The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-03-05

AhSlitisa sf the Repabiic.
The bill to abolish republican gov
eminent on this continent became 6
law by Congressional enactment on last
Saturday.
We do not misstate the case when We
SAY that the Military bill is the death
luell to free institutions in this land
Protesting To cOnfine its operations
totem of the lately rebellious States, it
NAV with equal propriety bespplied to
,ar government Of any of the States
Considered loyal.
II would be no greater violation Of
or.,nic law, no grosser transgression Of
,aa.. rational provisions, to establish
martial law in New York or Massachu-
.,,t, Tomorrow than To legalize the
military desIotisin under which the
S,,uih will hrnceiorth be placed.
II is revolution-none the less effect
I've because it is preaceful-it is a total
.niyer>ion oil our form of government
in either case.
The slime authority may be cited for
martial law in Pennsylvania that can
be given for military government in
yirninis, simply because the Constitu-
lion furnishes 10 warrant for such in
,unitv III either State.
The ..act I" provide for the more ef-
6cient government Of the rebel States
:. rank. and ,illainous usnrpatieD, and
III, iutamy wunld be no deeper if North
,ru instead of Southern States were the
victims. Hereafter every State-if. by
An, hctiuu or stretch of imagination a
State can rxist-will have its being and
discharge It's functions through Con-
yre>sional courtesy and forbearance
Alone.
Organic law, cOnsecrated and hal
lowed by the reverence of buried gen
rrarinnS. has failed to command the
respect of Radical innovatOrs. Consti-
tutional limitations of the most sacred
character have afforded no protection to
the south against II fierce lust of power,
aud should any Northern State here
after present barrier to Radical prog
Tess. the same power that has just OBJ
li;rrated ten sovereign States will still
be- available and will still be exerted.
The Constitutional provisions that
shielded and protected the States in
their sovereignty having been swept
away by the action of Congress on
Saturday. it will remain for that body
to SAY when the same bitter cup now
placed 10 the lips of Virginia and the
South. shall be drained by every other
Community in this republic of the past
and empire of the present.
With this bill for the destruction Of
State governments before us, who can
say that trial by juryswill long remain
The right of the Northern citizen
Who can affirm that the writ of ha-
btds corpus shall hereafter guard the
personal liberties even of the loyalf
Who Cali asserrthat any Court, State
or Federal, will long he permitted to in
terpose its authority between the free
man and the encroachments Of military
power.
Who can aver that,the day will never
come whenbill of attainder will de-
prve of liberty, property, or life the
soldiers of the Union, even as the fol-
lowers of the Stars and Bars, alike with
the loyaiists of the South, have lost
every vestige of freedom under the
usurpations of corrupt and infamous
Congress:
Republicanism in this land Is dead.
Its spirit has departed.
The Ii ing principle that made this
Government free and this nation great
has ceased to animate the system which
before it beautitied and enlivened.
The American Constitution, Soul Of
the Republic, and Life of the Nation,
has been stricken down, murdered. an
INFLATED, and the Government is be-
come as q bundle of dry bones in the
Valley OF prophetic vision, miserable
caricsture OF vanished comeliness and
Srac-S tliltare dead.