Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1849-05-16

government established 10 this country,
after having been malured by the expert
epce of wears under career Of Stale pros
peri,y altogether without parallel, has
been forced 10 give place to formless COM
pilalion of political rules and doctrines
deductions from The idle theories Of Tam.
,nany Hall politicians. Theso political
doctors, in their efforts at reform, seem 10
have put 10 the task all their resources oil
wil and ingenuity. No bounds were set 10
their ra Oh experiments. AsIlo cast censure
upon the whole wisdom and experience oil
their Forefatfiers, they. have up-turned the
old order oflKfugs, which time should have
rendered sacred, and placed upon the ruins
an entirely new and fanciful arrangement.
The Goddess Of Repubicanism so Fair and
beautiful 10 the eye OF tie young Amefl-
can, has been reeklessly dethroned. to. o.glVe
place to the ill.shaped genius of MOboc-
racy, with her shabby and fckle rule.
The whole burden Of government, is
thrown back upon the mass Of the people
allnos, as absolutely as in The pure de-
mocracies of Greece and Rome. The
people are made 10 take hack The powers
ihey, a, first, 80 wisely delegated, and
mus, in future, be perpelually han assed in
attending 10 the clog 1oork Of the govern
mental machine. In addition TO electlng
their officers under The federal government.
they are now 10 elect all their State OH.
cers-Governor, and Lieut.. Governor.
Secretary Of Stale, Attorney General
Comptroller. Treasurer, State Engineer,
Surveyor, Canal Commissioners, Stale
Prison Inspectors, Justices OF The Peace.
and of the county, and even the Judges OF
the Superior Court. Tho Court Of Equity,
also, has been abolished, and any male
citizen of the age Of twenty. .one, though
he may never have seen the inside Of a
law Office. is entitled to admillance to
practise in all the courts Of the Stale.
To complete this picture Of ruin and de-
yastaiion, the old t,oo third vote-one of
The wisest provisions in any government
has been destroyed, and The power is given
to bare majority 10 alter or amend the
constitution.
Thus TO effec, a cure Of an imaginary
disease in the body polite, these wise
Doctors, after having exhausted all The
ingenuity of political leech.crall 10 boasted
efforts at renovation, have physicked. The
State patient into a lingering dislemper,
of which, without some desperate remedy,
he must eventually die.
These master efforts Of political reform
were achieved in the year of our Lord
1916. The state, doubtless, had been ripe
for them years before, but had been hiuderd
in its action by the conservative check in
the old constitution. Tho Spirit Of Reform
has been long al work IN that land of
change and political chimeras. lts de-
velopments may be distinctly traced in the
movements OF the Abolitionists. Of The
Naive Americans. Of the Hunkers. Barn
burners, ct id omne genus portentorum!
One would suppose that this reckless
spirit. after having achieved so very much,
had naturally exhausted ITSELF Not so.
The work is still going on braveIy. Pro-
gress is sill the order Of the day. During
powered to draugh, "Codes Of Procedure. "
10 serve as substitutes for The practice and
pieadings hitherto used 10 courts Of civil
and criminal law. This modest commits.
sion proposed only 10 Supplanl by new
work of individual creation that great
mass Of wisdom and good practical sense.
styled Practice. which has been accumu.
lated out OF The wisdom and experience OF
ages. A Repor, has been made and a
Code submitted, with what SUCCESS re.
mains yet TO be seen. They who knbw
something Of the fate Of paper consllu.
lions and parchment codes, will not suffer
themselves to indulge the fondes, hopes.
History is replete with aborive elfnrs at
codi6ca,ion. And general experience al
tests. that so far from rendering the law
simple and certain. it is the surest means
Of introducing cavil, uncertainty, and
myslifcation. How was ii with the code
Napoleon And how is it with the present
codes of France? lnnumerable doubts
and quibbles have arisen, where formerly
all was clear and definite. In the inter.
probation of many articles Of the French
codes, not less Than half dozen. difercnl
opinions are advanced by learned COM
mentaiors on The snme point. But or
limits forbid US 10 pursue This m natter.
The Albany and Tammary Hall REFORM
ers have undertaken to achieve entirely
loo much. They propose TO themselves
the removal Of all inconvenieices in legal
aud political matters. But in so doing
hey engage 10 perform an utter imposs.
bility. Do they not know, that "delays
and little Inconvenience in The forms of
justice, are The price .ha. all free nations
must pay for their liberty in more sub.
siantial ma,ers?"f And have they no
fears lest TOO free indulgence Of thi, spirit
Of change. may so bring on reckless inno-
va'ions. By destroying all respect for exist.
ing objects, as To render their political
institutions Too Aimsy and mulable to
secure real liberty and happiness? Let
Them mol overlook the warning lessons Of
history!
OsE OF TIE PEOPLE.