Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-07-02


Yesterday the State Of Arkansas resum-
ed her place in the union by the admis-
sion OF her Representatives to seats in
Congress by strict party vote, all the
Republicans voting for and all the DEM
ocrats opposing her readmission. This
glad and grateful news of the beginning
of this work Of restoration; soon to be
consumated, will send a thrill of patriot
ic pleasure 10 every heart inthe land
which beats with love for the American
name and people, and for free aud
united government. 1t will inspire in
all parts of the world fresh confidence
in the stability and peImanence of the
triumph Of cur Government over its late
enemies, and will thereby strengthen
our national credit abroad and perfect
our peace at home. Above all it fixes in
the public mind dtheirreversible nature of
our reconstruction uyon the basis of
equal rights to all and loyal supremacy
In each State. The fact that the great
work Of restoration is thus happily
drawing to close, that one more grand
triumph of Republican principles is so
rapidly passing into history, seems to
have fired the Democratic party in Con-
gress with finalspasm of rage as frantic
as it was Intellectual. They find that
the awful chasm which opened between
the North and the South seven years ago,
at the command of Democratic leaders,
with huge flourish ofDemocratic trum-
pets, is about to close again. 1t opened
with the prediction that it would engulf
forever the Union, the National Gov
ernment, and Constitution, aud all the
hopes of the millions Widowed freedom,
not only for themselves, but for all men.
If closes with the National Government
stronger than ever, and burries in its
deep abyss only Slavery with its chains,
and the faulse praphets, fallen leaders,
and shattered platforms of the Democra-
tic party.
The incoherent anger of the protest
entered by the forty-five Democratic
members against the readmission of
Arkansas leads them to forget the facts
| of history, and pour out stream of
| falsehOods as if the American people
were destitute alike of memory, patriot
ism, and common sense. They denounce
these constitutions as formed with
out the authority of law, when we know
that they possess all the lawful authori-
ty an act of Congress and vote of the
eeople of each State could give them
They forgot that, apart from these, wehave
no alternative but the johnson Govern
ments, which were sanctioned neither
by any law of Congress or vote of the
people, and the Rebel State Govern
ments. the retention or restoration of
which the Democratic party, irresponsi-
BILE and reckless as il is, has never mad
the hardihOod to recommend. They
assert that the Supreme Court would
have decided these Reconstruction acts
unconstitutional, forgetting that Con-
gress has the sole power to admit new
States, and that the opinion of the Su-
preme Court on political question. is
not of the least consequences. They al
lege that the Alabama and Arkansas
Constitutions exclude Democrats from
voting, forgetting that they exclude only
those who disobey or violate the laws
designed to secure the right of suffrage
to all. Southern States have the same
right to exclude Democrats who violate
their suffrage laws as Northern States
have to exclude, as they do, Democrats
who steal, or forge, or murder. " hen
universal suffrage has become part of the
Constitution and laws of State, those
who disobey 1t are not Democrats merely,
but criminals. The Democrats are for
hidden to disfranchise the Republicans,
and the rage they manifest at such pro-
hibition proves their desire to disfran-
chise the Republicans, and the wisdom
of preventing such an outrage. They
allege that Louisiana has had four Con-
stitutions In four years, forgetting that
during four years Louisiana has had no
| Constitution at all, but has simply been
trying to adopt one. The protest shows
that there are more Bourbons in the
Democratic party, who learn nothing
and forget nothing, than some of the ir.
responsible free lancers who fight on the
outskirts OF the main host are willing to
admit. 1t foreshadowSthat the Demo,
cratic platform will, rs its main feature
oppose the restoration of the Union in
this campaign rs itdid in the last. and
that the campaign will be waged for con.
! tinued anarchy at the South. We had
hoped, but not expected, that the party
had learned more wisdom. If they
choose, however, to write on their stand
erds as their railying cry ''The perpetua
maintenance, of the desol ltion of the
Uniou.n it will be only too consistent
with their sareer for seven years past. :
1t will roll up several hundred thousand
more votes for Grant and Colfax, and
perhaps those will be worth more than
some smart but hypocritical lodging o
the real issue by the Democratic poiiti.
cians.-IN. Y. Tribune. .NgR oy
General Grants way OF Expressing Grea
Il -fafri il Truths. itf a1nlW u
From the Springfield Qlis.) Journal. ilHeS =
IL Co,,oraJ Grant thnufrb :, ~ N ,,rli al I. :,