Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-08-16
Exclusion or Delegates.


A Convention which is called for the rea
son that certain representatives Of rebel
dom are excluded from Congress, and whicl
begins by excluding certain delegates 70
their previous rebel proclivities, is as con
sistent as party formed upon the doctrin,
that rebellion gives the National Govern
ment no right to interfere with the rebe
| State Governments, to support the policy
of the President who has overthrow and
reconstructed them. Human reason has
| to be muddled to accept such contradictions.
| Wood and Vallandigham were as directly
excluded from the Philadelphia Convention
as if they had first taken their seats and
then had been expelled And this was
when leading rebels, who had borne arms
against the Union all through the war, were
invited and we're welcomed to their seats.
/ These men were duly elected by constitu.
encies which each have represented in Con-
gress, and one of them received in the war
a hundred and eighty thousand votes for the
Office of Governor of Ohio. If Congress
which excludes members from the rebel
States till they have complied with condi-
tions, is not competent Congress in law,
is Convention which excludes delegates,
and deprives districts of their representa-
ton, competento or fit body to remedy the
situation? II, as Mr.. Ewing argues, the
exclusion of one makes it an incompetent
body, just as much as the exclusion of q
majority, this exclusion of two districts
from representation disables the whole Con-
vention, and leaves it nothing but trump"
The cowardlinessi of the thing distin-
guishes it. The Convention had the control
Of its own proceedings. Although call to
all who accepted certain things, to "hold
counsel together upon the state of the
Union," it prepared itself with all the gag
rules aud means for sitting debate, and
forcing through cut and-dried proceedings
that are resorted to in the most high hand
ed control of partisan conventions. 1t invi,
ted all who accepted the terms of the CALL
and attendance was the only evidence of this
acceptance that could be asked as test of
admission. But instead of devoting itself
to the exclusion ofirrelevant questions or
to action upen its announced business, it set
up an ostracism against individuals.
And this was for the purpose of clearing
up the Conventions fame, as sometimes
women Of more than questionable reput alton
vindicate their virtue by public brawl. We
will venture to say that this Reconstruction
Convention, which takes upon itself the
cause of these who are excluded from repre-
sentdtiou' ts Tue HrSt III tuis country tnat
ever excluded duly elected delegates, who
accepted its terms, on account oftheir polit-
cal anteccdents.
1t had no right to deprive Congression-
al District of its representation. Bat it
went greatly beyond this. 1t excluded Val
landighom on account of his infamous
course in the war, and in so doing it declar-
ed that the Democratic party of Ohio, who
supported him in that course by the largest
vote Democratic candidate ever received
in the State, are unfit to sit in convention
with red handed rebel. from the South,
whitewashed with Mr.. Johnson reconstruc,
ton. And by submitting to this ostracism,
Mr. Vailandighsm accepts this judgment
upon the hundred and eighty thousand
Democrats Of Ohio whose allegiance he 30
often boasts.