The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-12
TIE KEW YORK PRESS.
upuohiAE OPINIONS on TIE LEADEa yoURNALs
npon CURRENT ToPIcs-coNPmED EvRRY
DAT PoR TEE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
nowllae for tha oonstlt..tlon.


and longest bowling for the Constitution are
two Of the members from this city in the pre-
eept Congress-James Brooks and Fernando
Wood. On Tuesday last, just before the
passage Of the new Reconstruction bill, the
howIing Of Brooks for the Constitution was
painful to hear, and the bowling Of Wood was
equally dismal. The howl of the one was that
of a hungry Bohemian whose occupation is
zone. and the howl of the other was that of
the political huclxster who could find no ten
Thousand dollar Job in the bill before the
House. At the conclusion of all this melan-
oholy, senseless, and useless howling, "Old
Thad. Stevens" in closing up the debate, in a
plain statement of the actual political situation
of the South and of the absolute and exclusive
powers of Congress over the subjugated Rebel
States made short and decisive work of the
constitutional twaddle of our two bowling
dervishes, and the bill was passed-yeas, 119;
nays, 81. ,5..
According to the historian Brooks, this bill
upsets the Bill of Rights, the old English
barOns and their Magma Charta, the Massa-
ohusetts Declaration of Rights, and every
natural and national law, in addition to the
Constitution. It is worse, he protested, than
thelaw Of conquest applied by the Tartars to
China; it has no parallel ''except in the inhu-
man conduct of the Duke of Alva;" it out
Herods the Gar of Russia and the Emperor of
Austria, and lacks the wisdom of the negro
governments of Hayt and Liberia. Master
Brooks knew not what the President of the
United States would do; but, said Master B.,
''were | in his position know what would
do before sending this bill back to Congress.
would send Sheridan to Massachusetts and
Maine, and Sickles to Walrussia, to teach the
Esquimaux. Why should Mr.. Johnson be
afraid of impeachment 7 Let them impeach."
We fear, however, that this appealing from
Felix to Caesar will not be heard by the "man
at the other end of the avenue"
The indignant bowling for the Constitution
by the representative of the New York Express
was appropriately followed by the pathetic
constitutional howl of the representative of
the old exploded Copperhead Daily Netos; but
it must be confessed that Fernando Wood, in
this effort as humanitarian, is only surpassed
by Greeley in his abounding charity for JEFF.
Davis. But what does all this constitutional
howling signifyf 1t is ''full of sound and
fury, signifying nothing" Messrs. Brooks and
Wood, like old Rip Van Wrinkle waking up
from his long sleep, are seven years behind
time. Their pleadings and howlings for the
Constitution might have been to some pur-
pose seven years ago, if administered in the
right direction. But within this interval of
seven years we have had tremendous con-
flict with a hostile confederacy of rebellious
States, which, repudiating the Constitution,
and setting themselves up as an independent
power, undertook, by force of arms, to esta-
blish a separate government. They were sub
dued, and thus became subject to the laws of
war and the will of the conqueror. Hence,
their system of African slavery, the corner
stone of their hostile confederacy, has been
abolished, and thus, in all other respects, they
have fallen absolutely under the discretion OF
Congress and the victorious loyal States.
These essential historical facts are over
ali AI,oaa fha i'm
ton in discussing this subject of reconstruc-
ton, from Brooks and Wood down to the
Charleston Mercury. With them the Rebellion
was nothing more than constitutional cleo
tion riot, or series of riots, running through a
period of four years. and all that has been
done since in the way of pains and penalties
has been unconstitutional and in violation,
too, of King Johns compact with those old
English barons.
In the progress of events, nevertheless, we
dare say that some even of these old fossil
politicians and constitutional howlers will be
brought to their senses. They have yet to
learn, however, that the Constitution itself is
not what it was seven years ago, but that, IN
the single amendment abolishing slavery, we
have accomplished in the Constitution greater
revolution than was effected from fifty years o1
civil wars in Rome, from Sylla to Augustus, OF
in fifty years of the civil wars of England
beginning with Charles the First and ending
with William of Orange. Yes, in this single
amendment we have a greater revolution In
the cause of human progress and human rights
than has been accomplished in France from
that terrible convulsion of 1889 down to this
day, and there are still other amendments sooI
to become part of our supreme law of the land
How absurd, then, is this Copperhead bowling
over the Constitution of 1860, when the COnsti
tuition of 1867 has taken its place. tearing out
the State rights notions of Calhoun and the
Dred Scott decision of the Supreme Court o
1856 by the roots
The war has settled the question. Congress
has tull authority to reconstruct the conquered
Rebel States according to the Constitution, no
as 1t was, but as it is. This will be done, anC
through these Southern military proyisiona
governments. The ordeal is established. anC
the States concerned must pass through IL
All things considered, too, we are getting O,
very we'll. President Johnson has blunderee
sadly, and persists in his blunders. Norther,
Copperhead and Southern fre-eating howler
for the Constitution have created some trouble
radical fanatics have stood in the way a
stumbling blocks, and mock heroic philar
thropists, such as Greeley and Gerrit Smitl
in behalf of jeff. Davis, have made oonfusio
worse oOnfounded;" but still the good wor
of reconstruction goes on. jeff Davis is OF
of the way on straw bail, under the protectiC
of the New Dominion of Canada, and
Greeley, Gerrit Smith, and all these Cope
head hOwleTs for the Constitution were WI
the self-exiled President of the so-oalled 20
federate States, the good work would go on
great deal faster.
GenerOus Policy the One Thing Needf