The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-01-25

The Chicago 7imss quotes from . cores
pondence between President Lincoln and the
rebel Alex. 81. Stephens, and espouses the
side of the controversy maintained BY the
rebel Stephens, against the patriot Lincoln,
of course. Mr.. Lincoln denied the binding
authority Of the doctrine Of the bred Scott
court, which extended slavery into the Terri.
tories, and virtually declared the vested rights
of shareholders, in this country, ~ prior in
time to the formation of the Constitution OF
the United States, and paramount to that, -
well as to the natural right of Liberty, inhes
rent in air men, Stephens, Of coEss, con.
CURED with the court, and when he bund the
people Of the United States unwilling to
yield to this assumption, he made it . cardi-
nal point-the orner-stone-upon which he
sought to establish new Government, on
the ruins of the old one.
1t is perfectly natural, that the Chicago
Times, should sympathize with the traitor
Stephens, and condemn the savior Of his
country; for the Times was against Lincoln,
and with Stephens, from the 6rsL and
throughout the-war. But We think the Times
little impolitic, TO say the least, in making
Il matter of accusation and denunciation
against the Republican party, that il agrees
with Lincoln, rather than with Stephens, in
its views Of policy, aud its understanding of
the Constitution.
Mr.. Lincoln said to Mr.. Stephens: "You
think slavery is right, and oughtto be- extend,
ed, while we think it is rrong, and ought to
be restricted. That, suppose, is the rub, =
Upon this, the Times says:
"The reasoning of AR. Lincoln in this is that
upon which his party has proceeded since. Its
own conceptions Of right have been It's rule OF ac
tion, and il has acknowledged limit to this rule.
Mr.. Stephens denied the constitutional power Of
Congress to restrict slavery, and quoted the de-
cisisn Of the Supreme Court in the bred Scott cass
TO sustain the denial. He also asserted that, as
the Territories were the common property OF the
United States the citizens Of each State had com
rights in them. Tn democratic rule is that
the Constitution is the criterion of right in Ped
eral legislation. The Republican rule is that the
judgment of Congress is the criterion Of right in
enscting laws regardless Of the Constitution"
And more to the same purpors, the whole
object Of which is to exalt the rebel view of
the Constitution OF the United States, as the
only possible view TO be taken,
Of thai instrument and 10 insist that Mr..
Lincoln and the Republican party paid no
regard whatever to the provisions Of the Con-
s.itutiou.
The traitors of the South, with the dema-
Rogues of the North, have been accustomed
TO this kind of perversion and villi6cation of
Mr., Lincoln, and those who stood BY him,
for years past.
Now, the party which is charged with ut
Ter disregard and contemp. OF the
Constitution Of the United States,
is the party, which, at the last fall elections,
carried every Northern State BY oyerwhelm-
ing maiorities and is the same party which
rallied under the stars and stripes, and waged
war Of four long years, at great sacrifice OF
life aud treasure, to preserve the Union and
maintain the Constitution under the lead Of
President Lincoln And the party which, the
Times claims, has such unsel6sh devotion to
the Constitution, is the party which was sig
nally defeated at the polls last fall, through
out the North, as it had been previously, on
the battefelds of the South in the Confed.
eracy, of which this same Alex. Il. Stephens
was Vice President. The Times, itself, has
chosen Lincoln as the exponent Of the Re.
publican position, and Mr.. Stephens as the
Democratic expounder of the Constitu-
ton. And the course of these two
men, during the war, is fair exemplii>
cation, Of the practical course taken by these
two parties, under their opposite views of the
Constitution Of the country. The Stephens
party, waged iwar Of rebellion against the
Government, to maintain the Constitution.
and the Lincoln party, whipped them out
!" on that line" in support of their view of
the Constitution and the Union.
Buchanan, the leader of the Democratic
party, in the Presidential chair, tamely looked
on, while the rebellion was organized, and
declared in his annual message to the coun.
AIRY, and the world, that under the Cous,i,u.
tion, the Government had DO right, or power,
e. crush out the armed rebellion Of States,
confederated in hostile array against the Fed
eral Government. That was the public, gen.
eral position of the leaders of the Democrat
ic party, in the North, as we'll as the official
position Of their President.
On the other hand, when Mr.. Lincoln a.
suned the Presidential chair, he repudiated
Buchanan's non-ooercion" position, and
said, that he had taken an oath to support the
rfutfp nd L. IS ~
and the authority Of the Federal Government
over all the States of the Union, and he did
IL.
In the meantime, Stephens, and his "cor-
ner stone confederacy, were waging their
war Of rebellion. for the maintenance of the
Constitution, of the United States; while the
Northern wing of the Democracy, was howl.
ing down President Lincoln and the Repub-
hcan Congress for usurpstion, tyranny. and
the destruction Of the Constitution of the
United States, and the overthrow of the lib.
critics OF the country. In this the party WAS
consistent, and logical, for If "non-coer.
cion' was the true Constitutional doctrine.
and If the Constitution really rendered the
DS'~iAnNhs iAueCiley ana poWerieAS TO
maintain its own existence, against "Sov-
ereign States in armed rebellion, then all
the war measures Of Mr.. Lincoln's Adminis>
trstion were unconstitutional; and the De-
mocracy might constit,aionaily oppose them;
Mr.. Lincoln, and the Republican party
certainly, quite as much as any other Pres;
dent, or party, held to the supremacy, and
binding obligation of the Constitution. But
they regarded the Constitution as bond of
Union, a conservator Of liberty and Justice.
and as the paramount Law Of the land, in spite
of all the pretensons of State Sovere;vntv
The Republican party, like Mr.. Lincoln.
glory in the esreign,y of the Union: III.
Democratic parir like Stephens, glory il the
sovereignty of me States. Their symp..
thies are with secession, oars with m.
on'oni their pariisities, are for slavery and
the stakeholder; ours, for freedom and free
men. Hence, they adopt and follow. in their
Interpretation Of Inc Constitution. Ca,bor,
Buchanan and JeT Davis; while Va. nm ~.
contrary, adopt the view Of the powers NJ n.
Government under the Constitution m.;n.
H. -