Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1866-11-21
= AREPUDLICANFouH0 Of GOVERN.
mETT.

In the fourth section of the fourth ar-
ticlo Of the national Constitution, says the
-Forat A@arjcea, We ind this provision
The United States shall guarantee 10
every State in this Union republican
form OF government" No provision in
the Constitution is of more vita! corse-
quence than this one. 1t secures US
against being obliged to tolerate 4 theo
cratic despotisin Ike Utah, an ollgarchica!
despotism like South Carolina, an empire
like that Of Nazimiliian, or dictatorship
such men as Andrew johnson might at
tempt to set up. as the term republican
is an adjective, aud simply means per.
taining to republic, consisting Of com
monwealth, consouant to the principles CT
republic" we must refer Ia N'cbster's
definition Of the word republic" to Gul
ont the exact meaning Of the cc1s,tU-
tional phrase. Our great lex:coeraphcr
thus defines it; "Repu5lic, common.
wealth, L State ia which the sovalcigu
power Is lodged in representatives elected
hy the people, y and he defines common
wealth to mean properly "a free State,
the whole body of people in a State"
Now let Us ask whether The above pro-
vision Of The Constitution has ever been
complied with, in the case of States Ike
South Carolina, Mississippi and louisiana ?
When slavery existed in these S;ates they
were certainly not commonwea!ths accord
Ing 10 Webster, Who tells US that com
moGweal:h Is a free State. Nor are they
any more SO nov, when three titths OF
their people are deprived Of all civil
rights, and ground to the dust By des-
po5ic ruling caste It will be noticed that
Webster speaks of 'the whole body. Of
people in State 50 that in order for the
form of government in South Carolina to
be republican, it should at least be based
upon the viii Of the majority, as that is
the only form in which ii is possible to
embody the popular right to rule. Three
f}ths Of the people are absolutely depriv
ed of all participation in the election Of
the representatives who make the laws
If the State constitution were amended
so as to give :he right Of suffrage to
enough blacks to make up with the whites
majority Of the population, that would
be compliance With the national Consti
tuition. Da; obviously the present form
of government is purely oigarchical, and
il DO true sense republican. According
to this view of the case, Congress has the
constitutional right to refuse to receive
any representatives or senators trcm the
three States named, on the ground that
their form Of government is not repubii-
eau, and upon that basis TO pass organic
acts providing for a more liberal system
Of government, We can see no reason
whatever why Congress should not, at its
ensuing session, exercise this power.
"TuE future course OF tho President"
is made a question Of volnmi0ous dis
cussion By many CT our cotemporaries.-
There is but one course left the Presi'
dent during the remainder of his term,
namely, erecuie oad obey tie lars passed
By Congress, The people have indicated
what they want, and Congress viii do it.
II the President demurs, Congress has
the Constitutional power and right to
pass all bills TO which he may object over
his veto, After that, the President will
have nothing to do bnt to execute and
obey the law IF he fails 30 do that, be