all its practical relI
}. tions restored, before the rcspectiv
@ Houses of Congress, under tho Cor
o stitution, shall judge Of the elcctio
|, and qualification of its own member
l. What position is thatl You hav
i been struggling for four years to pu
s down the rebellion. You denied l
v the beginning Of the struggle ths
I'll A. 80.