Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1867-07-31
LEGAL TENDERS,

the main reliance of the self-styled democ-
racy nowadays. Not content with hav-
/ ing step by step converted that party from
its old professions and principles until the
nuliifying doctrines of John c. Calhoun,
which Gen. Jackson considered equiva-
/ lent to treason, have taken the place of
every form and feature of what denocra-
cy once was, nearly all their papers are
now engaged in misleading their readers
/ into 4 total disregard of facts. AS an in
stance of this we may cite an article in
the Democrat last week, credited TO the
Bellefonte Watchman, willing defender
of all that was reasonable during the war,
which concludes a tissue of false!oods
and Misrepresentation as follows:
/ IF Congress can make greenbacks
Z legal tender, constitutionally, why dc they
not point out the provision OF that iUstru-
ment which gives it that power? If they
are right they have certainly some "rgu-
ment to SHOW that he was wrong, but so
far as we have seen, they have none but
the silly balderdash about "renel svmpa-
Jhizcr. " disloyaity -" copperheai, and
so on, that constituted the song of every
poor cowardly, reasonable lOyalist' du-
L
( ching more than that 10 induce The peo-
/ pie Of Pennsylvania TO believe that Judge
Sharswood Is hot fitted Tor the supreme
bCnch-more than that 10 prove his opln-
ion wrong, or that Congress has the right
contrary TO the explicit declaration Of the
10th section of tie Constitution 10 make
anything but gold and silver coin a tender
in payment of debts. Take uD the Con
stituriOu. We abolition snlODS, and point
Fs.s srRRt sa.s
/ Congress the power 10 make printed pa
per a legal tender, Can you? Green
backs are not " coined they are pratt
cd"
Here is q confident reference 20 Section
Y, with 4 bold assertion OF what il con-
Jains. and as not more than one out fifty
people have copy OF the Constitution.
many would no doubt suppose that what
IS said is true; Yet the whole thing is a
base fabrication and wilful falSehood, put
.orth for the purpose Of deception and
,rickery, as any one can see by reading
Section Y, To wit:
SEC. Nj. No STATE shall enter into
any treaty, alliance, or confederation
grant letters of marque and reprsal: coin
money; emit bills Of credit; make any
hing but gold and silver coin a tender ia
payment Of debts pass any bill Of attain
Ter, eX post facto law, or law impairinr
he obligation of contracts or grant any
title of nobility
From this every man with three grains
Of sense in his head can see that the States
not the United States-are prohibited
rom making anything except coin le-
gal tender; nor is there j single word in
/ he Constitution of the United States
which prohibits Congress from authori-
sing just such issues as the legal tenders
whenever occasion may arise to justify il.
Old renegade wings like Sharswood-wh
ike many others in every county in the
otate-turned copperhead in the hope and
expectation some day of being rewarded
by the democracy with office, may be able
10 discover what is not to be seem but
the wise trainers of the Constitution did
not clog that instrument with want of
power in cases Of emergency, and there
fore left extraordinary power in the hands
IF Congress to meet extraordinary cases.
But this is not all. While denuncia-
ion upon denunciation is uttered against
the Congress which preserved the Union
rom irretrievable ruin and destruction,
not one word is said against the rebel
states which violated every prohibition
Of the section quoted except the last and
that not only because the leading rebels
had nos thrown off the mask up to Lees
surrender. They entered into treaty, al
lance and confederation they sent ships
1f war upon the seas TO prey on our COM
nerce, like pirates; they emitted bills Of
;Tcdit; they made other things than gold
and silver coin tender in payment Of
Iebts; they passed bills Of attaindcr, and
impaired the obligation of contracts-yet
when or where did either the Democrat
or Bellefonte Watchman denounce them
for it?
If those papers desire to exercise their
forte for expouuding the Constitution, we
submit to them as a text the following
rom the 4th section:
" SIC. ". The United States shall
guarantee to EVERY STATE in this Union
/ REPUBLICAN FORM OF GOV
ERNMENI"