Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-09-19
REPUBLICANISM.

The In'etligencer frets and fumes over Speak.
er Colfax's recent brief but effective expose Of
the fact that State governments that disfran-
ohise 10y al men " ho bore arms In defence of
the Union cause in the late war, and enfran.
chise disloy al men whose hands are red with
the blood OF the Unions defenders, are not
republican" in the sense in which the term
is necessarily and properly received in these
times. 1t will be remembered that Throughout
the war the rebel plea for making it, was that
the United States government had ceased to
be republican; had degenerated into "ihe des-
pctism Of the ape, Lincoln" The effort
was, then, to make, in the name OF purer
Republicanism, government of an aristoeracy
OF shareholders, with the laboring white man
reduced to then existing condition of the free
negroes, and the latter reduced to slavery
with the African slave trade reopened, &C.
DC. Now the effort Of the parties at the North
who did their best to aid in substituting this
''better government over the South upon the
ruins of the United States Government sought
TO be destroyed 20 that end, is to eject from the
Government all who sought to preserve it
during the war; substituting in their stead
its avowed bloody handed enemies and their
Northern abetters. The struggle is palpably
between the ideas that were in issue from 1851
TO 1854 The opponents of the reconstruction
laws Of Congress, with inconsiderable excep.
ton are the men, at the South, who fought to
destroy the Union, and those at the North who
left NO effort unapplied to insure the success
of their attempt upon the nations life. The
supporters of the reconstruction laws-with
the exception of few southern men who
realize that the hope of their section is really
bound up with the progress of the times-are
those who steadily sustained the Union cause
throughout the war. The obstructionists plant
themselves upon the doctrines and principles
that led to and justified the rebellion, and seek
TO re-establish their ascendency in the General
ard States Governments. The reconstruc.
tlonists plant themselves on the necessary and
jus.if1able results of the war. Viz: The OBJ
merations of those readings and constructions
of Req ublicanism, Constitution and law, for
which the obstructionists contend. The par
ties TO the contest, and the arguments employ.
ed with reference to governmental duties,
rights OF States, interests and rights OF citizens
and classes of citizens, are precisely those, and
those only, which were commended over, and
were supposed 10 have been settled by the
war. If the war settled anything, it settled
the fact that no so-called republics nism is TO
be tolerated hereafter In the Government, that
may make its-the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
stronger for It's destruction, at the bidding of
future disunion leaders, than its friends will
DC IOl is pIcSeINdtlOn. Inc O0Stru ctIOQISts
labor in vain Ii their current efforts to persuade
tnepeople to place the Government In tn hands
OF the late Re bells and their northern aiders and
abetters; wrestling 1t from the hands of those
who fought the war for the preservation of the
Union to successful conclusion. That's the
Issue, and, really, the only substantial issue at
this time As II was necessary during the war
10 call on all, without distinction of race, who
sympathized with the Union cause to defend
the Unions life, go all who favor making its
iiie SECURE asuInst IutuIo sIIuIiaI reDeIIIons
Will be called on to participate as citi.
zens, in the Government, to that end
This is precisely the repubiicanism OF the
times-nothing more, nothing less 1t will
be worked ont through a constitutional
amendment TO be adopted at the approaching
session Of Congress,by which all supporters of
the Union, everywhere, will be accorded polit.
ical rights equal to those enjoyed by late rebels
In arms under laws recently passed by disunion
border States Legislatures. No other Repub
hcanism is worth fig practically, or no sen.
siole lesson can be drawn from the late costly
fearful struggle for the Unions life