Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1868-01-30
GEO, B, G0ODLANDER, Proprietor,


hended. We have submitted, almos
without complaint, because every whis
per of protest has been construed int
: disloyalty by our oppressors.
We have offered the feeble opposi
tion of scarcely uttered remonslrance
, only because outnumbered az the bal
lot-boX, and therefore impotent fo
. successful resistance. The Conserva
tive people Of Georgia feel that tam,
submission has ceased TO be a virtue
and has become a crime against thei
country, their race and future gener
ations. The ruthless arm Of nnhal
J lowed power may enslave and degrad,
them, but they will never, by word OF
deed, active or passive, consent to the
outrage offered to their manhood, bui
they will struggle against it by every
legitimate means which they can com
mand. They appeal to the friends Of
Constitutional government through
out the land to rally to its rescue from
the grasp of relentless centralism.
1t is the province of enlightened
craftsmanship to search for the cause
of political maladies, with a view to
their removal. 1t is easy for any can
did observer to detect the origin OF
those existing evils which threaten
such calamity to our country. We
have previously remarked, that the
Reconstruction Acts assume that Con-
gress has the power TO construct gov
ernments for the prescribed States.
This assumption is the fruitful parent
of all our political troubles. 1t is not
pretended that the authority is to be
found in the Constitution, on the con
trary, it is asserted to be outside Of the
Constitution. This is an admission OF
the nullity Of the whole scheme.
How can Congress act outside of
the Constitution Outside of the
Constitution there is no Executive, no
Judiciary, no Congress-no Govern
ment OF the United States. Outside
Of the Constitution, Congress-or
rather the men who compose it-have
no more authority than any other
body Of individuals voluntarily assem-
bled Outside of the Constitution.
they have no commission TO legislate
upon any subject, for any purpose or
in any manner whatsoever Every
act outside Of the Constitution is us
urpation and utterly void. What vi
tality, then, can there be in a State
government, constructed in pursuance
Of laws passed by authority claimed
to be outside OF the Constitution
How long can il stand after the bayo
nets that prop it up shall have been
removed Ii is a fabric without
foundation and must fall. These are
all self-evident propositions, too axio-
matte to admit ofargument; and they
necessarily present, for the consider
alton Of the people Of the United
States-especially the people of those
States designated, la thv Isal lance eel
the day, as loyal-this grave and mo
mentous question. If the State gov
ernments, now being constructed by
Congress, are thus invalid, and can
be maintained only by force, are they
prepared to incur the expense and |
hazard 20 liberty of a standing army
for such purpose Are they prepared |
for military despotism over ten great
States Of this Union, for the mere pur-
pose Of expressing the white race and |
sustaining negro supremacy VIII it
be seriously maintained that the Gov.
ernment can retain its federal charac |
ter and yet sustain such a policy
Will any candid man assert that il is
With tbe confessedly reserv-
cd rights Of the States Who does not
perceive that il will be their entire
absorption and the conversion Of our
constitutional Republic into an cleo
tive obhgarehy, whose lrill, instead Of
the Constitution, will be the supreme
law OF the land Z" And all this for
whatl For the sake Of negro suprem-
acy over the Southern State; for the
sake of degrading eight millions of
white people, that four millions Of ne
groes may be forced into a status for
which they are utterly untitled. We
appeal to the people of the North,
who have the power, to reserve the
Constitution. Are you prepared to
'ut in jeopardy our wise fabric Of gov.
'rnment and the liberty of more than
hirty millions of your own race, for
AXE OF enfranchising four millions of {
lliterate and semi-civilized AfricansY /:
We speak as unto wise men Judge
'e what we say"
We beg TO offer another view for
he calm consideration Of the North. .
I'm people. They almost universally /
'ontend that secession was nlulity. The {
var having so decided it as a question
# practice, 1t is not necessary now to
.ontest il as question of right. Then /
et the assumption be granted. 1t Ii
ollows, then, that not only the Ordi- I
Iance Of Secession was void. but that I
u the subsequent proceedings-the {
ntire fabric erected upon it-were 5
lso void. This fabric was the State
'0vernments which were in existence ,
nd in operation when the Confeder. z
te arnswere surrendered and the war i
ras terminated These State govern {
rnments were illegal because they r
'cre built on a breach Of the true C
relation between the a
tates and the Federal Government / $
hese propositions are true, upon the L
sumption that secession was a nulli- O
=, as insisted upon by the Northern
eople 1t follows from them that the a
tstes were never ont Of the Union, y
nd that they retained their right to o.
Dntinue as such, however their visi- r
le organization and constitutional 2
stations may have been disturbed By Il