North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1867-06-26
LoYALTY--WHAT is III.


servstive Republican paper-eontains 80
much sensible talk to class of fanatical
ignorant block-heads" in this region, Of
whom the man FrailE isatype, that we
give it place ID the Democrat; /; but with
no purpose. of dignifying, nor making him
appear more contemplate. An attempt
to do either, would certainly be a waste
of time and space.
The Ne,Cs says:
Mr.. John G.. Fraley, of Mehoopany,
Wyoming County. writes US saying that
when he subscribed for the Dollar Weekly
News, two years ago, be thought it was a
loyal paper; but that he has recently con-
cluded that it is not, and he, therefore, di-
rects it to be discontinued. This is all
right, of course. Mr.. John c. Fraley is
entitled to entertain just such opinions as
he pleases In regard to the News or its
editor, and if his subscription is paid up,
we shall be square. But Mr. Fralev's
present opinion of the News is suggestive,
and we are hence induced to inquire wheth-
er or not he knows what it is to be loyal.
Divesting this word of the veroiage that
has accumulated around it, the meaning of
it is simply to be true and faithful. To
what are we required to be true and faith
full here? To all our obligations, whether
they be domestic or political. Ifa man is
faithful to his wife, he is loyal 20 her if
he is not, he is disloyal. 1t he is faithful
to the government under which he lives,
he is loyal if he is not, he is disloval, and,
therefore, traitor to that government
Is the Philadelphia Neos faithful to the
government of the United States What
is the government? Is it Congress Is
it the Supreme Courti Is it the Presi-
dent? During the war it was taught that
the President is the government, and
hence many persons who failed to agree
with Mr.. Lincoln, and did not support
him, were then denounced as disloyal.-
But neither Congress, the Supreme Court,
nor the President can be considered as the
government here, but we confess that an
effort is now being made to have the for
mer recognized as the supreme power
We claim that these three elements to-
gether constitute the government that
whilst each is possessed Of certain restrict
ed powers under the Constitution, all must
act in unison to form the government to
which the loyalty of the citizen is due. -
Congress can commit treason Just as well
or as bad, perhaps we ought to say-as
an individual can, and when it does COM
NIT an act of treason, it is tie duty of the
executive of the nation to interpose his
power as such against it, just as it is the
duty of Congress to oppose the power of
impeachment against the President, or
Judge of the Supreme Court, for an act of
treason on the part of either.
But to whom and to what does Congress
owe allegiance first and above all to the
Constitution. which is the sheet anchor of
our liberties, and then to the people. Is
Congress loyal No! Why? Because
it has set at defiance and overridden the
Constitution by doing that which it is de-
clared in that instrument it shall not do;
and because we refuse to JOIN Congress in
its treason, Mr.. John G. Fraley, of Me-
hoopany, concludes that the Daily Neacs
is not loyal newspaper
But Mr.. F. says LIE served three9syears
in the war, and that he never ran away
We are glad to know this, and regret that
as much cannot be said of some other Radi-
Gals whom we know. But what did you
90 into the army for, Mr.. Fraley To fight
Very well. And what were you to fight
for ? The Union, eh ? Very good. You
and yeur hundreds Of thousands of brave
comrades succeeded in saving the Union.
The government Congress and the Pres
ident together-declared that there could
be no secession, and that there should not
be. Together these combined authorities
declared that the only purpose of the war
was to maintain and preserve the Union of
these States, and under that banner you
enlisted. What are you doing now p
Charging disloyalty upon us, because we
stick to that platform, We went into the
war upon the same principle that you did,
not to abolish slavery, nor to confer the
right of suffrage upon negroes, nor to ele-
vate an inferior race above a superior one,
nor for spoliation, or anything of that kind
but to preserve the Union, and sustain the
government in all its integrity. We &C
cepted the abolishment of slavery as an es-
sential result of the war, but we did not,
and do not now, accept the new Radical
dogma that, whilst State may not secede
from the Union, it may yet be driven out
and given over to a military despotism.
During the war we had no sympathy
with the southern people in their rebellion,
and we resisted and fought what were call
ed 'copperheads" because they had. We
have no more sympathy with rebellion now
than We had during the war but we have
both sympathy and pity for fallen and
penitent former foe. We resist the "cop-
perheads" now, just as we did whilst the
war was in progress, but instead ofinding
them in the locofoco party, as of yore, we
| find them in the Radical party. 1t makes
no difference to US where the enemies OF
our country are found, we are aga'nts them,
.oet o,,r ~,