Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-07-25
NEW SERIES-V0L. s, NO. /,

.ArAAA"
Applsd 10 the public use without his own consent.
or that Of the representative body Of the people
I In fne, the people Of this Commonwealth are not
contr0iable BY any other laws than ths-e 10 which
their constitutional representative body have given
their consent
-l2- . No person shall Be arrested, i'm
prisoncd or dcspoiled, arprived Of his properly
immuniiies Or privileges, pat out of The protection
Of the law. e1iled or deprived Of his life liberty
or estate, bat by the Judgment Of his peer or the
/ law Of the land.
"And the Legislature shah not make Anv law
that shall subject any person 70 = enpitai infa-
mous Punishment lexcepting for the government
Of the Army and Navy without trial By jury"
The charter of New Hampshire is
fuller than this of these great princi-
plies of liberty. i have not time TO
read them. The charter Of Vermont
is even yet fuller than that of New
Hampshire. In those days the New
England people were faithful to liber-
/ ty. They were never before as un-
faithful TO the liberty of their own
white race as now to eight millions Of
their own skin, color, and orgahiza-
ton.
Sir, the Declaration Of Independ-
ence in numerous sections condemns
in spirit and intent the whole princi-
pie Of this bill, and ] do not wonder
that on the 4th Of July last the Re
publican party failed tocelebrate it as
heretofore, for this declaration OF In
dependence cannot be read now in u
Republican assemblage without ma
king every Republican blush.
/ know am 20 be told that we have
the power, as the South is a conquer
ed people, to pass the bill; that the
Constitution is abrogated there and
that by the right Of conquest we can
make this extraordinary law Sir,
the honorable gentleman from Penn
sylvania, Mr.. Stevens who intro
dnced this bill, proposed at first only
cOnfscatiOn, but here is an enslave-
ment Of twelve millions Of human be
ings in this bill First, it abrosates all
their rights Of property The liberty
of the citizen is entirely in the hands
Of the military commanders. The life
of every man is al the absolute dispo-
sal Of one man, and that man the Pres
ident Of the United States. Tell me.
on, tell me not, then, Of four million
black people having been emaneipated
from chattel slavery when by tins act
you impose a cruel legal slaveryin its
most odions forms, without the right
Of property, liberty, or life, without
any personal right, upon eight mill
ions white human beings, a worse than
chattel slavery.
deny, sir, that there is anything
which jnstihes eOnhscation, or the pas
sage OF such an act under the right Of
conquest could read whole chap
ters from Grotius, or Nattel, or Puf.
fendOrf, and from Wheaton and Story
and Kent, which condemn this bill.
Il IS in utter defiance Of natural, and
national, and constitutional law, aud
] say to you now, that may be con-
cerncd in it, many of yon viii live TO
repent Of the tyranny perpetated upon
their people. ] might cite the prize
cases If had time, and show that they
condemn the principles of this bill
All history condemns It too Rome
was built up in utter defiance Of the
principles OF this bill Rome govern
ed every country, not by conquest and
subjugation such as you propose. but
by assimilating the conquered sub
iects with Roman citizens, BY giving
them Roman rights and Roman priv
ileges and Roman citizenship, while
hero are eight millions white human
beings whom you deprive Of every
right Of an American citizen. Even
the Tartars, when they conquered
China did not destroy the institutions
Of China, but assimilated their institu-
tons with those Of the c0nqured. And
when Cyrus conquered the AssyriaRs
Of old. he repeated their rights and
privileges, and guaranteed to them all
the liberties they possessed.
There is no parallel in history for
this bill but that OF the infamous con-
duct of the Duke of Alva, in Spain.
Answer me not that he destroyed
twenty thousand lives, for here YOU
destroy what is more precious than
life; the right Of man 10 his liberty,
the sentiment that he IS a man, that
he is equal before other mcn. Why,
sir, had rather lose my life thous-
and times than live under the govern
ment of these five monarchs as estab-
lished By the infamous principles OF
this infamous bill. Our English an
ccstOrs.cven Charles II after the blood
lest Of civil wars, gave peerages 10
Monk and Fleetwood and a mitre 20
Eaxter, while on only give military
\ tyrants 70 your people, and declare a
total abnegation Of their rights. Even
Louis XVIII. though Bourbon, made
marshals and statesmen Of Bonapari-
lists. while you have exerted in this
bin al Of your ingenuity 10 deprive
the white people Of their right TO vote
When Hungary was subiuEated and
ovcrthrown the Emperor OF Austria
did not exert snch tyrannical power
over the Huns, for he gave them a con-
stitution and he gave them a parlia-
meut, while you take away from the
southern people their constitution
and laws, and refuse them representa-
ton IN the national Legislature The
Duke Of Wellington and Sir Robert
Peel, two great tories, were more hb-
eral and mercifnl 10 the IRISH people
than you are 10 the people OF the
South Although O'Connel was the
instigation Of riots in Ireland, the
Duke Of Wellington and his party did
not refuse him a seat as a member
from the County Of Clare, while you
shut out the Kentucky delegation
f~nrD erate hos e5rr.,lr- Co. ~ --...,-