Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1868-01-30


good government, we did not dash IL
hastily from us. On its face it pro-
feSsed to respect our wishes il pro-
posed that we should vote freely, for
or against it-accept or reject it-and
thus, by implication at least, invited
us TO examine and consider it. We
did so, in the light of the Constitution,
and we found not one word in that
instrument 20 warrant the passage of
the Reconstruction Acts. They rest
upon the assumption that Congress
has the power to CONSTRUCT GOVERN
MENTs tor the States. They abrogate
the Government of Georgia, which The
people organized in Difference to the
Presidents wishes, and, in its stead,
place us under a Military Governor
clothed with the power Of dospotism,
under which the sovereignty Of the
people is ignored and the principles of
Magma Chdrtd, incorporated into the
Constitution for the security of prop
erty, life and liberty, are trodden un-
der foot They disfranchise a large
portion Of the most intelligent and
virtuous citizens, as a punishment for
alleged crime of which they have not
been legally convicted, and confer
universal suffrage upon the emancipa-
ted negroes. Hence, the Congressional
scheme is not onlyviolative Of the Con
stitution, but grossly cruel and unjust,
and devoid of that iar-seeing and com
prehensive craftsmanship which seeks
good government, in contradistinction
to partisan ascendancy. For who can
fail to see that those Acts must lead,
and were intended to lead, TO negro
supremacy? Else why such disfran-
chisement of the white as to throw
tho power of the ballot-box into the
control of the eniranchised black race
Such is obviously their design, de-
duced from their letter and spirit, not
denied by their authors and fully illus.
trated by the manner of their enforce
ment. Having placed us under mill
tary law, and toleratlng our organized
government as merely provisional is
civil officers were compelled to support
them, on pain of dismissal. Judges
and other officers were deposed fol
refusing to violate the Constitution
and laws which they had sworn tC
obey and execute all civil and mill
tary officers were ordered TO publish
their legal advertisements in such pa
pers only as sustained the Congress
sional scheme. Thus the purity ant
independence Of our judiciary have
been polluted and stricken down anC
the sanctity of the jury box desecratec
by compelling jury lists to be made NJ
of whites and blacks unfortunately
and thus the liberty of the press Il
fettered and tolerated at the will o
the District Commander and Military
Governor of the State. 10 these We
might add numerous instances of the
violation of personal liberty, by arrests
without legal accusation or warrant
and Imprisonment without an impair
tial and public trial by jury In con
sidcration, therefore, that tho estab
lshment Of nero supremacy was theil
intention, and that, from the mode oi
their enforcement, it would inevitably
be contaminated, we firmly and dolit
erately opposed the Reconstruction
Acts, as most compatible with our self
respect and our duty to the dead anC
the living-to the present and futur,
generations.
But power has, thus far, triumphot
over reason, justice and right; anC
the Convention provided for, repre-
senting negroes only, with the excep
tion of few thousand whites, now
sits, TO crystalize into constitutions
forms the policy OF bringing tho Stat,
Of Georgia under the dominion ofnegr,
supremacy. II is without parallel il
the annals of the world. Foralthougl
history furnishes instances of aboli
ton, yet it affords no example of al
attempt by military force TO elevat,
the eemancipated slave above hisrecent
master, TO subordinate the superior tC
Fthe inferior race, and clothe the latter
with the political power Of the State
1t is the most outrageous policy evel
advocated by Christian people. Il
should arrest the alarmed attention oI
every friend of constitutional govern
ment throughout the Union, as it mus
awaken the astonishment OF tho civil
lied world. The perpetuation of sucl
monstrous wrong has been reserved
for the dominant party now CONTROL
ing the destiny Of this country--foi
men, sUorn TO support and obey tn,
Constitution of n Government pro
iessedly deriving, as a fundamental
principle, ats just powers from th,
consent of the governed"
/ Fellow-citizens, shall negro suprem
acy be permanently enthroned in tn,
State of Georgia 7 Shall ten States o
this Union be surrendered, at tho poin
of the bayonot, TO the dominion of the
African racer Shall eight millions o
whites be subjected to the rule of fou
millions of blacksl Shall they becom,
our Magistrates, our Legislators, oul
Judges, our Governors and Represent
atives in Congress 2 Shall seven hun
dred thousand ignorant negroes, VIII,
can neither read nor write, who know
nothing of the principles of the Con
stitution or of legislation, agrariani
by instinct and taught by politica
drillmasters that they have in juries tC
avengo against the white race, bs
admitted to the ballotboxy Thesl
are the momcntous questions which
demand solution and disturb the peac,
and harmony of our country. II they
are to be decided aflirmatively, wha
pen or tongue can portray the dir,