North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1866-04-04
An Unpleasant Dilemma.

The veto of the Civil Right. bill has met
with a response from the people which must
be as grateful to the heart of President
johnson, as it is ominous ofthe approaching
downfall of the lawless faction against
which he is battling. 1t would be hard to
conceive any measure more odious to the
white freeman than this bill and the no
bic words in which the Executive justified
the exercise of power designed by the
trainers of the Constitution as check upon
partisan and unjust legislation, have added
largely TO that debt of gratitude which every
lover of the Union of our fathers, and every
advocate of the rights Of the States, owed
him before. The arguments of the veto
message are unanswerable. 1t is one of
the most lucid and logical of State papers.
While the simplest mind can comprehend
its truths, the most subtle sophlstry cannot
answer its arguments. 1t is not our purpose
now to review or reproduce the points of
the Presidents message, which are by this
time matters of household talk from one end
of the land to the other. But we conceive
tnat this is happy time to present, by a
simple statement of facts, dilemma for
the consideration Of the Radicals in Con-
gress and their supporters, of which they
must needs choose one horn or the other
Their cardinal doctrine is that the Southern
States are out of the Union--that, although
their territory is under the control ofthe
Federal Government, and their people sub
ject to its burdens, they are not capable of
exercising any of the political powers which
they possessed before the war; are not en-
titled to control their domestic affairs, or
to be represented at Washington. In
short, they are no longer States, but terri
tories subject to the undivided rule of Con-
gress, and with no rights other than those
which that body may choose to accord to
them. Of course, any attempt by one of
these deceased politica! communities to ex
ercise the functions OF a living and inte egral
member of the Union, if we accept Mr..
Stevens theory, would count for nothing.
LET us accept Mr.. Stevens theory for a
moment, and pursue it to its logical conse-
qucnces.
The proclamation OF Secretary Seward,
officially declaring the adoption of the
constitutional amendment abolishing slav-
cry contained these words:
Whereas, it appears from official docu-
ments on file in this department that the
amendment to the Constitution OF the Uni
ted States, proposed as aforesaid, has been
ratified by the Legislatures of the States
of Illinois. Rhode Island, Michigan, Mary
land, New York, West Virginia, Maine,
Kansas, Massachusetts,, Pennsylvania, Vir-
ginia, Ohio, Missouri, Nevada, Indiana,
louisiana Minnesota. Wisconsin, Vermont
Tennessee, arkansas, Connecticut and
Georg a,-in all 27 States; and,
Whereas, the whole number of States in
the United States is thirty SIR and,
Whereas, the before specially named
Stats, whose Legislatures have ratified
said proposed amendment, constitute three
fourths of the whole number of States in
the United States:
Now, if Virginia and Louisiana and Ar
kansas and Tennessee and Georgia were
not at the time when they ratified the con-
stitutional amendment States in the Uni
ted States as Mr.. Sewrad declared them
to be in the proclamation, then that amend.
nent is no partof the supreme lar, and
tens of thousands of likely blacks who have
been disporting themselves in idleness and
bliss under the protecting wing of the
Bureau" and with the delightful delu-
sion i'll their heads that they were "freed-
men, must, upon the hard compulsion Of
Mr.. Stevens philosophy, resume the aban-
doned hoe and painfully ply it under the
eye of the overseer. In short, all of tho
unlucky negroes not liberated by Mr.. Lin
coins Emancipation Proclamation, are
sldUes, and have nerer been anything 6ut
slares This is sound and fair reasoning
from Mr.. Stevens premises, and we defy
anybody to answer it.
But here the other diffic nlty which helps
to make up the most unpleasant complica-
ton for the Radicals, thrusts itself forward.
All the negro Legislation upon which they
have wasted the winter, they have sough
to justify in the eyes of the country, and to
maintain against the opposition ofthe Pres.
ident, upon the ground that 1t aOos necessary
to mike the constitutional amendment efec.
tire. That was their great argument for
the Bureau" bill and for the Civil Rights
bill. "The negroes are free," they said
by virtue of the amendment, and they
must be protected in their freedom, or else
this new provision of the Constitution will
be altogether useless and imperative.
Indeed, upon this plea alone, could they