The Waynesburg Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 1867-18??, 1868-02-05
9oluifat,
THE IsSTE.
Shall the Loyal People Ruie :--Great
speech of senator Marion, of Indiana
In the U. y. Senate, Janunry ri. 1865.

Slaii the Loyal EPOple kuif .-ssrnaL
Speech of senator Marion, of Indiana
In the u. y. Senate, Janunry III, 1865.
Mr.. President, if / had not been re-
ferred to by my honorable friend from
Wisconsin Mr. Doolittlcl in the de-
bate yesterday, should not desire tC
speak on this question, especially a
this time. fear that | shall not hav,
the strength to say what | wish to.
The issue here to-day is the same
which prevails throughout the country
which will be the Issue oftns canvass
and perhaps for years to come. TC
repeat what | have had occasion tC
say elsewhere, it Is between two para,
mount ideas, each struggling for the
supremacy. One is, that the war tc
suppress the rebellion was right and
just on our part that the rebels for.
feited their civil and political rights,
and can only be restored to them upon
such conditions as the nation may pre-
scribe for its future safety and prosperi-
ty. The other idea is, that the rebel
lion was not sinful, but was right ;
that those engaged in it forfeited no
rights, civil or political, and have a
right to take charge Of theirState gov
ernments and be restored to their rep
resentation in Congress just as if there
had been no rebellion and nothing had
occurred. The immediate issue be-
fore the Senate now is between the
existing State governments establish
ed under the policy Of the President Of
the United States in the rebel States
and theplan Demonstration presented
by Congress.
When a surveyor first enters a new
territory he endcayors to ascertain the
exact latitude and longitude Of a given
spot, and from that can safely begin
his survey and so | will cndoavor to
ascertain proposition in this debate
upon which parties are agreed, and
start from that proposition. That
proposition is, that at the end Of the
war, in the spring OF 1860, the rebel
States were without State governments
of any kind. The loyal State gov
ernments existing at the beginning Of
the war had been overturned by the
rebels the rebel State governments
erected during the war had been over
turned by our armies, and ut the end
of the war there We're no governments
of any kind existing in those States.
This fact was recognized distinctly by
the President Of the United States in
his proclamation under which the
work Of reconstruction was commenced
in North Carolina in 1860, to which /
beg leave to refer. The others We're
mere copies of this proclamation. In
that proclamation he says ;
"And whereas the rebellion which has en-
waged by portion OF the people Of the United
States against the properly @ instituted authori
ties Of the Government thereof in the most
violent and revolving form but'whose organ
lied and armed forces have now been almost
entirely overcome has in its revolutionary
progress deprived tho people Of the State Of
North Carolina Of allciyil government"
Here the President must be allowed
to speak for his party, and shall ac-
cept this as a proposition agreed upon
on both sides that at the end of the
war there were no governments Of any
kind existing in those States.
The fourth section Of fthe fourtharti-
Gle Of the Constitution declares that
"she United 5tate, shall guuaaty to
every State in this Union a republican
form of government" This provision
contains vast, undefned power that
has never yet been asrcrtaine,l--a great
supervisory power given to the United
States in their orbits, to preserve them
from anarchy, revolution and rebellion.
The measure of the power thus con-
ferred upon the Government Of the
United States can only be determined
by that which is requisite to guaranty
or maintain in each State legal and
republican form Of government.
Whatever power, therefore, may be
necessary to enable the Government
of the United States thus to maintain
in each State a arepublcan form ofgov-
ernment is conveyed by this provi-
sion.
Now, Mr.. President, when the war
ended and these States were found
without Governments ofany kind, the
jurisdiction of the United States, under
this provision of the Constitution at
once attached the power to recognize
State Governments, to use the COM
mon word, to reconstruct, to maintain
and guaranty republican State govern
ments in those States, at once attached
under this provision. Upon this
proposition there is also o concurrence
of the two parties. The President has
distinctly recognized the fact that its
Jurisdiction attached when those States
were found without republican State
governments, and he himself claimed
to act under this clause of the Consti-
tuition. l will read the preamble Of the
Presidents proclamation:
''Whereas, the fourth section of the fourth
article of the Constitution of the United States
declares that the United States shall guaran-
tee TO every State in the Union republican
form OF government aud shall protect each of
them against Invasion and domestic violence
anu whereas, the President of the United