The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1866-12-29
ffrom the columbia Press
Who in Right ?

mO N kSAkMk
We can imagine no position in which
a young man can be placed, more EN-
barrassing, than TO be the recipient OF
severest censure, from one for whose emi-
nent qualities, both of head aud heart,
he has always entertained THO highest
respect. Such sentiments We possess to-
wards the editor OF the Oregon Herald
and trust that no event may ever trans
pire TO change them, aud il is with the
deepest regret that, to him first, VIC arc
forced to apply the language OF our s'pros-
pectus," I'VE shall pin our faith 10 no man,
nor suffer ourselves TO be influenced BY
central dictation." We feel as deeply
that the course We have taken and shall
continue to take, will strengthen the ranks
Of the Democracy, purify the political at
mosphere, reestablish political honesty, re-
instate at the national capitol men, guilt
less of sectionalism and the base feelings
Of revenge and hate as docs our friend
the opposite. We will nght under no
masked battery, neither viii We lay in
ambush. We are sincere and honest in
our position. The charge, indirectly
made Of ''cowardly thrusting him under
the fifth rib" is ten fold more applicable
to the man or journal who pats the
President on the back under the pretence
Of friendship, but for the real purpose of
getting him the deeper into the quarrel
with his friends, who elected him, than
to US who boldly assail him, because We
think he is wrong. The President says
the Herald, "has repeated aud reiterated
in every form IN which the proposition
could be stated, that all are loyal who
submit to the Constitution and the laws"
but he further tells that Rump uneonsti-
tutional Congress, that they, not him arc
the judges Of the qualiications,-the 10y.
atty aud disloyalty Of the members of their
own body. Is that removing the pretext
Is it not rather filing up the gulf between
himself and Congress SO that he may 60
over to them dry shod ! So now the
Southern States are restored to full fel
lowship in the Union 10 all respects save
Representation, and the President says
each house is Judge of the qualifications
of It's own as members. Congress says
they are all disloyal, so according TO the
President, they can be all shut out. As
we are young man we naturally like to
be supported by the opinion of others,
and quote the San Francisco Examiner.
Nor can We agree with the position Of
the President, not positively asserted, il
is true, but put forward By implication,
that under the clause Of the Constitution,
giving each House of Congress the right
. to Judge Of the election returns and quail
+ ifications of its members, they have an
unlimited right to reject any one they
may sec proper. If so, tho Rump, with
their present fictitious two-thirds MAORI
ty, have only to extond their test oath
and make it apply toall men who were in
any manner connected with the Damo
cratic party, or voted for any of its nomi
I! nees during the war Conccde this as al
unlimited power, and Congress becomes Q
5 sell. .perpetuating body and the Constitu
s ton a nullity. That instrument pre-
/ serbs the qualification OF members ofCon
gress, and that body has no right to fis
q other conditions than those therein writ
ten. The right of each House TO judg,
of these qualifications extends only to as
: pertaining whether they accord will
those written ia the Constitution. To re
: fuse, therefore, a seat to Senator becaus'
(. he has been actively Unidentified with tn,
I Southern cause, would be as palpably un
= constitutional as to close the doors of Con
g gress against man because he was
y Democrat or Catholic Tho assertion
|, of power contained in that test oath ha
no limit"
Does the Herald take issue with tn
Examiner IF so in the Herald's owl
: language, we must "repudiate our politi
!. cal prophets and teachers and return t
$ common sense" No, friend Brown, W
e are not "hard up for subject" arc not
$ spelling for fight" The words 'qoyal
Q ty' and ssdisloyalty" are repulsive to VI
b During the war many good man trem
bled as the words were pronounced, an,
: fed from the reach Of him, to whom 10y
J atty was said to be due. We would hav
the President Danish it from his vocabu
larry and substitute ssobedient to the law
: and Constitution of the United States
. This much We have to say in answer t
! the first charge ever made against us Q
: doing aught to give aid and comfort t
2 the radicals. We have not sought tn
e controversy, and do not think we did any
thing to merit the ceAsure, or that &C
i cording to party rules, the Herald had
right to administer the rebuke.
rHV