The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1868-09-11

| IN the rebellion they are to be "recOn-
structed;' literally meaning, construct
ed over again"
ORIGIN OF OUR GOVERNMENTS.
Gentlemen, the government of the
| United States was constructed by con-
stitutional provisions prepared in 1887,
which being adopted by the States, went
fully into effect on the ith of March,
1883. The respective State governments
were constructed during the Revolu.
tionary war in their republican forms
by the people Of the respective States,
each for itself, not one for another.
The government of the United States
was made by the States in forming a
Federal Constitution, and our state
governments were established by con-
stitutions made by the people in each
of the States, each acting for itself, and
independent OF all others. This was
the manner In which our govern
ments, State and Federal, were made
originally, after the domination of the
| King Of Great Britain was thrown Off.
What had Congress to do with con-
structing government? Nothing in the
world. 1t was subordinate agency
created by the Federal Constitution,
and endowed only with certain limited
and specific powers for the purposes Of
government, and 1t was provided that
fut IRE amendments to the Constitution,
the fundamental law of Union, might
be made in particular manner; to wit,
by the respective States on propositions
duly submitted to them. No authority
was conferred upon Congress with ref
ference to the organization of State gov
ernments, except possibly in that clause
which provides for the admission of
new States into the Union, which is
inapplicable to our present question.
Then, clearly, Congress had no power to
do anything in regard to instituting or
changing governments in the States Of
the South except to interpose in a pro.
per case against changes toaristOcratical
or monarchical forms, under the guar
anty clause of the Constitution, or to
submit some amendment of the Consti-
tuition of the United States to the re-
spective States, which might, upon
adoption, have some operation upon
State organizations. Neither of these
modes of action Is now in question; but,
indepent of them, in the absence of all
pretense of a grant of power in the Con-
stitution itself, the Congress Of the
United States have proceeded 20 pass a
series of laws within the last year and
half on the subject of reconstruction,
so-called. The Congress have assumed
to themselves to reorganize State gov
ernments in ten States of the Union and
to impress upon those State govern
ments such features, such character,
such form as in their good pleasure
they chose to create and to impose.
! That is what has been done; and II Is
this legislation of Congress, above all
other things, that deserves thorough
| searching exhaustive examination, not
! Lat. h ,-t.
of our country, from the Canadian bor-
der to the gulf on the shores Of the
great oceans that lave our land, in those
rich and rising States of our great con-
trail valley, each of which will hereafter
-r',o an etrPfsa ~-~-a~s S>s.,>s.
WHAT IS RECONSTRUCTION? ?
Reconstruction An assumed power
TO seize upon political communities call
ed States, and to form them according
to pleasure; and that to be the work of
mere political party in Congress act
ing "outside of the Constitution" as
their own great leader declared they
did! Is that unauthorized and fearful
power to be exercised, and no notice
to be taken of it by the people, no dis
approval expressed, no rising Of indig.
nsnt men to put down the infamy and
to deter all attempts at its repetition in
future? Shall not the American peo-
pie declare that their Constitution shall
be kept by Senator and by representative
as well as by citizen that the proud
and lofty and powerful shall be bound
by the fundamental law as much aS the
most insignificant member Of the social
body who begs for daily employment
in order to earn his daily bread? DO
you not think when this great question
tc ,i,t hDn,n thronuhnnt Dnp ~ va nj
and it Is now going through all her
counties and reaching all her | eople-
that our State will judge it rightly and
that her vote stoutly pronounced at the
> October election will move the land
{ Applause. Look out West: in all
those States, wherever you turn your
. eye, there is the hamlet or workshop Of
! IA Pennsylvania of some man who
i went out from among us earlier or la
ter, set up there his, "household gods,
r began by honest industry to make the
: prairie andthe wilderness to bloom ant
: blossom as the rose, and who carried
with him to that region those old Penn
i sylvania ideas of straightforward hon
i esty and cheap government, which al
= ter all ARE the great guarantees Of repuf
e republican institutions. Yes, whe
q you speak as you will speak in October
:,
e voice over the mountains to the West
D oh, there will be gladness among tn
l. supporters of honest government there
u there will be n coming together of tn
l. elements of popular powerin support
" our cause, and the result in NOvembe
Di will have been determined before tn
"a two parties encounter each other in tht
p great conflict.
"A Reconstruction Making over agai
e. what was made by the people in Il
s. States concerned! Making 1t over again
o. not even by hcirrepresentativesin in Con
IL grcSS, for not one of those cOmmunltlt
rs had II representative in either lious
oi but by strangers, representatives OF oil
We er States, distinct from them, with iii
ierent interests Governments IN Il
South reconstructed by the men of Il
of Fast and the men of the North, fro
to the shores of the great lakes, and fro
,lr the bases of the great mountains! If
of had been told us before war pcrvertt
ss the public mind that such things won
@. be attempted in this country,wc shou
Ir. have laughed at the prophecy, and q
)n Spiscd the prophet who made II. NOV
ps, consider what Congress hav. done
OF RECoNsTRUCTIoN LAWS.
,r. On the ID Of March, lSG7, they col
NJ menced the work of recOnstructlo
,er Well, one would think that the san
power which made constitutions oriI
nally, would be the power to remake
to amend them. Hero We're constit
to tions and governments made by L
ST. people of the States concerned. Co
n gress rema kes them! On the I'd
nd March, 1867, the first reconstruction ID
at was passed 1t contained two leadi
NJ provisions First, that the States of I
we south should be formed into military d
ed tricts; civil government to be wipedc
asst or made subordinate to Major-Gener
ed, OF the army of the United States, W
cal were to take upon themselves the bu
rm ness and authority of civil governme
to And second: that the people of thu
tile States might form new constitutions
l. /; q particular manner, which being 81
try | nliifnh IN Cnnnrnas and nrcn nnInl hN