Search the Newspapers Browse Newspapers by Date Articles Indexed by Topic About the Newspapers Valley of the Shadow Home

Valley Spirit: April 6, 1869 Go To Page : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

The Tenure of Office Bill
(Column 01)

Summary: Comments on the new Tenure of Office Bill passed by Congress. Says the repealers lost out, as Grant is still prevented from making his own nominations without Congress looking over his shoulder. Claims Grant does not have the courage to veto the bill.

Full Text of Article:

By the new Tenure of Office Bill, the Senate has succeeded in tying the hands of President Grant, almost without his knowing it. The absolute repealers have failed miserably. The President has been tomahawked in the house of his friends. And worst of all, Butler has consented to it. The President, notwithstanding the confidence which the Radicals have claimed to repose in him, finds that he is not the unshackled Executive that Washington, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, and Buchanan were. He finds that although the fetters are not riveted so tightly upon him as they were on Andrew Johnson, they nevertheless are fetters still.

There is no freedom left to Grant to use the Federal patronage to secure his own renomination.

For any office made vacant during the recess of the Senate, the President is required to make his nominations within thirty days after the meeting of the Senate. Should the Senate confirm the nominations, the officers who have been suspended by the President will be considered removed. If the Senate does not confirm them, then the question arises whether the office remains vacant, or whether the suspended officers are thereby reinstated. We think that there can be no doubt that the latter position is correct.

The Senate, therefore, has the power to reinstate an officer, of whose suspension they disapprove, by simply refusing to act upon the nominations made by the President of a person to fill his place.

And this bill goes so far, as in the event just stated, to prevent the President from even making another nomination.

The retention of this bill in this obnoxious shape discloses a want of confidence on the part of the Radicals in the new President, which does not comport well with the boasted confidence of the people with which he began his Presidential career. If Grant were a man of independence, one who had a will of his own, he would veto this bill, but he has not the courage to do it. He would rather have peace purchased by the surrender of principle.

In Trouble
(Column 01)

Summary: Defends its position that Radical racial policies are the cause for black assaults on whites. Claims even conservative Republicans are questioning the wisdom of Radical policies.

Full Text of Article:

The Repository labored last week under the influence of a poke which we gave the Radical party under the fifth rib, in our issue of the week before. It seems to be afraid that the conservatively inclined portion of its party will shrink in disgust from associating politically with men who are willing to degrade themselves to an equality with the black fiend who perpetrated such gross outrages upon three helpless females. And it grows warm and angry at our intimating that such deeds of violence are the logical results of the teachings of the Radical leaders. We can not help it if the people hold those responsible to some extent for the effrontery which the negroes exhibit and the loose rein which they give to their passions. It is their fault, not ours. And the sensitiveness which our neighbors betray on this subject, shows that we struck a spot which they know to be very weak.

The subject does not need a long argument. The fact which we announced forces itself upon the minds of the people, and many in our own County are asking, to what will this doctrine of elevating the negro lead us? Are they to be thus encouraged to indulge their basest passions, thinking that the public mind has been educated up to the point of not considering it criminal for negroes to amalgamate with whites, even forcibly and against the will of the whites? Let the Repository continue to labor. "The galled jude winces."

Honor to the Negro
(Column 02)

Summary: The paper expresses "disgust" at Republican Senators' warm reception of an African American Congressman-elect from Louisiana.

Alarming Condition
(Column 02)

Summary: Notes with disgust Congress' recent action in abolishing all civil magistrates in Virginia. Insists there is no law in that state anymore, cites a telegram from General Stoneman as an example. Implies this is the natural result of Radical reconstruction policies.

Full Text of Article:

In pursuance of their diabolical scheme of reconstructing the Southern States so as to put them under the control of the Negroes, our Radical Congress recently put out of office all the civil magistrates in the State of Virginia and resolved that whole community back to a state of nature. A murder being committed in Lunenburg, and there being no civil officer to take action in the case, General Stoneman, the military commander, was telegraphed to in regard to the course to be pursued, and his reply was as follows:

RICHMOND, Va., March 25, 1869.--To P.M. Hatchell: The people must act as they may think the circumstances demand.
"GEORGE STONEMAN
"Brevet Major General."

"The people must act as they may think the circumstances demand!" There is no law in Virginia. There is no legal tribunal before which a murderer may be brought. The people, if they "think the circumstances demand" it, may burn the suspected person at the stake, or tie his legs together and drown him in a horse pond, or dispose of his life in any other way. If, after burning or drowning him, it shall be found that he was innocent, the good people who disposed of him will have the consolation of knowing that they acted under the advice of the Military Satrap who lords it over the ancient commonwealth of Virginia. They will have the further consolation of knowing that no punishment can be inflicted upon them, as there is no officer to arrest them and no court to try them.

What a state of affairs! Four years after Lee's surrender, the community in whose midst that great event occurred is deprived of civil magistrates and remitted back to a state of nature, in which every man is made the avenger of his own wrongs--and this under the administration of the man to whom Lee surrendered. "Let us have peace."

