The Louisiana Democrat., 1867-12-25
viii Congress Persevere in Revol-
ution.
from the National Intelligence


In view of the profound and very signif-
cant message Of the President, it is very
important for US all to know, with precis-
ion, what the people of the North and
West have decided BY the recent elections.
To this end let US survey the ground care.
fully.
When the States recently voting held
their annual elections last year, the pro-
posed fourteenth amendment to the Con-
stitution, known as the constitutional
amendment, carried in Congress over the
Pres dents veto, had been submitted to
the Southern States, and had been virtu.
ally rejected by them. They protested
against being compelled to adopt an
amendment to the Constitution that placed
their people in the degrading attitude be-
fore the world of eliminating, dishonoring,
and Furnishing the leaders chosen by them
selves, and who were no more guilty than
they were. Whatever penalties and pun
ishments the Government Of the United
States resolved to inflict, they declared
themselves willing tacitly to accept; and
to bear with as much fortitude as they
might be able to summon for the occasion ;
but they were not willing to be subjected
to the ineffable disgrace and pain Of being
made the instruments Of marking the
graves Of their own children as felonious
aud Infamous, and to be forced to pro-
nounce with their own voices the proscrip-
ton of those who had occupied the first
positions in thei. Government and armies,
only because they had placed them there.
But their appeal, honorable and natural as
it must appear to have been to all Impair
tial men, was either not understood or not
respected, if comprehended.
The rejection Of this amendment by the
Legislatures of the Southern States was
seized upon by. the revolutionists OF the
rotten Radical party Of the North as a
pretext for indaming passion and arousing
prejudice. Although the Southern masses
| Of white people had religiously Kept the
faith pledged at Appomattox Courthouse,
the cry was raised by the Northern Radi-
Gals that the rebellion was not yet crushed
that it was in danger Of breaking out anew;
Without waiting to consider how power.
| less were the disarmed and impoverished
neople Of the South to renew hostilities
| the Northern people listened to this ap
| peal from their crafty political leaders, and
responded to it by majority Of sixty-hvt
thousand in Massachusetts, in Connecticut
by a small majority, in California BY thirty
two thousand, in Pennsylvania By seven
teen thousand, in Ohio BY forty-two thou
sand, in New Jersey by Blk thousand, ant
lin New York by fifteen thousand. Iht
success Of the Republican party in all thes'
State elections was overwhelming. The.
| held the House Of Representatives in th'
Congress by two-thirds vote. and the.
held the Senate by nearly t~o-thlrds.-
1 The sequel plainly shows that the leader
Of the Republican party, Under these clI
cumstances, believed their popular steengtl
to be perfectly irresistible, and Of the mos
permanent character. 81
1 They proceeded, accordingly, to expe
/ Mr.. Stockton from the Senate, notwith
standing the report Of the Judiciary Com
4 Imittee in his favor. and the chairman Q
/ that COMMITTEES being Mr.. Trumbull, Q
i Illinois; and this extraordinary act, bein
/ forthwith followed by the introduction Q
several Senators from newly constructs
Estates, without any sufficient constituent
bodies, soon enabled the Republican part
Ito control two-thirds Of the Senator's
Chamber. This two-third power, now bel
lin both Houses, made the Congress, in tn
4 administration Of the Government, nearl
absolute, as the supreme political asgenc asgen
Of the Republican party.
i Encouraged by these remarkable tr
umphs, and excited by the ambitions I
the Presidential aspirants, each Of thes
! imagining that the extremist ultraism wa
. the true KEY to the popular favor, the r
publican party was, at once, betrayed int
4 sudden and almost complete developmer
! ''Eof its revolutionary aud fatal designs.
Z They endeavored forthwith to terrify, b