North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1867-07-17

The article below we copy from that
sterling exchange thtNadison Daily rnios.
1t is better leader than we can write and
we lead it to show the acknowled gedment
Of superiority. Often we have cSsnbatted
the same nonsense that the Union So eaec-
tually dissipates, but we do not remember
to have seen anything closer to the point
than this
"MR. SUMNER, in the course Of to-day's
debate, alluded to the governments of Oh
10 and Pennsylvania as not republican in
FORM, ,rr, ~, r,,,y,~r
1t has been more than once suspected,
that the course pursued towards the South
was but stepping stone to an interference
with the affairs Of some Of the States north
of the Potomac. Before the war, Theo-
dore Parker proposed that the government
should abolish slavery by virtue of the
clause in the Constitution which guaran-
tees toievery State "a republican form of
government" Then Mr.. Sumner was a
disciple of Parker, and was one of class
Of men who would have brought on a civil
war upon their own motion, if the hot tenn
per Of the, South had not anticipated them.
| The spirit which then actuated them still
controls them, intensified and fercer, and
will impel them to acts and to tile invasion
of established rights, which may lead to
more strife and bloodshed. An attempt
to overthrow the governments of such
States as New York, Ohio and Pennsylva-
MIA, will inevitably meet with resistance,
never mind under what pretext the az
tempt be made. q aIao u s. .'os5 f"3e7
What do these men mean by "a re-
publican form IF government p If they
look to the origin Of the word "republi-
can" they surely cannot claim that -
means anything ike what they appear to
assert it does. In Rome, after the cxpul-
sion .of'the Kings, the government was
called Republic, though the Statewa d.
vided into different classes, some of which
possessed many more privileges than 9th
ers. No one will pretend that there was
anything like equality among the Sena-
tors, Knights and Commons, The Com
mons, or even the Knights, were excluded
from certain Offices, which could only be
filed by Patricians. It is true, that in some
elections, all the tribes voted, which fact,
taken together with the. absence Of. the
kingly, function, made what. the Romans
called republic. mother words, sigov--
ernment in which the mass Of the citizens
have q voice. and which has none Of the
features Of a monarchy. is republican in
form, although all the inhabitants may
not be endowed with equal privileges, OF
entitled to citizenship. In the formation
Of our own government, the word republS
can was used as acknowledgement from
monarchal, and in TINT sense, the United
States was to guarantee TO every State a
/, republican government. When the Con-
stitution was adopted, slavery existed in
almost all the States, and, 10 most of them,
there were restrictions upon suffrage, and
i yet, our forefathers thought they were es.
tablishing republican government. In
Pennsylvania, in whose borders the con.
yention which framed the Constitution sat
in those days there were great numbers Of
men who were not enfranchised, yet Benz
Franklin and others, never dreamed that
they were living under any other but q re
publican government. u It is lefito such
men as Sumner to discover, at this latt
day, that the men Of the Revolution were
mistaken, or, that they put into the Con
stitution words destructive oflthe system.
they themselves were cherishing and liv.
ing under. .l1g 1ll.e, 3.
The Constitution. guarantees the ssform''
and it is left to the State to decide, each
for itself, how and by whom, under that
form, the rights, privileges and immunities
Of citizenship may be enjoyed. In the
States, every liberal mind will assert, not
only equality tofl all before the law, but
equal rights for NIL the enjoyment Of the
privileges, and participation in the da-
ties Of citizenship. In some States, pub
lie policy may seem to require distinctions
to be made, and then it does not come
within the Federal authority to- interfere,
but the remedy must be found in those
states themselves, in the liberal sentiments
or just views of the peoples, to whom the
appeal should be made.
Sumner and his friends are only raising
| this cry about "a republican form Of GOV
ernment,"' in order to put their fanaticl
theories in operation, or for the, purpose Of
concentrating a deep laid scheme for cen
tralizing all the powers Of the Union in tie
hands Of the Federal Government. The
rights of the States, which have been, per
haps, too vehemently asserted, have incsr,
red their profound hostility, and they wo'i
overthrow them entirely, # Congress have
the right to set aside the fundamental LAW
4 Of Ohio or New York, because negroes
cannot vote at all, or only under restric-:
tions, then, under the, same prete4t Of
4 guaranteeing 20 republican form Of gov
ernment,' the constitutions Of New Jersey
] and Vermont may be overthrown If female
suffrage be denied therein, when Congress
deems such suffrage to be republican,
Thus, all the States will be at the mercy
4 Of the Federal power, for it will only be
necessary for Congress to imagine some
| thing to be republican, to enable that body
to lay it's hands upon oil or any Of the III
situations Of the States. 49, I ~
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