Year: 1867

The New Pnfl.


In another place we present the
"Prcamblc and Articles of Govern
ment of the National Republican
Association of Galveston, Texas, '
The first general objection to tho
document is, that it is the "cut and
dried work of u party of gentle
men who have no authority 10 speak
for any body but themselves, No
advertisement ever appeared ofthoir
meetings, no hand,bill announcing
the time and place were cycrpost-
ed on our street corners. To the
number Of n bakers dozen, more or
less, they assume with moro zeal
than modesty to settle political lines,
and to shape political tencts for
Others to believe. This general OBJ
lection lies 20 the whole enterprise
that it is an indecent assumption by
few of the rights Of the many.


We are told that the Association
dis pledged to the support Of the
Congress ofthe United States, in its
just and patriotic efforts to recon
struct society at the South We
tell these self.constitutcd judges,
that Congress is making no efforts
to reconstruct society at the South
or any where else. And what is
more, that it has no business to
make any. 1t is making an effort
to reconstruct political relations y
but with society it has nothing to
do. We understand perfectly well
that there are those who desire to
reconstruct society, and who would
have Congress do the work. If that
body attends to our political rela-
tions, it will have enough to do.


The document continues: We
the loyal people of Galveston, &c,
do hereby associate ourselves &c. &c.
Now, "we the loyal people OF Gal
weston" do no such thing. "The
loyal people of Galveston" have not
been consulted either personally or
by their representative men. For
nobody will contend that either OF
the four gentlemen whose names
are set forth with the document,
represent the loyal men Of Calves
ton. Mr.. Hunsaker, the President,
may represent the Confederate army
or the Freedmcn's Bureau, but Ger
tainly he cannot speak ior l0yai
Texas. Mr.. Romalne, the wee
President, and Mr.. Prosch, the
Treasurer, Will hardly aspire to the
responsibility of representing the
loyalty of the State. Mr.. Whcelock
may worthily and with great dignl-
ty represent the New England min
istry and the Bureau, but surely he
is not the representative OF loyal
Texas. Not one of them ever drew
a sword or shouldered a musket IN
behalf of the Federal Union, though
it is true that Mr.. Wheelock ana
pray to the God of Battles for the
success Of the American flag, and
by invoking the aid OF Omnlpotence
may have done great service to the
Union and materially fastened the
fall Of Richmond.


The declaration tells us that "as
there is no middle ground, but men
must stand on one side or the other,
and as the Republican party has
ever been the party Of Freedom, and
the democrats or conservative par
ty the party of slavery, therefore 1t
is required that every man subscribe
his name to this declaration ofprl,n-
ciples." Like the balance OF the
document, this sentence is composed
altogether too much IN the style OF
81 am the Lord and me only shalt
thou obey.


Who told these gentlemen that
there is no dleground? Wetell
them that there is middle ground
and that among the men who stand
on that ground are Senator'S Wilson
and Sherman, and that with them
stand the vast majority OF the
Northern people. And that among
the men who do not stand on that
ground are Stevens and Nalandig-