Bloomsburg democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1867-1869, 1867-03-20

insure domestic tranquility, promote the
general welfare, provide for the common
defence. and secure the blessings Of liberty
to ourselves and to our posterity." These
great ends have been attained heretofore,
and will be again by faithful obedience to it,
but they are certain to be lost il, we treat
with disregard its sacred obligations. It
was to punish the gross crime Of defying the
Constitution, and to vindicate its supreme
authority, that we carried on bloody war
of four years duration. Shall we now &C.
knowledge that We sacrificed a million Of
lives, and expended billions of treasure, to
enforce Il Constitution which is not worthy
of respect and preservation? Those who
advocated the right of secession alleged, in
their own justification, that we had no regard
for law. and that their rights Of property,
If. and liberty would not Be safe under the
Constitution as administered by us. If we
now verify this assertion, we prove that
they were in truth and in fact lighting for
their liberty. And, instead of branding
their leaders with the dishonoring name Of
traitors against righteous and legal Gov
ernment, we elevate them in history to the
rank Of selfsacrifcng patriots consecrate
them to the admiration Of the wo:ld, and
place them by the side of Washington,
Hampden and Sydney No. Let US leave
them to the infamy they deserve. Punish
them as they should be punished, according
to law, and take upon ourselves no share Of
the odium which they should bear alone.
II is part of our public history, which can
never be forgotten that both Houses of Con-
gress in July, 1861, declared in the form of
solemn resolution, that the war was and
should be carried or for no purpose of sub
jugation. but solely to enforce the Constitu-
ton and laws, and that when this was
yielded by the parties in rebellion the con.
test should cease, with the constitutional
rights Of the States, and Of individuals un-
impaired.
This resolution was adopted and sent forth
to the world. unanimously by the Senate.
and with only two dissenting voices by the
House 1t was accented by the friends of
the union in the South as well as in the
North, as expressing honestly and truly the
object of the war. On the filth of it many
thousands of persons in both sections gave
their lives and their fortunes to the cause.
To repudiate it now. BY refusing to the
States, and the individuals within thcn., the
rights which the Constitution and laws of
the Union would secure to them is breach
of our pliyhted honor. for which | can i'm
agine no excuse, and to which | cannot vol
unfairly become a party.
Tam tborouob,v convinced that anv cot.
Element or comnromise. or plan of action
which Is inconsistent with tbe nrincinles Of
the I Tonst;tn,;on No w;I NOT t onlv he mnava;linc
hnt mi.cb;ovnus tLat !. viii Irt mult;nlv
,be M nrosent ,,s @ ev;Is instead of rcmov;rr then,
Tho Wons.;.u,;n onet V,, ;m ;t wbo,a ;nto";,v oni
rinor 1 % throuahont Il the al Ien"th , and breadth Of
thse HI ,.uJ un' ~ ,ho Lest nf sll eomnromises
Ro.dos R . mr 10 .d dutr % Joos NOT in ony ;udyment
IoSo us oal ohn"s botwo"u @ an" that and onv othcr
hsl;or. w. ,bat . j. .onto;ns o tie % remejv That ia
D'moi' & "aod .nai y ' omd ,h.t r. tba co.ordmotn
br,nohos U In "ef of tba co Governmant would mn;te
,,nnn ;ts nrov;s;ons thew would he found
broad enopgh and strong encurb to sustain.
in t;me nf es,"o no nai;on wbicb tbev bore
saelu m s1I ,bropo% Tr % The I ordenl Of notractsd
civil war Among the most sacred puaran.
,ess @ ~ ~ That ;n.tr,,mont ant are % tbn.e which de-
claro n y That % ..nacb State .IaI have q least one
,omrssnnt,,;va @ "" % I" and tbat ..no State without
ont its cnnse", shaIi he derived Of its enuai
suffrage in the Senate" Each House is
made the H.Judcc of the elections. returns
and Qualifications of its own members, Z" and
mnv, will Tho concurrence of two-thirds,
ewnel % mawber" @ Tins. ns heretofore
,rged n the admission Of Senator's and
Renre esentotivcs from any and all the States,