Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-07-16
THURSDAY MORNING, JULY 1s, 1857.
OLD DOCUMENTS ARE D iNGERoUs THINGS
GOV. JOHNSON AND HIS ASSAILANTS-CON-
9TITUTTONAI. ANFNDNPNTS

Since Andrew Jackson was active participant
In the political affairs of Tennessee, no man has
been SO violently traduced, misrepresented and
'slandered by the opposition as Andrew Johnson
The violence of the calumny has generally so far
exceeded all limits of proprety as to fall harmless
at his feet Twice he has gone before the people
of the State and submitting TO the fullest and fair
est scrutiny at their hands, received the highest mark
of their confidence and trust In view of this fact
we have seldom thought it necessary to turn from
our more legitimate pursuits to the ISLANDERS
and correct the misrepresentation which are con
stantly being made against him. There is one par
ticular, however, in connection with the present
canvass in which Gov johnson is of the constant OBJ
ject of assault, that merits at our hands reply
We feel encouraged to the task from the conscious
ness that we have in grasp the means of thor
Oughly overwhelming and confounding his assail-
ants.
The trainers of our Federal Constitution, in &C.
cordance with common usage and knowing that
they themselves werebut men, like those who would
come after them, except that they had not the ex-
perience as to the efficacy of the labor they were
performing that pOsterity would have wisely provi-
ded for amending and perfectng what they had thus
begun, the lights of the future and the judgments
of the people should determine. They inserted as
one article of the Constitution the following:
CART. 5. Congress, whenever tlco thirds of both
Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amend
ments to this Constitution the application Of the
Legislatures of tWothirds of the several States shall
call Convention for proposing amendments which
in either case shall be valid TO all intents and
purposes, part of this Constitution, when rat-
fed by the Legislatures of THREE, FOURTHs of the
several States, or by Conventions in FoURTHs
thereof, the the other mode of ratification
may be proposed BY Congress" sc.
The wisdom of this provision has been fully attest
ed by subsequent events, the people having found
it necessary to make tweIUe different amendments
since its first adoption, and always to the greater
perfection of their republican institutions.
Regarding the great problem having been
solved that man-civilizei, informed, moral man
can govern himself, dispensing with the whole sys-
TEN of hereditary monarchy; regarding all power
as inherent in the people-trustng them-beleying
that the great majority viii do right, with few
motives in this particular to do wrong-GOv. John
son, acting under the foregoing provision and fol-
lowing the suggestions of our wsest statesmen has
advocated the policy of popularising free insti
tutions as far may be practicable, and bringing
the general government nearer to the peOPle-and
to this end proposed to amend the Federal COnsitu
ton in three several particulars, as follows
LIST. That hereafter the President and Vice-Presi-
dent of the United States shall be chosen directly
by the people of the several States, Gnstead of by
Electors in the manner following: Each State
shall be divided, by the Legislature thereof into
districts, equal in number to the whole number Of
Senators and Representatives to which such State
may be entitled in the Congress Of the United States
the said districts to be composed of contiguous
ritory, and to contain nearly as may be, an equal
number of persons entitled to be represented under
the Constitution. That the person receiving the
greatest number of votes for President and Vice
President, in each district shall be holden to have
received VOTE which fact shall be Immediately
certified, SC. That when the same shall be counted
out by Congress, the person having the greatest |
number of votes for President, shall be President,
if such number be equal to majority of the whole
number of votes given; but if no person have such
majority, then second election shall be held be-
tlOsen the persons hariag the highest numbers for the
Office Of President; aud the person thus receiving
the greatest number of votes for President shall be
elected. The same provision was to control the |
election of a Vice-President.
This was the simplest of changes. 1t only pro-
posed that the President and Vice President should
be voted for directly by the people, instead of elect
ing Electors to vote for them; and in the event an
election failed to be made the first time, that it
should be brought back before the people and de- |
termined between the two highest candidates. in
stead of permitting go the House of Congress
he in Of tl,o
popular will and to the great detriment Of the
country.
Governor johnson also proposed that
ID The Senate of the United States shall be
composed of two Senators from each State chosen
by the people, Gnstead of the Legislature as is now
The case,) believing that the people are as capable
Of electing their Senators as they are of electng
heir President, their Governors and Congressman;
and believing Furthermore that it would be safer for
hem TO do themselves than to entrust it to be
,Orruptly gambled over is too often the case in
Legislative bodies,
Sd. That the Judges of the Supreme Court of
he United States should be appointed by the Presi-
lent and ratified by the Senate, las is now the
,ase, but that hsS term Of office should be limited 10
number Of gears say twelve years, instead Of for
yt, las now PrOUided)
Such are the three simple propositions which Gov.
Johnson has favored, with the view of popularizing
ur institutions by bringing the government nearer
o the people, and to avoid evils and dangers that
night result from the present system. Gov. J. is
lot their author, but their advocate. They were
rst conceived and suggested by early patriots
nd statesmen, and have been subsequently ap-
roved up the present time by some of our great
st and best men.
Our Know Nothing opponents, always anxious for
pretext by which improper prejudices may be Gre
ted urge that there is great danger in and profess
reat alarm at the bare suggestion of amending the
constitution. They dare not say that there is wrong
the abstract propositions themselves, of electng
he President by the direct, instead of the indirect
ote of the people-of eleoting our Senators by the
eople, instead of the legslatures-and of limiting
le term of Office of The Judges to a number of
ears, instead of appointing them for life. The
reat danger they conceive is in amending the Con-
tuition according to the mode provided in that in
rument ITSELF not in disregard and violation Of
S spirit and intention. They pretend to be igno-
INT of the fact that the Constitution has been fire.
uently amended, and that amendments have been
me and again suggested by the leading of the {
,unry from our earliest history to time
hey seem unwilling that the public should know t
lat jefferson, Madison, Macon, Jackson, Clay, and L
hers of our early patriots, well as Bell, Ca I