The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-13
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1866.
Republican Form of Government,
10 he Editor Of The Evenin0 7etegrdph:-

lowing paragraph;
"And the Constitution, In imposing upon Congress
the duty or guaranteeing TO every Stale T"publI.
can form OF government, necessarily clothed that
body With the power OF deciding what are and
what are not republican forms ofgoVernment"
The only ostensible reason givon by superficial
politicians Of the Republican school why the South
ern States are not IN the enjoyment Of republican
form of government that they have not conferred
inequality before the law, or IN the matter OF sur
fraRe constituted departure from republican
form of government, thon the trainers OF tine Cons-
tuition ere either knaVes fools II will not cer'
tainIy be oontended that the has given any new
meaning to the clau of the Constitution to which
you refer. Whatever was the Interpretation put
upon il then, must be the Interpretation now. Was
Inequality before the law, In the matter of sui-
frage, then antrrepublicanf IL so, that In
equality ex1 ted everywhere throughout the Union
Rt the time this guarantee was inserted
In the Constitution. Slavery you will be candid
enough to admit, existed in nearly every State OF
the old thirteen In not one OF them could free
negroes exercise the night of suffrage The most oil
these negroes were disqualified from tesuiylng in
courts where a white man was q party; in very
many of them there existed freehold qualification
even to entitle white men to vote. The trainers of
the Constitution, then knowing these facts, ii they
put upon that ause the modern republican inter-
probation, must have been clearly either knaves or
FOOLS But Mr.. Madison, in the FederGtSt, puts the
true Interpretation upon the clause, when he says:-
"But the authority extends no iurther than to
guarantee OF republican form OF government which
supposes pre- eAIsuDg form of government of the
form which IS TO be guaranteed As long, therefore,
by the States, they are guaranteed by the Federal
Constitution. Whenever the States may choose to
substitute other republican forms OF government,
theV nave rlght SO TO do, and claim the Federal
guaran ee tOr the latter"
Mark too, more especially, the language of this
latter clause, when the States may choose;" not
the Congress, your theory would have 1t. Now
in this bret extract is presented overwhelming
answer to all the crudites and sophlstries Of the
Republican party, as to the meaning OF this clause
IN the Constitution. 1t makes manifest that 1t gives
no authority for the United States, either through
the Executive or Congress to interfere in the forma
ton of the Government OF STATES. 1t is luminous
and authoritative exposition of this clause, made by
one of the trainers OF that instrument who did more
to shape and fashion IT than ali the others engaged
in the great work. II Is wonderful how fully
and completely this account of the origin Of this
guarantee of pub Ican form of government
refutes and destroys all the CLOSES which have
lately been attempted to Oe put upon II, as
an authority ior the United States to inter-
tere in the inUerna condition or concerns OF the
states. The United states, then, has no greater
power by means of this clause than It had on the
first adoption OF the Constitution, The true inter-
probation OF H. stood it's adoption is Its true
Interpretation at the present time. What it was
then, il Is now. What ant then, 1t means now,
and no more; ana II is ear thar it had not aud
could not have, any regard to state laws with re.
spect 10 race, color, class, suffrage testimony, or
any thing OF that character
1t really appears to me, looking at the entire
course OF the Republican party, both in the sentl-
ment expressed by its press, and by the abnormal
action of its majority in Congress towards the de-
feated section, forcing from them such concessions
that If granted, will only to encourage dlscord
and strife, and in tho end destroy all hopes of a
lasting peace; that, in the words OF Dryden
eat least such subtle covenants shall be made,
Till peace Itseh is war in masquerade"
II is dangero axe, rest assured, that you are
playing in substituting revenge for juSticethe vii
of tho stronger for constitutional obligation. You
remember what M Webster once said THAT 1t
10 no matter whether the Sultan Of Turkey robs
subject OF his property and nis rights or whether,
under the notion of re publican equality, tue pro-
perty and rights earned bV one shall be taken from
MIN by majority"
For time you may triumph, but be assured thai
you are only '1ayng up wrath for the day of
wrath" The result OF the recent elections, IN this
awful crisis of the counry's history have made the
Republican party the trustees of the public liberty
and safety Never before IN the worlds history
was 40 momentous a trust imposed upon political
organization You have 1t in your power to restore
unity peace and lasting prosperity to distrac ed
and divided country. Ii you are the great national
party you pro to be, you can rss superior TO the
ignoble passions ana narrow preiudices OF the hour,
ana make your name and fame eternal by
the beneficial agencies through which you
can accomplish these asting blessings for the nation
II these blessings are secured after the frghGu
cost that has been 80 freely paid for their attain
ment-n you prove UNANIMOUSLY ta!se to the solemn
pledges you have given, pleferrlng the qualification
OF a mean partisan maliRnitY aud revenge to the
unity and peace OF your country-hen, brilliant
and unprecedented as has been your triumph, so
much the more fearful will be your fail That Ne.
meals, "which never yet OF human wrong left the
unbalanced sea e." will have ITS Judgments In store
There are times when the fullest discus
sion of public questions should be welcomed
Hence, we publish with pleasure the able and
well-written article of our correspondent.
Let us indicate lew points in reply
First. The Constitution clearly implies that
the question as to whether any particular
State, or States, have republican form oi
government, may arise. Whenever that ques
ton does arise, we asserted, in the article
from which our correspondent quotes, that
Congress is necessarily clothed with the
power Of deciding what are and what are not
republican forms of government. Does oul
correspondent deny this?
Secondly. That question has noso arisen
The Governments of the late Rebel States
vent out of existence with the overthrow o
the Rabel armies. This is not matter o
tbaorv. or of Implication, but OF fact Nelt