Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1868-09-24
AN ADDRESS
BY THE
HON. THOMAS EWING.
TO THE
Unpledged Voters of the United States.
LANCASTER, O., Sept. 2. 1868.

LANCASTER, o., Sept. 2, 1868.
TO those OF my fellow citizens wht
are sworn to no party allegiance, anC
whose leading object in the comm.
election is the full restoration anC
preservation Of our free institutions,
desire TO give my views of the condi
tion OF our country as at present gov
erned. and the probable consequences
OF the success of each of the'great par
ties at the coming election. | do this
the more willingly, as | am confident
from recent observation, that success
is in the power of neither of those
parties, unaided and alone, but rests
in the hands of unpledged men who
are free TO act, on full consideration,
for the sole good of the nation. In
order to do this wisely and well, it is
necessary to understand fully the pres.
ent condition of the two great parties
what degree of success is possible
TO each, and what will be the probable
effect on the nation, of the success of
either at the coming elections 1t is
my wish to present the recently past
and present condition of things with
fairness and candor, as they will be
handed down by the impartial histori-
an, and judged Of by enlightened
statesmen when existing combina ations
shall have been broken, and their pas
sions and prejudices shall have passed
away; and feel, myself, in state of
mind adapted to the task so far as my
capacity, aided by careful observation,
gives me competence to perform it. /
belong TO 10 party; the last to which
| was attached, that which in 1861
rallied in defense of the Union, and to
which | devoted all the powers of my
intellect, and whatever of social and
family influence | was possessed, has
been sundered and dissolved, and the
old Democratic party 20 which / never
adhered, and the Radical or Republi-
can party which / know only by its
acts, are the sole contestants for polit-
ical power in the coming elections.
The Republican party has now, and
has had for two years past, full and
absolute control Of the legislative and
executive departments of the Govern
mcnt, and they have obstructed, and,
indeed, rendered it impossible tor the
Independent exercise of the judicial
power; and they have assumed to
themselves, and vested in their militia
ry division commanders, freed from
executive control, tho local govern.
ment of ten of the States. Those who
hope that the country may be restored
to the full enjoyment of its constitu-
tional rights by the success of the
Democratic party at the coming elec-
tion deceive themselves Future mis-
chief may be prevented, and many
existing evils may be remedied, but
not all. For the rest we mus. wait
for the coming on of time. The judi
cary may be restored TO the exercise
ofits appropriate functions; foruncon-
stitutional laws, restraining their free
action, being no longer upheld by men.
ace and force, will be adjudged void.
The judiciary will be, therefore, at
once enfranchised and restored to the
exercise of its constitutional functions.
SO may the executive, especially TO the
command of the army, which has been
wrested from him, and which the judi
ary, when at liberty to speak, will
declare to be his right, conferred by
the Constitution.
The success of the Democratic par.
ty, il il succeed, will also, by restoring
the independence OF the judiciary, put
an end TO other abuses with which we
have recently become too familiar,
namely, the trial of private citizens,
in time of peace, by military commits
sions, and the insolent invasion OF pri-
vate rights by committees of Congress.
On the other hand, Conservative
Republicans, who are dissatisfied with
the wild work of their party for the
last two years and would gladly re-
strain them, but who fear TO give sue
cess to the Democracy in the pending
election lest they, in the wantonness
of nowly acquired power, should rush
into ruinous excesses on the other
hand, entertain groundless apprehen-
sions. The Republican Senate will
hold them in check if they attempt
evil, while il restrains them from the
correction of many existing abuses.
So far, then, as legislation is con-
cerned, the Democracy, il successful,
can do neither good nor evil without
the concurrence of the Senate, which
involves, of course, the concurrence of
the party which it represents. 1t will
be, therefore, quito safe to trust the
Democratic party with the limited
power which success at the coming
election will give them. And il with
in the coming two years the Republi-
cans are taught wisdom by adversely,
and if the Democracy, in their turn
show q purpose 10 abuse power, the
same Conservative force which now
gives them victory will then insure
their defeat.
The real question, then, for our con-
sideration, the decision which ought
to control our action as reasoning men,
is this Do We approve the political
action of the Republican Congress,
since it has had full control Of the Gov
ernmentY If we do, we ought TO so
assure them by our approving votes,
assume the responsibility Of their acts,
and cheer them and speed them onward
with renovated powers. But If we
deem their policy questionable, and
their headlong pursuit Of it dangerous,
we ought to BID them pause, and take
to ourselves time for observation and
reflection and instead OF full and alb
solute, leave them with limited and
divided powersj take from them the
power to do mischief; in the mean
time, leaving them wha. can not be
taken from them-the power to pre-
vent it, if attempted by the adverse
party. But IL is gravely asked: IL
you can trust the Republican Senate
TO prevent Democratic mischief, why
not trust them with the whole power,
that the Government may be harmo-
pious This objection is almost plau-