Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-09-07

mltted to by congress TINS government would
no longer be a republie subject to the viii Of
the people but a despotism in which one ty-
rant would rule over nation of slaves. A
Congress elected by the people to resist arm
ed traitors were not disposed to cover before
the usHrped sceptre of a single apostate |
say a single apostate; for the scurYy, merce-
nary, apostate republicans who have since
joined him are so few and despicable that they
need not be included in any enumeration of
political forces.
Congress met and calmly proceeded to recon
struct the government. 1t proposed amend
ments to the constitution; mot only abohshing
slavery but placing al men on perfect equal
ity before the law. Every human being is de-
clared to have equal civil rights, and Con
gress is invested with power to enforce q
remedy. This does not touch social or polit
ical rights. They are left to thefuture action
ofthe people of the States, and ultimately of
Congress; the proposed amendment now
pending, changes the base of representation
in Congress so that the vote of a white man
| IN the North viii be equal to a vote of a
white man in the South, now white mans
vote in the rebel States counts nearly much
as two white mems votes in the free States
This amendment meets with the violent
! opposition Of the President.
Congress passed civil rights bill to guard
| the rights of all-the President vetoed it -
| GOIIlesS
! the President vetoed it. He preferred to let
| the freedmen, and refugees starve, and re
main exposed to mobbing and murder. Con
| gress passed a law to admit Colorado. He
vetoed it because it would give two more
| Senators opposed to his 'policy" Congress
passed an act to admit Tennessee. He dis
! approved of it, and sent a message with his
| objections, but kept the bill and signed it Gan
unconstitutional act) because it admitted his
| son-in-lav as a Senator.
Congress passed a law literally increasing
the pensions of the wounded soldiers the
increase was not all / desired. ! tried to
make the least pension twelve dollars in
| stead Of eight per month. The committee
| thought they had done all they could afford
but doubt not it will prevail at the next
| session. No disabled man can support his
family on eight dollars a month. Congress
passed a law to equalize bounties. Not such
a law as / approved Of because it was partial.
But it was a beginning and so far good. 1t
would have been better had it not been for
the administration. Early in the session a
bill was reported giving equality in bounties.
| The Secretary of the Treasury wrote a letter
to the Senate saying that it would take from
the Treasury two hundred and sixty or three
hundred millions of dollars. The Provost
Marshal General Fry wrote a still more
frightful letter saying it would cost six
|
lars. The commissioner Of internal
revenue declared it would destroy the
public credit Hence Congress was deferred
from making, what | considered Just ar
rangement of the bounty question still some
justice was done, and complete justice will
be done to our gallant soldiers when this ad-
ministration shall be removed, which now sits
like an incubus on the breast Of the nation.
As a further enumeration of some of the acts
- II. g
the Hon. Schuyler Coltax lately made to
his constituents. No sounder patriot than
Mr.. Cofax exists. And l viii take this oc-
casion to say that as speaker | believe &c
ADLER officer ever presided over a delibera-
tive body.
In criticising Congress I Will try to be ina
partial | viii not ask you to bestow unmin-
gled praise. | feel that We omitted some
important things which we ought to have
done and for which omission we deserve the
censurs of the people, While it was impos-
sible, obstructed as we were by the President
and the Copperheads, to make this Tepub-
lie Of liberty and equality we might have
approached it more nearly than we did. We
might have treated the rebel States as what
they are in fact conquered provinces and
| tlares.ash a4-LIizs ao4z u~a aauIdba,-a GVed tho
qualifications Of voters so that every loyal
man could participate in the formation oftheir
organic laws. We should thus, with entire
| certainty have secured the government to
loyal Union men have formed in every one
of those States constitutions giving equal
T privileges to all and which would have curb
ed the rising spirit Of rebellion, which Is now
rampant IN every one Of those States. For
assure you, from irretutable evidence, that
traitors are now triumphant in every Confed-
, crate State. No republican doubts the pow
: | er Of Congress to do what l have stated. No
: sound constitutional lawyer believes any one
+ Of the organizations now existing in those
: States to be legitimate governments. Form
! ed by the DEGREES of a military conqueror,
! without consulting the people, they can be
tolerated only as Temporal arrangements
until the law making power provides them
permanent laws and forms OF Government
They are so considered by the rebels them
selves.
! Chief Justice Rufin of North Carolina one
4 Of the ablest and fairest of secessionists. has
f lately given the following opinion:
! The ChiefJusti says 81 consider that this i
a no Constitution, because your convention was no
: | legitimate Convention, and had no power t
make Constitution for US, to alter that which
! | we had and have; and that It cannot be made
u | Constitution even by popular sanction. Ifthes,
positions be correct II ought to be rejected by h
people as the easiest, simplest, and most efieien
method of setting the points at rest, and avoiding
many perpIexing and dangerous questions before
,
s your body as q Convention, because it wa
called without the consent of the people of Nortl
~ Carolina by the President Of the United States o
y under his orders act Of clear and despoti
= usurpation, which could not give the body an,
= authority TO bind the State or its inhabitants.
l. it be said the President or his satrap-his Govern
e or Of a PToYince-ddn not call, or rather constitute
IS the Convention, but the delegates were elected b
If the people, and thereby the body was duly con
e stituted, / deny it directly and positively MI
al Johnson required Convention to peform certain
J. specific aets to annul the ordinance Of secession
Is and tendera return to the Union, or claim it
continued existence under the Constitution Of tn
United States: to emaneipate the slaves and ordai
- that Slavery shall never hereafter exist in thi
State, and to repudiate the state "war debt.
L All these done; the two first promptly an
e in satisfactory terms; and the third at the last mo
rt ment under subection and in conformity to orde
4 after having once refused to adopt the measure
IS All was done, | say, that was required and MI
johnson proclaimed that he had got nll he wanted
that back a State and might choos
our Representatives in Congress in conformity {
3 our rights as State, and TO our law regulatin
n elections. Was there anything more for that Con
le yeution to do2 Were they chosen for any othe
le purpose, even by those who were allowed to vot
ID for members? How dare they, then 20 on to fran
4 a Constitution law for all time. which is to b
a. binding on those who elected them for the ends
70 and also On that large portion Of the patriots an
n heroes-"unpardone Rcbels"-who were nc
= allowed to vote at alp Tho pretension is withou
y parallel or precedent, until the present term Z
u Radical assumption Of power in dominant mill
a tary numerical majority, without respect fo
iV4h fa mr. he ftTffn A favn fhnvr al