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

to-day precisely what it was before the war
the supreme law of the land, any thing in the
constitution or laws of any State to the con-
'trary not withstanding. And to-day also
''as before the war all powers not |
conferred by the constitution on the general /
government nor prohibited by it to the |
States are reserved to the several States or /
''the people thereof
"The United States acquired no new pow |
er no rights either territorial or of civil |
authority which it did not possess before the |
war broke cut
This strange, wild and wicked doctrine was |
unanimously adopted by the conclave. What
Six millions of rebels who had renounced
the constitution, who had murdered five
hundred thousand of our citizena, who had
loaded the nation with debt and drenched ii
with blood, when conquered had forfeited no
right; bad lost no jurisdiction or civil author
lty and these co4aquerors had acquired none
because there was a constitution which while
they obeyed, protected, but which they had
discarded and torn to pieces by war Was
there ever before human brain frenzied
enough to engender such folly or human
front brazen enough to utter it. No princi-
pie in national law is clearer than that when
belhgerants inaugurate war which is aeknow-
lodged to be public war all the former obli-
cations, treaties and cornpacts between the
parties become null and void and after the
war are to be renewed or repudiated as the
parties agree, or as the conqueror DEGREES.
e either party is utterly subdaed sbbgsl his lfs
the victor. Why does not the Emperor of
Austria say to the King of Prussia ~ Law
down my arms, and al things will remain as
before the war" The Prussian would an
swer, ''you are as big fool as the President
| of America or the traitors league No sir
The war has changed everything treat
les and leagues have ceased Eenetia is no
longer yours Hanover and the Duchies are
mine and beside you must pay the expenses.
| Of the war, forty-fve millions. Who denies
that this is the law of nations except the ad
| vocates of treason, who deny our right to
make them pay the expenses of the war
They cry out against confscation for crime,
as if it were inhuman. God willing, [ shall
| try it again, and see if they do not pay part
of the cost and damages of the war be-
fore they help TO make our laws. The
constitution unchanged Then slavery
| exists; then all the provisions with regard to
| the rendition of fngitives from labor
rsmain--then every traitor has right to sit
| down in Congress, as the representative of
/ three ffths of all the slaves besides the
whites. We can easily forgive the aimable
! and facile author of the declaration as he is
no lawyer ; is totally ignorant Of the law of
/ nations or the laws of war but what shall
we say Of those able jurists who sat by and
| acquiesced ; unless we put it Spon the same
1 ground that one of the ablest and best Of
! them did when he advised to take false
oath to get vote and then TO break it.
But fellow citizens am occupying too much
| ground.
As 1 said before the great issue to be met at this
electionis the question of negro rights. I shall
not deny but admit that fundamental principle
Of the republican creed is that every being pos
sessing ar immortal soul is equal before the law.
They are not and cannot be equal in strength,
height, beauty, intellectual and moral culture OF
| social requirements, these are accidents which
must govern their condition according
| to circumstances. But in this republic,
| the same laws must aud shall apply to
| every mortal, American, Irishman, African, Ger
| man or Turk 1t is written by the finger of the
| ALMIGHTY LAW GIvER eye shall have one man
" ner Of laws, well for the stranger as for one
Of your own country; for / am the LORD your
" GoD."
| / need not be admonished that the support of
this doctrine, the of an election is danger
Gus, especially in counties bordering on the slave
| States. deep seated prejudice against races has
aishgured tho human mind for ages. For two
centuries IT. has oppressed the black man and
held him in bondage after white slavery had
ceased TO exist. Now Il eet,riwss him Of every
right in the Southern States. We have Joined in
inhictilg those wrongs. How has the FATHER of
this bIameleSs race rewarded this prejudice; treat
ed this despotism? Let the scarfs upon your G r
ments and the CORY graves that dot thousand
bloody battle fields give the sad answer.
This doctrine may be unpopular with besotted
| ignorance But popular unpopular I shall
stand by it until ] relieved of the unproft-
able labors Of earth. Being the foundation of our
republic, have full faith i'll its ultimate triumph.
1 may not live 70 see it. l may not be worthy Of
! such happiness. If it is to be finally defeated
and the hopes Of man thus extiAguished, pray
God that when it happens, may be insensible to
human misery; that ny senses may be locked in
"eold obstruction and in DEATH
Fellow citizens, have detained YOU too
long to allow me to discuss State affairs But
you need no exhortation to 60 forth one and
all, and support at the polls your gallant
standard bearer, Maj Gen. Geary. a purer
{ patriot never breathed the air. A braver
soldier never faced foe He risked all to
} to battle and to death. For US he gave his
own body to the bullets and the steel of the
enemy. Such aman knows no defeat. When
on the second Tuesday of October he shall
unfurl the banner of the Union there will be
such rush from every hilltop and from
every valley as to overwhelm all opposition.
Hon. A. K. MCCLURE of Pennsylvania
followed with powerful speech. He spoke
i for two hours and during that entire period
he held his hearers spell bound by the mag
ic influence of the eloquent truths which
he boldly enunciated Space forbids even a
synopsis of what we report as one of the
ablest speeches delivered within the last four
years.
At the conclusion of Col. Mcclure speech,
NJ. A. Points, Esq, read the following
Resolutions
|
WHEREAS, in the opinion of this meeting, the
stability at least fnot the life of this Government
is perilIedby the rccreancy of the present chief
Inagi strate to every principle of Governmental
| 20 licy upon which he was elevated by the people
70 the Vice Presidency of the nation, therefore
ResoJCed that we cherish and venerate the
memory of our late President, the lamented Abra-
ham Lincoln, and confde in the virtue and intel
lgencecf the people to yindieate and maintain,
by their ballots, the 'true principles of Govern
mont as prolessed and practised by him aud the
public men who syupaihized with and sustained
his adm1nistfation--hut which are now insRnely
disrcgarded and wickedly frustrated by his acei,
dental successor, whose treaehsry to the great
Republican Party is only equalled by his base
ngratitude to a too cdn6ding, loyal constituency.
Reso ged, That the Congress of the United
States is the peoples true Representative branch
Of the Government--that in it is vested and with
1t rests the Iatu-making power-and that any
attempt to interfere with the proper functions of
Congress, or any efforts the part of the pres
ent President to wrench from that Depar tment of
the Government amy constitutional right or pow