Another Black Beast
(Column 03)

Summary: The paper publishes reports of crimes committed by African Americans. "All over the country, black scoundrels, taught by the Radicals to believe that they have received wrongs at the hands of the whites which can only be avenged by the most atrocious outrages, are wreaking their brutish vengeance upon unprotected women and children."

Grant Going Down Rapidly
(Column 03)

Summary: Cites a number of articles from Republican journals to show how Grant is losing favor even among his party. Points to the disaffection of a number of Republicans concerning Grant's recent appointments.

Full Text of Article:

The ignoramus who, with poorer qualifications than any of his predecessors, stood up in the face of the American people on the 4th of March and proclaimed that he assumed the duties of the chief magistracy of this great Republic "without fear," in fast finding his level. His ignorance of the constitution and laws, the shower of appointments he has conferred upon his relatives and "cronies," and the general lack of good judgment he has displayed, have disgusted a large number of influential Republicans.--There are signs of a lively time ahead. The New York correspondent of the Philadelphia Ledger of Wednesday last notes the following signs of the times:

The Evening Post of to-day follows up its attacks upon President Grant's Custom House appointees, and especially upon the Naval Officer, General E. A. Merritt, who, it says, got his office simply as a reward for his service in helping to make Gov. Fenton Senator. The management of the Custom house is represented to be in the hands of rogues, and the Post under the new regime seems to think there is no hope of reform. It likewise opens its batteries upon Senator Fenton, and advised the President to have nothing to do with him, until certain serious charges against him are cleared up.

The Post, however, is not the only journal that heretofore supporting Gen. Grant, is now disposed to desert him. The Sun has astonished its readers by an editorial intimation in favor of such Constitutional changes as will practically abolish the Executive Departments altogether, and make Congress supreme.

These simultaneous onslaughts on the new Administration from Republican journals would seem to indicate concert of action, but the precise meaning of them as yet is not very clear.

What Say You, Metal Township?
(Column 03)

Summary: The paper calls Captain Walker, from Metal, to explain his vote in favor of the 15th amendment. The editors assert most of the citizens of Metal do not favor the amendment. "We shall see whether or not they are for equalizing negroes and whites."

Lecture
(Column 01)

Summary: The Rev. Dr. Schwartz will lecture at the Court House where a collection for the Young Men's Christian Association will be taken up.

Assistant Treasurer of the United States
(Column 01)

Summary: George Eyster has been nominated for the position of Assistant Treasurer of the United States at Philadelphia. "Mr. Eyster possesses all the requisite qualifications to make an efficient officer and we do not doubt that he will give general satisfaction."
(Names in announcement: George Eyster)

Confirmation at the Episcopal Church
(Column 02)

Summary: The Rev. William Bacon Stevens, Bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, will visit Chambersburg's Trinity Episcopal Church to conduct Confirmation services.

Wilson Female College, Chambersburg, Pa.
(Column 01)

Summary: List of officers of the board of trustees, Wilson Female College.
(Names in announcement: Rev. Tryon Edwards, Albert Small, W. S. Fletcher, Rev. I. N. Hays, Rev. J. A. Crawford, Rev. J. W. Wightman, W. Wallace, Thomas Creigh, Rev. E. B. Raffensperger)

The Poor House
(Column 02)

Summary: Samuel Brandt replaced David Piper as Steward of the Poor House. The following also took up duties: Dr. William H. Boyle, physician; John R. Orr, Attorney and Clerk. Alexander Martin has not yet been inducted as Treasurer. "The Poor House is now in Democratic hands, and we trust its management will be such as to meet the approbation of the public and promote the interests of the taxpayers."
(Names in announcement: Samuel Brandt, David Piper, Dr. William H. Boyle, John R. Orr, Alexander Martin)

School Exercises
(Column 02)

Summary: Closing exercises for the winter term of the Rev. William G. Hawkins' School for Young Ladies will be held next Friday. The school has recently moved from the residence of Samuel Seibert to a planned building at the Episcopal Parsonage. Joseph T. Wright will be installed as instructor of mathematics and music.
(Names in announcement: Rev. William G. Hawkins, Samuel Seibert, Joseph T. Wright)

Married
(Column 04)

Summary: John P. Culbertson and Miss Julia E. Wunderlich, daughter of Daniel K. Wunderlich, all of Chambersburg, were married on April 6th at the residence of the bride's parents by the Rev. J. A. Kunkleman.
(Names in announcement: John P. Culbertson, Julia E. Wunderlich, Daniel K. Wunderlich, Rev. J. A. Kunkleman)

Married
(Column 04)

Summary: Jeremiah Burns and Miss Lemantha Coffee, both of Chambersburg, were married on April 4th by the Rev. J. G. Schaff.
(Names in announcement: Jeremiah Burns, Lemantha Coffee, Rev. J. G. Schaff)

Married
(Column 04)

Summary: John Malone and Miss Susan Lilley, both of Franklin, were married in St. Thomas on March 30th by the Rev. S. A. Mowers.
(Names in announcement: John Malone, Susan Lilley, Rev. S. A. Mowers)

Agricultural
(Column 01)

Summary: Copy of an "Essay on Manures" by J. M. Cooper delivered before the Horticultural Society of Franklin County.