Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-07-24
THE CASE OF yEIsG. INA.

gal, and refuse to admit tie congressman
eject from that state, the democrats ex-
press great fear of being robbed of the
fruits Of their doubtful victory. The
virginia election was had under certain
plain conditions laid down by Congress
If these have been strictly regarded
therc cannot be any reasonable doubt OF
the election being accepted and the state
rcadmitted to the Union circle Put if
these conditions have been violated then
It Is plainly not only in the power OF Cen
eress, but it becomes the duty Of that
tody to repudia;eit The following from
the Chicago Journal, clearly defines the
case.
The Times declares that there IS a de
termination on part Of the prominent
radicals 70 defeat the result OF the Nir~
ginia election Il Is to be renemb ered
that Congress Is entirely free TO act Its
sovereign pleasure in the case. BY the
terms ander which the late election was
held, this discretion is expressly reserved
~ Congress The fifth section Of the
law provides for tie holding Of recon-
structien elections in the three states of
Virginia, Texas and Mississippi the
sixth for the ratification of the Fifteenth
Amendment by the Legislatures OF those
States; the seventh section reads, Il hat
the proceedings in any Of said states shall
not be deemed fixed or operative As
complete restoration thereof, until their
action respectively shall be approx
cd ~ Congress. Whether, therefore,
virginia he allowed representation in
Congress, or the LEGISLATURE and Govern
or remain PROVISIONAL simply, in their
power, is entirely optional with Congress.
IIayn. an iudispGtalle ri4ht to ito as
it rlcascs about admitting Virginia, so
farat least as legal .hority is concerned,
tie question viii present itself, what
would lie polite, and right IN q moral
point Of view In this ease, duty and
expediency 90 hand IN hand. 1t would
he impolitic in the extreme for Congress
to abuse its power by perpetrating
moral wrong, by dealing unjustly with
"ihc Mother Of Presid ents Taking adj
vantage Of a quibble, inventing an cx-
cusr. rc-ortin- TO petty and UnicE-haEd
ed strategy or anything Of that kind
would be beneath the dignity Of the
American Congress and hurttul to the
cause III equity upon which the RepubI
can party Is based anI with which it> in
tere~ts are Identical. JUd-iuc from the
past there Is no reason to fear that any
such Obey VIII he adopted
That the majority Of the members OF
Congress would prefer the election of
Wells. rather than Walker, is unques-
tionable, because Wells stands on the
platform Of Congress, while Walker IS Il
halC-unI -haif man one foot My Policy"
one on radiaalism lie Is with both pos
itiselv with neither, negatively lie
goes the full length Of negro suffrage on
the one hand, and rebel suffrage on the
other. lie is, Paul fashion, all things to
MI men. Wells, on the contary. takes
precisely the same ground as that upon
which every anti>Jhonson battle was
fought Eat Notwithstanding all this Con
gre>s should lcal with cntire impartiality
II the election was a fair one and the
terms OF reconstruction shall have act
uallv been complied with, then let the
state he reinstated Governor Walker
was eligible to the Subcrna;orial Office.
There may have been some fraudulent
votes east, but il the majority Of the law
full ballots were for him, then he is enti-
tied t. precisely til same rights an pow~
ers that Governor Wells would have been
hal lie been reelected As Tor the Leg
islature, there are two questions first,
WAS the successful candidate eligible, see
ond, was he really and fairly elected. ~
It mattars NOT which ticket the candidate
ran upon Neither party could have been
in igorance sc the conditions of elisi-
hIity, and # from short-yisione notion
ct eXpeIieuey ineligible candidates were
nominated and elected, they should be
prevented from taking their seats =
Should the people of Cook County elect
an Gunatura.izcd foreigner to Congress,
he would mol lie allowed to tuke his seat
n the House Of Representatives on the
ground that lie was not eligible to any
office, or IT. citizens under the prcScriJ>
81 are be elected, he would also be de-
ried seat Why should the law be rig
idiN enforced in one ease and its yiola-
t1r. be nlnkcd 1t IN another2 There Is
no reason II il ut all IL Is the duty Of
Gen. Candy AMI ii need be Congress, to
Sc that tie law making body Of Virginia
Is I lawful body, REGARDLESS Of conserYa~
tI,r or rad!cai>m