Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-10-05

! against Ihe republic, ana exciting the rapa
clous and unprincipled ifs out armed cor
sairs to prey upon her commerce. BY STATE
authority, and in the perverted names o
patriotism. and loyalty hundreds of thou
sands OF our countrymen were eonscriptet
into rebel armies and made 10 fight desner
ately for our national disruption and ruin
And though, by the blessing Of God and tht
Yalor and c0nstancy Of our loyal peopIe
the rebellion was finally and utterly crushed
1t did not succum5 until it had caused tht
destruction Of more than half a million d
precious human lives, not to sFieak of prop
erty to the value of at least FIVE billions q
dollars
At length the rebel armies surrendered
and the rebel power utterly collapsed and
vanished What then?
The claim OF the Insurgents that they
| either now reaequired or had never forfeited
their constitutional rights in the Union,
lnelGdlng that of representation in Congress
stands IN pointed antagonism alike to the
requirements Of Congress and to those Of
| the acting President 1t was the Executive
| alone who, after the rebellion was no more.
appointed provisional Governors for the
| now submissive, unarmed Southern States.
on the assumption that the rebellion had
| been revolutionary, and had deprived the
| people under It's sway of all civil govern
ment, and who required the assembling of
| a convention, composed of delegates to be
chosen by that portion of the people of said
State who are loyal to the United States
| and no others for the purpose of altering and
amending the constitution of said State. +"
1t was President johnson who, so late as
October last-when all shadow of overt
| resistance to the Union had long since dis
ppcared-insisted that it was not enough
that State which had reyolted must recog-
nlze her ordinance of secession as null and
VOID from the beginning, and ratify the con-
sttuhoEal amendment prohibiting slavery
evermore, but she must also Tepudiate
every dollar of Indebtedness created to
carry on the rebellion" Ii was he who
ordered the dispersion by military force Of
any legislature chosen under the rebellion
which should assume power to make laws
after the rebellion had fallen Ii was he
who referred to Congress all injuries as to
the probability of representatives from the
States lately in revolt being admitted to
seats in either house. and suggested that
they should present their credentials, not
at the organization of Congress, but after
ward And finally, it was he, and not Con
gross, who suggested to his Gov. Sharkey,
Of Mississippi, that
If you could extend the elective fran
chise to ali persons Of color who can read
the Constitution Of the United States in
English and write their names, and to ali
persons Of color who own real estate valued
at not less than $3.50 and pay taxes thereon,
yQR would completely dIsarm the adversarv
Ie then there be any controversy as to
the right Of the loyal States to exact condI-
tons and require guarantees OF those which
plunged madiy Ito secession and rebellion,
the supporters respectively of Andrew
johnson and Of Congress cannot be antago-
nistic PARTIES 20 THAT contest, since their rec
ord pltc. them ,R the same side.
Ii b..ius ihQ, agreed tLat conditions oil
restoration aud glg1auties against future
rebellion may bc exfcted Of the States late
" in revolt the right Of Congress 10 voice
in prescribing those conditions and IN sha-
ping those guarantees is plainly ineentestI-
BE. Whether il take the shape OF Law or
az e constitutional amendment the action
of Congress IS vital Even IT they were to
b. ,ejticd by treaty, the ratification Of the
Senate, by lw0-thirdS vote would be lndls-
pensable. There is nothing in the Federal
Constitution, nor in the nature of the case,
that countenanceS an Executive monopoly
of this power.
What then, is the ground of complaint
against Congress
Is it charged that the action of the two
Houses was tardy and hesitating. Consider
how molaentous we're the questous lnyol-
yed, the issues depending. Consider how
novel and extraordinary was the situation.
Consider how utterly silent and blank Is the
the Federal Constitution touching the treat
meut OF insurgent States, whether during
Il q k,,-1f.s,+ 70 tho / lIpapr after
their discontinue. Consider with how many
enlbsrrassments and difficulties the problem
Is hesct. aud YOU will not wonder that
months were required to devise perfect,
and pass, by a tWo-thiTds vote in either
House, Just and safe plan of reconstruc-
ton.
Yet that plan has been matured. 1t has
passea the Senate by SO to IL, and the
House by I3S to Sc 1t is now fairly before
the country, having already been ratified by
the Legislature ofseYeral States and reject
ed by nome. Under it, the State Of Ten
nessee has been formally restored to all the
privileges she forfeited by rebellion, inelu-
| ding representation in either House IN Con-
I gress. And the door thus passed through
stands invitingly open to all who still lnger
without
Are the conditions thus prescribed intol-
! cradle, OF even Illuminating? They are IN
substance these:
l. An persons born or ndturalized in
/ thiScountIy are henceforth citizens of the
4 United States, and shall enjoy all the rights
4 of citizens evermore and no State shall have
power to eontraYene this most righteous
/ and necessay provision.
III. While the States claim and exercise
the power of denying the elective franchise
| TO a part of their people, the weight OF each
/ State in the Union shall be measured by and
| based upon its enfranchised population. Il
| anv State shall choose. for no crime, TO de-
ny political rights to any race or caste, i
must no longer count that race or caste as
basis of political power in the Union.
Ill. He who has once held 6illee on tht
strength Of his solemn oath to support the
Federal Constitution, and has nevertheless
forcsWorn himself aud REASONABLY plotted t
subvert that Constitution, shall henceforth
hold no political Office till Congress, BY ;
two-thirls vote. shall remove or modify tht
disability.
/ ". The National debt shall be in noWIs'
repudiated or inyalidated; and no debt IN
CURED in support of the rebellion shall eve
i be assumed or paid by any State nor shal
payment be made for the the loss or eman
cipation OF any slave.
! Y. Congress shall have power to enforce
these guarantees By appropriate legislation
/ Such, fellow-eitizens, are the condition
of reconstruction pr2posed by Congress AM
already accepted by The loyal Legislature
Tennessee. Are they harsh or degrading
Do YOU discern therein disposition TO tram