Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1857-11-20
PRAoTICE AGAINST THEORY, OR
DEMOCRACY VERSUS THE CON
STITGTIoN.

~ ~ thN ONRbN - NHS 1NN
.crsts, that the Constitution is their only
guide in shaping their Federal and State
policy; and by this false and impudent
assumption, they have long succeeded in
Igullihg the people, and in perpetrating,
with ~impunity, the most outrageous polil
tical wrongs. On the subject Of the cur
rency, which is how cngrossing so much of
public attention, the Constitution is par
ticularly careful to provide safeguards
against depreciation, and securities for a
uniform value. One clause gives to Con-
gress the exclusive power to regulate the
currency, TO coin money and to punish
counterfeiting. The same instrument
denies to the States the right to issue bills
Of credit, and forbids them to make any
thing but gold and silver a legal tender.
And what is democratic practice7 To
charter Banks within the States, which
regulate the currency, whilst a democratic
Congress says, in substance, to the people
-"you must pay your dues to the govern
mcnt in gold and silver-all other dues
you may pay in rags, or shucks if you
please And recently democratic Legisla-
lures have made Bank notes a legal tender
in payment Of taxes. Now, if language
has any meaning, as employed in the Con-
stitution, every Bank, in every State, is
unconstitutional, and the acts which make
paper money a legal tender, are in direct
violation of that instrument.
1t is an article in the democratic con-
%fcssion of faith, that internal improve
ments by the general government, are for
hidden by 1.-THE Constitution and what is
the practice of the party? At every session
of Congress, millions of acres of the public
lands are appropriated for the undisguised
purpose Of internal improvements in the
new States and Territories; and these ap-
preparations are not only-as they say
openly in the face of the Constitution, but
they are in palpable violation of the rights
Of the old States and counter to the in
~terests of the South. Here, it will be
seen, the entire democratic party concur
in violating the Constitution, and the
slaveholding portion go so much further
as to be guiltyo of treason againstthe South.
This is no idle charge-its truth is estab-
lished, beyond dispute, by the records of
the country, reaching back to the organiza-
ton Of that most Internally mean organi-
zation-the democratic party.
The Constitution says that Congress
shall have power to adopt a uniform sys-
tenn of naturalization; and the spirit of
that clause, if not the exact letter, forbids
to the States the right to make citizens Of
aliens. And the laws, under this clause,
define the mode by which a foreigner may
be transmitted into a citizen, and prescribe
five years as the period of probation, and
only after the lapse of that period do the
rights of citizenship vest. What is demo,
cratic practice? To take from the federal
officers the exclusive right to naturalize,
and confer the right upon the Judiciary Of
the States. They furthermore ignore the
laws, and reduce the period of probation
from five years to the time intervening the
landing of the foreigner and the first cleo
ton thereafter. And whilst democratic
States and p%artizan judges are thus setting
at defiance the Constitution and the laws
the democratic Congress destroys the uni.
formity of the system of naturalization
by declaring no naturalization necessary
in the Territories-thus putting the alien
of one hours residence upon an equality
with the man born and reared upon the
soil.
We have cited these three most striking
illustrations, that the veriest tyro in poll,
ties may see the gross dishonesty and in,
consistency of democracy; and we ask
every honest man, not already posted on
the subject, to read the Constitution and
compare with it, locofoco practice, under
these specified heads. The regulation Of
the currency, the disposition of the public
lands, and the bostowal of the rights Of
citizenship are inferior in Importance to
no other duties imposed by the Constitu-
ton upon the general government, and nc
more disastrous and widespread evils car
cure the country than those resulting
Gom a failure faithfully to discharge these
duties. Under democratic misrule, the
currency ia dcranged, and every branch
Of industry is suffering from that u
the public lands are basoly squandered iT
partition brides, and the most worthless
alien is made the peer of the noblest spcci