The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-08-17
TIKI DEMOCRATIC PROPOSITION
TO REVOLT.
Just what IL Means and Just How IT
VIII End.

In his remarks at Washington Hall,
last Wednesday evening, Hon. Ben
jamiu Stanton said:
There Is, beyond all q uestion, con-
temptation on the part of the DemocrR-
CIV OF the South, that is participated in
here, that If they are defeated in this
election, we are to have a little more
blood letting. want to call your at
tentiOn to one or two propositions in
this connection.
You can have no peace, no order, no
protection to persons and property, I'M
| less you have n Government that has
power to decide all controverted Ques-
lions, and where all the people are
| bound to abide by its decisions. There
will, in every government and in every
country, be constantly arising contro
Verted questions about which the peo-
pie will differ. It is therefore matter
OF imperative and overriding necessity
that there should be some tribunal pro-
vided by the constitution and laws of
the country who shall settle these con-
troVersies and in whose decision the
whole country shall be content to nc
quiesce, to maintain and support 1t.
The Constitution OF the United States
provides for the mode of casting the
vote for President and Vice President
OF the United States, and for counting
1t and declaring the result. 1t is an
absolute necessity, If you do not in
tend that this Government shall be a
mere Mexican affair and degenerate
into sheer anarchy, If you do not in
tend that all Presidential elections
shall be simply IL resort TO brute force
that the whole people shall submit
to whatever is declared TO be the re.
suit OF that election by the tribunal
created by the laws and the Constitu-
Fn HnRIaFiUu that
What do these gentlemen say3 1
had a conversation yesterday with an
intelligent gentleman, a Democrat, and
lie says this: that "if Congress, in de-
clering the result, rejects votes that
ought to be counted the people will not
of the result" That is the theory upon
which the new rebellion is to be raised.
Their theory is, you know, that the
States of Texas, Mississippi and Vir.
ginia must be counted in determining
the result OF the election. L suppose,
also, that holding the reconstruction
laws to be "void, )" they hold that the
be rejected and the white vote alone
counted. And If, taking their COUNT.
counting the votes of the unrestored
States and rejecting the negro vote of
those restored-theY can assert the cleo
ton of Seymour and Blair, then they
VIII reDel against the congressional
declaration OF the result.
Now, 1 have simply to say this: these
States, not yet restored to their relations
TO the general Government, had destroy
ed their governments by this rebellion.
No man questions it. Congress is the
only tribunal known to the Constitu-
ton that has power to determine when
and upon what terms those govern
ments shall be restored TO the Union. |
Suppose You differ with Congress on |
that subject, and have come to the con- |
clusion they ought to be restored on |
terms altogether different from those
Congress has prescribed. Yet by the |
Constitution the power of determining |
that question 10 vested in Congress; and |
you ana l, differing in opinion as we |
may, are bound as good citizens to sub. |
NIT TO the decision OF Congress wnen- |
ever it is declared.
Congress has declared what States. in
having cOnfortaed to the terms entitiinI,
them to return TO the Union, are entiileS
to vote for President and Vice Presidenk
OF tho United States. You say you
differ with Congress about that, and
upon that difference You propose to get
up rebellion. Then you say, too,
that Congress has no power to prescribe
negro suffrage in those reconstructed
States. That is a question that must
again be decided by the proper constI.
tuted authorities OF the country-Con-
gress and the courts of the United
States. And that question being once
settled it is the duty OF all good citizens
to abide by il.
Allow nue. to say that II any man is
deluding himself with the idea that the
decision of the constituted tribunals of
this country can be disregarded at the
close OF this Presidential election anda
successful rebellion grow out oft, he is
laboring under a very great delusion
and If he suffers il TO carry him into
open treason, he will run great peril of
ascertainiug whRtthe penalty for trea-
son is. Tremendous cheers.1 And al
low me 10 say, further, that IN my de-
li6erate Judgment, the great reason
why we have SO much trouble with this
question of reconstruction is that this
gigantic and wicked rebellion has been
Drought to close without any hang
ing. tGreat cheering.l If you had
hanged ten leading rebels at the close
OF the rebellion, we should to-day have
pad profound peace and order from the
Rio Grand to the Potomac, Renewed
cheering;1 And IL Providence, in His
wisdom, intends that this lesson shall
| be taught and there shall he n Trash