Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-08-30

scenes are at last explained to the dulles1
comprehension. The l4th of August con
vention was the grand objective point o
these tricks, trimmings, and treacheries.-
And, now that it is over, let us regard il
with due candor and consideration.
/ said that one of the chief characters
tics of the inside managers wastheir fear OF
the truth and their horror of discussion
But what was the effect upon the people
outside ? There was no violence and nc
attempt at violence nothing but almost
universal derision and contempt The in.
suit deliberately sought to be put upon the
people Of Philadelphia by Andrew Johnson
IN sending these traitors and parasites
among them seemed to awaken a proud
and lofty Consciousness of that supreme
power which, while relraining to punish a
miscreant, generously condescends to lau gh
at his aimless malignity Their bearing
was that of the lion playing with the sting
less reptile. Far more severe than turbu-
lence and abuse and blows was the loud
and irrepressible scorn Of this great popu-
lace when these traitors and cOppCTheadS
sought to defend MY Policy" in the
streets Of Philadelphia, to declaim against
negro suffrage, to denounce the radicals,
and once more promise a thousand times
violated obedience. 1t may well be imag-
ined that movement thus muzzled by the
managers inside the convention, and laugh
ed down by the people outside, can produce
no lasting and Wholesome effect upon the
country.
One result it has certainly achieved 1t
has newly awakened the Union men of the
nation to sense of their own duty and
the general danger Never before have |
known the people of Philadelphia to be
more thoroughly aroused than during the
scenes and sittings Of this convention If
freedom of speech was denied to the dele
gates it was enjoyed by the masses who
watched their operations. In every work
shop and cOunting-house, in every private
residence and public resort, in the byways
and highways, American citizens were
| brought to a closer consciousness and to
nearer consideration Of the purposes of the
men who assembled there to cheat them
out of their rights and to re-establsh in
spite of the verdict of arms, the oligarchy
that was supposed to have been totally
destroyed. In this respect the Philadel
phia convention has performed a signal
service to the country
The address and resolutions that were
adopted cannot conceal from an inquirng
and Jealous people the whole end and aim
of this dark conspiracy. | hold this ad-
dress and resolutions in my hand. 1t is
sufficient to say that the address is the
production Of that unprincipled harlequin,
! Henry J. Raymond, Of New York Il may
be remarked here that Raymond, like near
| y all his associates pretending to be Re
| publican, held seat and acted as q delegate
1clthom q constituency. Indeed, the only
persons that were chosen to seats and that
reflected the sympathy of any portion Of
| the people, were the traitors and the Cop
| perheads. Behind these two classes were
the twin organizations that plotted the re-
belion and fought and acted together
! throughout the war. The so-caIled Repub-
| lcans represented nobody but Andrew
| johnson and William II. Seward, or the
Offices held by themselves respectively or
ardently anticipated This remark may be
| applied to every county in the free States
that professed to send Republican dele
gates to this assemblage. When we re-
collect that men like Henry j. Raymond
willingly conSorted with traitors and Cop
perheads, and coolly assisted in waging a
proscrptive warfare upon the only men in
the South, black and white-the only class
es innocent OF this inhuman insurrection-
the only element upon which even now the
| Government can repose in the hour of dan
ger-and also that he and his associates
have never had the nerve to stay the war
fare of Andrew Johnson upon the suffering
loyalists of the South, we may appreciate
his stupendous turpitude.
The resolutions, like the address, are in
l,,l
of Andrew johnson and his agents-name-
| ly, che restoration Of the rebels to more
pO1oer than they possessed before they began
| the rebellion. In vain do these men thank
| Almighty God for the end of the war and
the return Of peace in vain do they prate
of Their attachment to the Constitution and
the laws in vain do they declare that no
State or combination of States has the
right to withdraw from the Union i'll vain
do they asseyerate that slavery is abolish
ed and forever prohibited in vain do they
pronounce the debt of the nation to be sa-
cred and inviolabe in vain do they reCOg-
nize the services of the " Federal soldiers
and sailors in the contest Just closed
! (these being the general declarations of
! the resolutions more elaborately set forth
| in the address )---all these are but mockcr-
les and lures, as long as their purpose of
| forgiving and restoring traitors to greater
power is admitted and demanded the very
fact that they declare that no amendment
of the Constitution of the United States
can be made "until all the States Of the
| Union have an equal and an indeleasibIe
right to a voice aud to vote therein"
shows that their pledges, no matter how
solemn and definite depending as they do
upon this condition precedent, were never
intended to be fulfilled. For if the Consti-
tuition Of the United States is not to be
adapted SO as to prevent the authors of the
rebellion from reappearing in the public
councils shorn of the full and fatal power
which they exercised almost to the des-
truction Of the Republic-if in other words,
the new amendment of the national Const-
tuition shall be defeated through the con-
spiracy set on foot by this convention
helped by the money and the Offices and the
almost despotic power of the General Gov
crnment-then, undoubtedly we revert to
a condition worse than that we occupied
in the midst of the rebellion, and are hence
forth and for unnumbered years held in the
vice of the pro-slavery politicians Of the
South and their sympathizing confederates