The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-07-13

and cordially 1t is vain to deny or
ignore this fact. 1t is absurd to pre-
tend not to see it. We thus acted,
and acted upon conviction, and with
upright intentions and approving con-
sciences. We will not deny that there
were not occasional EXCEPTIONS; but
they were extremely rare-scarcely
enough to prove that unanimity was
the rule The most of those who
pretend to have been exceptions are
impostors now, or were impostors
then. But we cOncede that the
Southern people may be divided into
| two classes; the one comprising at
| least nine hundred and ninety
out of every thousand, who sustained,
supported, sympathized with, abetted
/ and encouraged the Confederate Gov
eminent and the Confederate cause;
/ and the other class, including per-
haps one in each thousand, who were
in heart the other way; or who have
since pretended that theywere There
the two classes stand, the multitude
and the handful, the latter barely suf-
fcient to tally the thousands in count
ing the former.
Now we desire to know in the first
place, when the Southern people are
| invited to participate in the Philadel-
phia Convention, is there any discrine-
iadtion as between the two classes
above named? So far as we at present
understand, it would seem that there
IS, that only those are wanted who, as
the Republican has said, approve the
administration of Mr. Lincoln as we'll
as of Mr.. johnson. We are told that
all true Union men are expected to
send representatives; but we are in
doubt whether we are intended to be
included in that description. We
should not hesitate it if left to our
own consciousness: but we are so ac-
customed to be abused as traitors and
Williams by three-fourths of the Con-
gress, and defended, when defended
at all, with so many qualifications and
disclaimers, that we do not know GER
tainly what is meant Tell us plainly
lis the invitation to the e-hearted
Southern people, or the exceptional
phrase as loyal " or Union !" men?
Again, Are the representatives to
be different from the people? The
Democratic address asks us to elect
wise, moderate, and conservative
men" Very good-we agree to that
The IatelAgencer, in commenting on
this address, tells US that the repre-
sentatives should be those whose
loyalty should be asnqnestio'sed and
UNREASONABLE. /" Now, three -fourths
of the Congress question the 10y
| atty OF almost every man in the South.
They declare it unsafe to trust us
with any share in the government.
Unquestioned by whom = Are
we to be restricted by such men as
Bolts and Underworld
These questions have a close con
nection with another, that is more i'm
portant still: The Democratic ad-
dress endorses the principles set forth
in the Call. The Call may be very
easily construed as asserting the
right of each House of Congress to
prescribe any test whatever for ad-
mission to membership, and as in
Guiding justification of the present
official test oath. The National In
telIigencer of Saturday, seems to have
abandoned its positions, to occupy the
same ground. It said:
Congress has the power to exclude
all the applicants from the South for
seats in that body who are not truly
loyal. There is no fear that any re-
bel, or even 4ny sympathizer with the
rebellion, would be admitted. In the
language of Governor Morton, each
House judges for itself whether the
person claiming to be admitted as a
member has been properly elected; or
has been elected by a people who
| have a right to be represented in Con-
gress; or whether he is man of such
character as. would be entitled to sit
in their body as a man and equal for
if he be a convicted felon, or traitor
who has shed the blood of loyal men
in efforts to destroy the Government,
they have right to say they viii not
give him fellowship. ~ ~ se.5
And it further quotes approvingly
from the New York Post: ~
i" A law of Congress demands that
every person that claims seat there
shall present his credentials and SUBJ
scribe certain oaths, which has been
enormously called test-oaths.' A
/ test-oath, in the common accepta-
ton of the phrase, is an oath
binding man not to hold certain
faith or belief, and not to do certain
I things which that faith would require
Of him. But the oath demanded by
Congress is to the effect that the per-
| son taking it has not, az the past, been
in rebellion against the government.
/ Under that oath none but men who
have been consistently and persist
emily loyal to the government can
enter Congress. III.
| Now if it is designed to accompany
| Southern representation in Congress.
| when accorded, with such conditions
as the above, it is very proper in like
manner to prescribe conditions to par
ticipation in the Philadelphia Conyen-