Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-09-29


n large meeting at their rooms, NO. Aioe
Chestnut street, Philadelphia, on Monday,
Sd inst. Reports from the different counties
were received, and all were of the most
gratifying character. The following adj
dress was ordered to be published:
THE SITUATION.
CoMMrTrEE ROCKS, No. 11O5 CnEsNUT
STREET. PHILADELPHIA, September ., 1855.
Fsllo,o Citizens The superficial observer
might suppose, after the fearful struggles,
sacrifices and sufferings of the last five years,
that we could safely relax our efforts ana
watchfulness aud returning to our lndl-
vidual affairs, permit the machinery OF the
government to run itself.
Az intelligent and patriotic survey OF the
situation, however, will not warrant any
such conclusion but will impress US more
than ever with the truth and wisdom OF the
adage, "Eternal rigilaneo as the Pr'ce Of
Liberty"
Six years ago the people lawfully elected
Abraham Lincoln President of the United
States. The minority, enemies of our Gov
ernment and country, refused to submit to
their defeat at the polls, and, for the first
time in our history, appealed from the bal
lot-box to the sword. They defantly threw
off all the obligations of constitutions and
laws, rushed madly into civil war, and
fought with malignity and desperation Tor
four long bloody years i'll the wicked at
tempt to overthrow and utterly destroy the
Government handed down by Our fathers
This they did under the pretext that State
had constitutional right to secede from tpe
Union. The same thing had-been attempted
by South Carolina in 1888; hut, under the
vigorous administration of President jack
soc, the effort signally failed, and the doc
trine upon which it was based was rcpudia-
ted. But in 1856, when the Democratic
party at Cincinnati nominated james Bu-
chanan for President, they revived the old
State rights dogma of Secession, by re-
adopting the Virginia and Kentucky resolu-
tions of 1898 and 1893, as part OF their
platform. And at the Charleston Convention,
in 1850, although the party there split into
two parts, the one nominating Douglas, and
the other Breckenridge, for President
These resolutions do not hold the relations
of the State to the United States as consti.
tuting Government in the ordinary and
proper sense of that term, but declared them
to be compact, and that, las in oil other
cases of compact among parties having no
common judge, each party has an equal
right to judge for itself, as ren Of tntrdet'ons,
as Of the mode and measure ct redress"
| Under this free democratic charter for
rebellion. the election of Abraham Lincoln
was claimed by the Rebel States as an "in-
fraction" of the Compact" and they choose
Secession and civil war as the ''mOde," and
the destruction of the Union and of the
Government as "the measure Of redress.
Hence, when the war broke upon us in oil
its fury, we found the Democratic party
paralyzed. 1t was suddenly brought face to
face with the practical application of its owr
political principles. Hence, too, the sac
decentralization, and want of loyalty ant
patriotism, shown by that party during th'
whole war. Those of them who preferred
their country to their party and platform
abandoned both platform and party, ant
under the flag of their country manfull.
rallied To put down the Rebellion, while th
leaders and the mass of the party did other
wise.
They had so repeatedly proclaimed tn
right of Secession that they believed it, ant
we're everywhere found justifying or excu
sing the Rebellion, denouncing every mean
used to suppress it; predicting the war
failure, and cndeavoring to make good thel
predictions, and boldly denying there wa
any power in the Government to "coerce
State" The Democratic party thus acquire
a reputation for connivance at treason an
disloyalty to the country, which justly cor
signed it to continuous and overwhelmin
defeats, until at the close of the war 1t ha
not q Governor or q Legislature in singl
loyal State, except little Delaware and tn
: Legislature of Kentucky. And since tn
Philadelphia Convention it seems to hav
fallen upon the expedlent of other note
criminals, and resolved to sally forth unds
new name.
5 Not until April, 1865, were the Rebe
finally overcome, and then only by the pow
> or of our armies, which they could no long,
withstand. There was no voluntary su
: render; but their arms were stricken fro
their bloody hands. The great conspirac
y against freedom had failed, and the armi
and people of eleven revolted States were
: the mercy of the conquerers, protesting
" willingness to accept any terms the victo
Q would impose. Congress had then recent
adjourned, and under the law would n
assemble until the following Decembe
unless convened by the President in ext
session. The occasion seemed to be one
\ sufficient novelty and importance to requi
meeting of Congress, but the Preside
Judged differently. He proclaimed that the
\. States had been deprived of sail civil go
Q, ernmcnt," and the Supreme Court of t
United States declared the whole peoE
thereof to be "alien enemies"
Il The President proceeded by proclaim
h tions, by appointments of provisional 60
ID ernors, and other means, to create COVER
at ments for the rebellious States, and upon t
annual meeting of Congress made repo
>, of what had been done, aud recommend
IN the admission of representatives. Congr'
-, claimed to have jurisdiction over the WHIT
!" subject, and proceeded to inquire whetl
ID or not governments had been establish'
and whether, under all the circumstances,
nd would be proper to restore those rebellio
people and States to their former relatic
and rights in the Union, without first inn
sing some terms upon them as security
= the future. The great question is not VI
ees, ther the States themselves shall be restor
he but whether they shall have representa-
in Congress on iern,s or pith9ut terms.
Our political adversaries r
of els, and sympathizers, North and Sontt
say nittout terms or conditions, and yorth,o
Congress, by the almost unanimous vote
all the members who sustained the war,
= proposed sundry amendments TO the G
Roy stitntion of the United States, To- be subn
<a1 l.. Al. Gt.to 4 nr,solaturoe for rati iHcatIf