National Republican., 1876-01-18
Is IT SO!

What is due to the majesty of the su-
preme law of the landi The people of the
United States thought that it was worth
million of precious lives and ten thousand
millions of treasure to vindicate the majesty
of and thoroughly establish the Constltu-
ton as the supreme and sovereign power OF
this Republic. And now the first thing
which the Democratic party endeavors to
effect when it accedes to numerical ma
iority in the representative branch of the
Government is to thrust upon those leaders
who denied the supremacy of the Consti-
tuition and fought against ii, and caused the
above named expenditure of blood and
treasure to overthrow it, full pardon, and
q restoration to those seats in Congress and
all those rights and privileges which they
deserted in open rebellion. 1t proposes to
thrust this amnesty upon them unasked and
undesired. 1t proposes to clothe these
arch-traitors with the full power to again
plot treason against the Government which
it has cost so much to sustain and defend
without the least sign of penitence on their
part. 1t proposes to say to them in effect:
"You had a right to do it then, and no
"penalty should attach to your action.
"You shall have the right to do it again"
The removal of their disabilities without
contrition and acknowledgment of error
and asking of pardon on their part is SIM
ply saying TO them "We have changed
"our minds. Treason against this Gov
"ernment is no crime. Our war for your
coercion was q mistake. Come back here
"and take your seats in Congress, and
"plot against and overthrow the Govern
"ment to your hearts content. The blame
"ior all this slaughter and expenditure was
"our own. We will shoulder it. We
"will pay you for your slaves. for your
"four crops Of cotton, and will pension
"your wounded soldiers. 1t was
call our fault Do so some more.
"We cannot restore to you the lives sacri-
"ficed, but we will do everything else we
"can. We are very sorry we coerced you.
"We are so sorry that we cannot get
"through this Centennial year without
"your love, and if you will not ask our
forgiveness we will ask yours. Do for
"give US; but let us put it in the shape of
"forgiving you, will you not? Let us
"down this easy, for God sake. Do not
compel us to pass an amnesty for our
"selves, but just accept ours in this shape
"In this Centennial year and there is moth
d" ing we will not do for you after that
" You see how we loathe and abhor our
"selves for ever having pretended to hold
"views differing from those dictated by
"you, how sorry We are that we outnum-
"bered and overpowered you during the
"war, for having set your slaves free and
having given them the franchise and
placed them on political equality with
"you, and you should not be too hard on
Gus. Let US forgive you, and do you come
"back and show US how to run this Gov
"ernment upon the high-toned and chival-
eric principles of true religion and elevated
manhood inculcated through the system
"of human slavery. We are satisfied that
eve are not able to comprehend the true
principles which underlie republican
form of government. The States are
"above the United States. and you e.
"re5els are the States. The war was all
mistake, which We are bound to rectify
"within the first century OF our existence"
This is the plain English Of all the re
cent clap-trap and sentiment of the advo-
Gates of unlimited amnesty. Pass it, and the
late civil struggle goes for nothing, decides
nothing Weare stultiied people, al emas-
culated Government We shall have NO
credit at home or abroad as nation. If
treason is no crime. then our unity has no
guaranty of stability. We may all secede
one by one from little Delaware, and
leave her to pay our national debt. II, on
the contrary, treason be a crime, then it
must pay penalty, and that penalty should
be enforced as q security for the future.
1t should at least carry with it disfranchise-
ment and disgrace to the leaders. And
when those leaders are men holding high
positions of trust and confidence upon
their oaths and hesitate not to perjure
themselves by plotting treason against the
Government which they are sworn to
serve, protect and defend, it should carry
double disgrace. Shall We get down
upon our knees and beg them to suffer us
TO forgive them! Is this a proper spec
tacle for us as a great Republic to present
to the world upon our centenary anniver-
sary! VIII such conduct inspire faith
in the stability of our institutions? OIt
upon such folly. Let us at least preserve
some little show of consistency.