The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-20
wind Thev Am Moan.

what They An Mean.
From ne Tribune.
''The Constitution as IL is, the Union as IL toas,
and the niggers as they soere" was potent and
popular CoppeIhead war cry throughout the
dark days of the Rebellion. Governor seward
having assumed the role of conservative"
directly after MIR. Llncon's first election, made
haste to despatch to Minister Dayton at Paris
the utterly gratuitous and wholly unauthorized
assurance that the status of no single human
being, whether bond or free, would be changed
by the result Of the war. He wrote the French
Minister in 1868 that the Rebels might resume
at pleasure the seats in Congress they had
wantonly abandoned-though the law expressly
forbade il. Vallandigham a. Co. tried repeatedly
to pledge Congress 10 this proposition, but un-
successfully, The freeing and arming of slaves
IN defense OF the Union was resisted quite as
iuriously as their eniranChisement now is, being
represented by Copperheads as death blow TO
all hope OF restoring the Union. And, though
driven from position alter position they are
still fighting on that line, so far as they have
been able to hold 1t.
Gen. Thomas Ewing, Jr., at the Cleveland
Convention on Monday, sald:-
'They owed allegiance rather to the Consttu-
ton than to phlldntroplc theories, however right.
To save the Constitution they were ready to
strike bands with the Democratic party, and
labor with 1t so long as 1t renamed true to the
vote TO degrade 200, 900 of their ablest men, or
to surrender one-fourth of their representatives
as penalty for refusing suffrage to thenegroes."
That is to say: The Rebels will not let the
blacks vote, but insist on voting for them.
Sambo's right to vote is an absurdity; but lie.
gree's right TO cast two votes--one for himself
and another for Sambo-will never be waived,
even though Legree should be kept out of Con-
gress till he consents 10 waive IT, Isn't Legree
an oppressed, prosecuted soul II he isn't allowed
to come back from his little experiment Of re-
bellion with two votes to our one?
The Times thus eXults over the Hoffman turn
out OF Monday evening -
1.-THE new lights of the radical party demand
conditions and concessions which never entered
into the mead OF Washington. They insist upon
innovation in all directions. The old religion
is out of fashion with them. The old morality
is in their minds synonymous with fogylsm.
And the old Constitution falls tar short OF their
standard. Therefore, they propose to recon-
struct the Union according to their amended
theory of the Constitution-not according to
the Constitution as its authors promulgated it.n
Why, sirs will your not comprehend thatw
are living under an "amended Constitution
not in theory, but in naked TACT? The Federal
Constitution which we now swear to support is
not 1.-THE Constitution as its authors promul-
gated it," but one radically different. That
Constitution allowed every State to do as it
pleased with its own people; the Constitution
as it stands to-day expressly clothes Congress
with the power and invests it with the duty of
guarding the liberties and personal rights of
all the people OF the United States. How can
you persist IN ignoring the most momentous,
elaring facts Why not realize that we are to
deal, not with an 'amended theory" but
vltally amended Constitutions
The platform OF the arm-in-arm National
johnson Convention OF Philadelphia ignored
the Constitutional amendment, and rested
the freedom of the blacks on naked assump-
ton that the Southern States have at
present no desire or purpose to re-establlsh
slavery. The New York ratfying meeting fol-
lows in the footsteps of its predecessor. No
where does conservative" gathering recog-
nize and honor the loyalty of the blacks in our
late struggle. Montgomery Blair says one hun
| dred of them helped the Rebellion where one
helped the Union Such calumnies on living
! and dead patriots are necessity Of the johnson
| attitude Falsehood is employed to cover the
| blackest inRratitude. But this cannot deceive
the great majority of the soldiers and the people.
We shall achieve true reconstruction and a
lasting peace-"true reconstruction" because it
excludes none, and an enduring peace because
it guarantees the rights and satisfies the just
aspirations of all