The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-28
STATE Politics.
Address Oftbe Union Republican
state Central Committee.
nM1rrrr RooMs. HAnnIsnURo, August "a

attention was inviled to suudry Issues and prin-
cipIes involved IN the pendng can yassj and also,
10 the political opinions and Judicial decisions OF
George Sharswood. A short review of the prin-
cipal occurrences since the last state campaign is
now considered proper. The contest OF 1866 was
fougbt in the main, upon the amendments pro-
posed by Congress to the Consultation OF the
United States. These were national issues ana
on the one side we're arrayed the Union Re
publican party and the "Boys in Blue" ana on the
other President johnson, the Democratic party,
and ali the rebels ana their 81 mpathlz'rs from one
end OF the Union 10 the other , -,
On these momentous issues PennsyIVanla raIlled
in her strength, and polled over one h@nGIea ana
nuaI election. Among the results We're tne
triumphant election of Major General Jonn W.
Gearv for Governor, and the indorsement OF Con-
Rrese by the return of delegation more unanl-
nous for the right than ever known before IN the
history OF the commonwealth. Other loyal states
united with us, and the insane ana wicked 'polcy"
of President johnson, and OF his new friends and
allies, was overwhelmed by the unpreeedented ana
fAotlsand uotesI Every STATE which hao Deen faith
iul 10 the national government aud the cause Of
the Union during the war approved tue proposed
amendments Every reoel Stute, except Tennessee,
rejected them; and under tnc renel provisional GO
vernments created by President Johnson, reosl
power resumed It's authority, aud became domin-
ant in their executive, legislative ana Judlclal de-
partments. Vagrant ana LABOR laws virtually re-
ensIaved the freedmen Loyal men were outlawed
and trampled under loot; and the revived spirit OF
the rebellion was every where triumphant Riots,
murders, outrages and assassinAIions were tue
order Of the day, and security for either the lives
or the property OF loyal men was nowhere found
Treason had front seats, loyalty mad been made
odious and traiorous coEspirators against the life
of the nation were vIndctiv5 and rampant.
Such was the condition Of public affairs in the
south when Congress convened in December, 1866.
This nation had solemnly resolved and voted That
the Union should be restored on the basis Of loy-
atty and justice; and to this end was the Forheth
Congress elected. Hence were passed the R5con-
struction laws in execution of the recent popular
verdict. The President vetoed them refusing to
accept or abide by the decision OF the people, to
whom he had otten and so vaunLingly appealed.
Congress re-enacted them over the vetoe5 by more
than the required two.thirds, and they are now
the laws of tue land. Under them, including the
amendments of last session, reconstruction is ra-
pidly progressing, and would doubtless ere long
be successfully accomplished but for the persist
ent obstr ctions by the President, in defiance of
Congress and the popular will Justice Is being
done; loyal men, white and black have been pro-
teced from the malice of defeated rebels; treason,
in measure at least, has "bsen made odtous," and
traitors have been compelled "to take back seats'-
as Andrew Johnson, in lucid interval, declared
they should. Even the better portion of the reOsls
admit the justice of these Reconstruction laws,
and cheertully aoquesce in their provisions
General James Longstreet, distinguished reDel
officer, in a recent pu puolshed letter from New Or
leans, expresses himself as follows:
'tI shall set out by assuming proposition that
hold TO be self-evident viz: Tne highest of human
laws is the law that is established by appeal to
arms The great prip pciples that divided political
parties prior to the war were thoroughly discussed
by our wisest statesmen. When argument was
exhausted resort was had to compromise. When
compromise was unavailing, discussion was re-
newed and expedients were sought but none
could be found to suit the emergency Appeal
was nndlly mhue 10 lne SWORD, 10 QeLernl06
which of the claims was the true construction of
constitutional law. The sword has decided IN IA
vor Of the north, and what they claimed as princt-
pies to be principles, aud are become LdIO
The views that We hold cease to be principles be.
'ause they are opposed to law. II is, therefore, our
Eu1ltO abandon ideas that obsolete, and conform TO
htreqaTementS of lao. The military bill and amend
1entS are peace ofertngS We should accept them as
al and place ourseLUes upon them as tie stdrtfn0
1 from which TO meet future political tsSueS as they
Jtt Thompson, another rebel general in a late
GitIj to George Prentice, Esq, indorses the
construction laws of Congress thus:
THE confederate government wiped out State
Alghts the first year of its existence, bloody
wiped out slavery and wiped out the confederacy,
30 they obsolete ideas; and the PLAIN question
now presented is, 'Will you accept citizenship
under our terms, contained in this lawP and
enphdticGlly dRSDer, yes
II is greatly to be regretted that terms which are
O acceptable; the fighting rebels of the south
hould be 30 distasteful and cause so much clamor
rom their non-combatant sympaihizers in the
north.
nally defeated in battle, united their efforts to
lect sympathizers from the north, and to procure
he admission of enough rebels from the south TO
enable them, thToGgh congress, 10 attain what
they had lost in the field. This programme was
frustrated by the loyal people at The balot-box, e,
in the election of the Fortieth Congress. De-
feated in open war, and again in Congress, these
baIied consprators as last resort, are endeavor-
ng TO save "the lost cause" through the Courts.
They deny that anything has been settled by the
Wal; and boldly proclaim that ''ill these grave
penoipg questions" must be decided 0just in fact as
eU should haze been decided had they arisen eight years
ago or had Ivar taken place" (Pnladelphia Age,
July 6) They not only deny the constitutional
power of Congress TO impose terms upon the rebel
States people, but deny that Congress itself is q
lawful body because the rebel States are unrepre-
sented Hence the recent application 10 the Su-
preme Court of the United States for injuncuons
TO nullfy the Reconstruction laws of Congress in
Mississippi, Georgia, and other rebel States. In
the same interest, and OF the same character Is the
nomination of George Sharswood, we'll kno wn
and lifelong State-rights man, for the Supreme
Court of Pennsylvania. He judicially denies
the power OF Congress TO issue paper money,
or to give IL value by making 1t legal ten der.
Bore US TrOt, Legal InteEgencer Of March 49, 1854,
page g2) Judges Thompson and Wood ward, OF the
same court, not only announce these same doc
trines in the OF MerUne Sailor ct al (LegdL
ItelRgencer of June Is and 30 pages 1873 and POSI- but
In the cases OF hneeater et al. us Lane ct al. %
Wrighrs reports page 238) denied the power of
Congress in time Of war TO draft men into the mill
tary service The principles declared in these dec-
sions were as hostile to the national existence and
perpetuity as any assault ever made by General
Lee and his armed legions at Gettysburg or else
where. IL requires no argument to demonstrate
that, If these decisions currency and the draft
had prevailed and become the established law OF
the land, success in the war would have been
more impossible than If the rebel army at Rich
mond had been reinforced with half a million OF
men! Is IL safe, therefore, TO place another man
entertaining these opinions on the Supreme Bench
OF the State2
Forewarned should be forearme3. These Sups
Tior Courts now the 'laet ditch" of the reOel.
lion, and the country calls upon the "Boys In
Blue" and every loyal voter, to rally once more
to the rescuel
Complete your county and township organiza
tiOns without delay. With this thoroughly done
victory is sure; without IL, there is danger. Re
vive az once everywhere the Loyal Leagues anC
associations, which proved OF such vast service
he has something to do in the good work, and pro
ceed forthw TO do 1t with all his might Elk
clude all side Issues, localq uartels and persona
aspirations, and labor only for the public good b
dona I'D hy ha annn nan