Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1868-07-24
A TEXT ExPoUNDED.

I
! First Immediate restoration Of all the
states to their rights in the Union under the
Constitution, and of civil government to the
American people.
1t sounds well; but before approving it,
there are reasons for wishing to know exactly
what is meant by each of It's general terms.
What, in the democratic view, is recon
struction2" What are the rights of the
states?" What do they understand by
"ciyil government"
For, while the democratic party in New
York were moking this platform and demad-
| ing immediate restorat on, the democratic
party in Congress were working unanimous
ly to defeat the bill for restoring the rebel
states. 1t is clear, therefore, that they do
not mean by restoration" the same thing
that the people mean by it.
The difficulty seems to be satisfactorily
met by the comments of the democratic
leaders. The kind of restoration they de-
mand is thus described BY Frank p Blair,
their candidate for vice President, in the
letter which he wrote for the Convention:
"We must have President who viii
execute the win of the people by trampliug
into dust the usurpatlons Of Congress,
known as the reconstruction acts
But how to get President who will dis
perse and overthrow Congress. is previous
question. This is answered by Mr., Wade
Hampton, who declared at the ratification
meeting in this city, on Thursday last, that
his party must seize the polls in the South,
and have the white vote cast alone. He de-
clared:
II want you all to register an oath that
| when they do vote their vote shall be coun-
ted, and if there is a majority of white votes
that you will place Seymour and Blair in the
White House in spite Of all the bayonets
that shall be brought against them.
OF course he means that the mob thus to
be raised shall decide who has "a majority
of white votes
But this language was evidently careful
y adapted to the latitude and to the some
what sensitive ears of Governor Seymour's
friends. Mob law has its charms for
themi but they do not ike secession. But
when the delegates get to Richmond they
tell the people morelplainly what the mean.
Thus ExConfederate Governor Vance,
of North Carolina, there said she could talk
more Familiarity of the wrongs of the South
here than at abe North. Accordingly, he
declared himself still "a rebel, y and argued
at length that "tchat the Coatederacyf fought
for soould be ICON By the election Of Seymour
and BLAIR"
Indeed, in the Richmond atmosphere
there is disposition to simplify the canvass
to this one issue-Seymour and the rebel.
lion against Grant and the Union. Thus
Ex-Governor Wise, in bis eloquent way,
reasoned that since the candidates were ac.
ceptable to the rebels, the platform was of
no account at all.
He did not care for the platform. 1t
told lie in its first resolution. IL said Sc
CeSSlOR lCdS dead; that lcdS not so; secession
lcaS more aliUe than euer He supported
the nominees, and especially Blair, becauae
he had declared that he would assume mill |
tary power,
Now Mr.. Buckalew, Senator from Penn
sylvania, rashly denounces Mr.. Blair and !
his letter, and protests that the Democratic !
party does not, and cannot mean to sustain
him, and to make war against the South |
ern State Governments and against Con- |
gress. Mr.. BuedaleW is wrong. He stands |
entirely alone, and must either retract all
this, and adopt Blair and aparchy, or leave
Inatpafty uenOeFaleiy oppose enc SI1v4e
process of legal reconstruction. They de-
mand immediate restoration instead. Mr..
Blair alone points out means of accomplish |
ing this, and so makes the platform practical. |
he did it in letter which presented this as
his claim to a nomination, and the party |
nominated him at once. His Interpretation |
of its doctrines is sustained clearly and |
emphaticany, in New York, in the presence |
of the Convention itself, and by Democratic |
speakers throughout the country.
Nor is the Democratic platform itself with |
out very plain declaration ON this point;
or, at least, one that seems meant to be plain,
the style of the whole document being so
loose, ungrammatical and extravagant that |
there are few sentences in it which are really |
ineligible throughout It declares:
I'VE regard the reconstruction acts (so- |
called) of Congress, as such, as usurpation |
and unconstitutional, revolutionary and |
void. -
Now, the phrase "aets, so called, of Con-
gress, as such, may mean much or little.
Perhaps the writer wanted to hint that the
body now acting as such is not really
Congress, since those bright lights of democ-
raey--J. Davis, Toombs and Rhett-have
left it. But however this may be, there is
no doubt that the sentence is a direct ap-
proval of Mr.. Blair's letter.
IF the acts by which Congress has recon
structed the southern states are ''unconstitu-
tional, revolutionary and void, it is surely |
not the duty of the President to obey and
enforce them What can he do but dis
perse' the state governments, and 'trample
under foot" Congress itself, as Mr. Blair
declares it his purpose to do?
If there be any men of peace among the
democrats, like Mr.. Buckalew-any men of
thought or of patriotism who are not ready?
to fight for the eonfederacy undera changed
name-the party will doubtless quietly let
them leave it rather than abate one jot of
its revolutionary misunderstanding Post
WHILE the rebel Democracy never tire of
heaping abuses on the head of Thaddeus
Stevens, he occasionally wins tribute from
some honest enemy like the following from
fhe Galveston (Texasl R,tlIefin