The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1866-10-04
[ From the Philadelphia North American.
Parties, Issues and Men.

The time is fast approaching when the
people of Pennsylvania will be called
upon to make their decision at the polls
upon the momentous issues now In aglta-
ton. 1t is scarcely conceivable that,
after all the discussion that has occurred,
there can be much ignorance concerning
the positions of political parties aud men !;
but to aid in forming a judgment for
those whose attention is engrossed by
other affairs, we deem it necessary to
state concisely what we understand to be
the most important points In the pending
canvass in this commonwealth, and upon
these We confidently appeal 70 all our
readers, of whatever political bias, for a
verdict in favor of the candidates and
principles of the Republican party. We
ask the attention of independent and
| unprejudiced men to this statement, be-
cause OF the misrepresentation so wide
! spread as to the character, objects and
| candidates of this great organization, and
! because we are satisfied that many candid
and independent men have heretofore
suffered themselves to be misied by sheer
fabrications and abuse launched against
US by our enemies. To all such we beg
| to say that the emergencies of the country
at the present time imperatively demand
of every citizen that he shall consult tie
best interests of the nation in making a
decision as to the disposition of his vote
at the ensuing election, since an electoral
verdict now may be fraught with very
grave consequences, according as it shall
be proper or otherwise.
At the outset, then, we may remark
! that, although there are other political
organizations contesting the field, the
Republican party is the only one distinct
ly recognizable as a well-defned party,
with previous record by which to judge
il, and with principles applicable to the
| present troubles. The great national
Democratic party, demoralized by the
misconduct of It's leaders, and rendered
hopeless by its course during the war,
gave up the ghost at the Philadelphia
| National Convention, and the nondescript
organization which takes Its place has go
many names that 40 one can tell what it
should be rightfullv called, while its
principles are only claimed by the trainers
Of its platform to be the defunct Repub-
lican issues Of 1864 The Republican
party points to its glorious achievements,
the proudest in the history of tho republic,
whereby the mightiest of rebelions was
crushed and slavery obliterated. On
coming into national executive power for
| the first time, it found the Union one
| wide scene OF anarchy, and # restored
| order and rendered disunion impossible.
| After such work as this it has no special
need of tackiBg on to its name the words
National Unioa. The party, by every act
of its career, is universally known to be
identified only with Union and nationality
1t is, too, the only organized party in the
nation really devoted to the maintenance
OF the freedom of the enfranchised, the
great principle Of equality before the law,
and the still more vital principle Of the
| right of the majority to govern.
/ It's upon this basis that our candidates
for Congress stand throughout the length
and breadth of this commonwealth. The
| principles enunciated In the constitutional
amendment. submitted to the States for
ratification by the last session of Congress
are not controyerted by any one in the
| penulng canvass, nor can Chey be success
fully. These are, briefly, that all persons
! born or naturaliZed in the United States
are citizens of the republic and of the
| State in which they reside that no State
shall make or enforce any law which shall
ab-idge the privileges or immunities of
citizens of the republic; nor shall any
State deprive any person of life, liberty or
| property, without due process of law, nor
deny to any person within its Jurisdiction
the equal protection of the laws; that the
basis or representation in Congress shall
DC alike for all sections and all States /:
that peTjured military or civil officers of
the republic who participated in the
rebellion shall not again be eligible to
national Office without being relieved of
the disability by vote of two-thirds of
both Houses OF Congress that the valid
ity of the Union war debts shall not be
questioned, and that the rebel war debts,
claims, obligations, etc, shall forever be
| illegal aud void. Upon such platfor m
as this the Republican Congressman of
Pennsylvania ought to be reelected. It
is such declaration as cannot be rejected
without grave injury to the best interests
of the nation.
Taking the two candidates for Govern
or of Pennsylvania, we have fair test of
the real character of the Republican
party on the one hand and the monde
script opposition on the other. AS the
candidate of the Republicans, we have
Major General John w. Geary, who, un-
til the breaking out of the civil war, was
all his life Democrat, but who, disgusted
with the conduct of that party during the
war sustained tho Poo,b1;oon rol;o,, ond