Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-07-16

"Some men look ut Constitutions with sapct;mo.
Nous reverence, and deem them like the ark of the
covenant, too sacred to be touched They ascribe
to men of the preceding age wisdom moro than
human, and suppose what they did to be beyond
amendment. knew that age well belonged to
it and labored with it. 1t deserved well of its
country. 1t was very like the present but without
the experience of the present. and forty gears ezpe-
7sHce government is porth century of 6ookreqdnq
and this they would say themselves, were they to
rise from the dead. am certainly not an advocate
for frequent and untried changes in laws and con-
situations. think moderate imperfectons had bet
ter be- borne with because. when once known we
accommodate ourselves 10 them, and find practical
means of correcting their ill-effects. But know.
Also that laws and institutions must 20 hand in hand
with the progress of the human mind As that be.
comes mere developed, more enlightened, as new
discoveries are made, new truthes disclosed. and
manners and opinions change with the change of
circumstances, institutions must advance also, and
keep pace with the times. We mightas well REQUIRE
man 10 wear still the coat which fitted him when a
boy, as civilized society remain ever under the
regimen of their barbarous ancestors cor Uol
4, page 300.
a In the General Government, the House of Rep
resentatives is mainly republican, the Senate scarce
y so at a not elected By the people dreelv and so
long secured against those who do elect them: the
Executive more republican than the Senate from its
shorter term, its election by the people, in practice
vote for Is and because, in practice also principle
Of rotation seems TO be in course of establishment;
the judiciary independent of the nation their CO.
erelon by impeachment being found nugatory. If,
then, the control of the people over the organs Of
their government be the measure of its republican
ism, and confess know no other measure it must
be agreed that our governments have much less of
republicanism than ought to have been expected;
In other words, that the people have less regular
control their agents. than their rights and their
interests require. "-Sanas rOI., page go.
Six years later, 1922, when The sage of Monticel-
10 was giving his last advice to his countrynen, dis
cussing the Importance of States rights and the
dangers of consolidation, he said:
4" If ever this vast country is brought under
single government it will be Of the most extern
sive corruption, indifferent and incapable of whole
some care over so wide spread of surface. This
will not be borne, and you will have to choose be-
tween reformation and revolution. If l know the
spirit of this country the the other is nevi-
table. Before the canker is become too inveterate
before its venom has reached so much Of the body
polite as to get beyond control, remedy should be
applied. Let theJutTe appointments Of Judges be for
four or sE gears, and removable By the Presdent and
Senate"
We have not space or time to copy similar and
well-knOwn views of Messrs. Madison, Macon and
others of that day. Coming up to a later period,
and embracing men of our own day and generation,
we find these views endorsed and pressed upon the
country.
HON. JOHN BELL ADVOCATING CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND
MENTs.
We have before US Il circular of the Hon. John
Bell, written in 1927 addressed "To the freemen
Of the Seventh Congressional district, composed of
the counties of Rutherford, Davidson and William
son." giving full exposition of his political prin-
ciples. Upon the subject of amending the Federal
constitution, that distinguished gentleman says:
'No work of human wisdom is perfect, and now,
before time has fully consecrated it. in all its parts
and with this protest against rash amendments
an Of opinion that the Constitution should be amended
IN ORDER THAT ITS EXISTENCE MAY BE PROLONGED
AND THE PURE AND IMPARTIAL ADMINISTRATION OF
THE GOVERNMENT SECURED. The amendment which
has been much pressed in the present Congress- and
which proposes to divest that body of the power TO
elect the President, in any event. and 10 give it d.
rectly TO the people, is certainly of great import
dncs. The plan of government, of seperate indie.
pendent legislative and executive departments
would seem TO forbid the idea that one should under
a circumstances, be Grated by the other. But
the original trainers of the Constitution were en-
barressed by the same difficulties which threaten 10
defeat the proposed amendment. They foresay the
probable evil of the present provision but they be-
came perplexed and lost in the pursuit of substi-
TUE free from objection. Drawing their arguments
and differences from the disorders which had exist
ed under the old confederation their apprebensions
were terrified at the prospect Of the confusion thew
su opposed would attend the delays incident to the
plan of recommtng the election either to the cleo
toral colleges or TO the people, upon a failure to
elect IN the first instance; but If the same gigantic
inelsct after haUiHg the operation of their m
mortal frame Of government through period Of 7earIy
forty years. could SH AGAIN upon itS provisions agho
can doubt but that remedy prom! and sfcaciols
C0Hld be applied for those detects acch ereriece has
iereQped and acijch tend 10 lksR the confidence of
,he people IN It's general a0sdoU dndczceAencs2
Even now, the temptation of this high Office seems
too great for ordinary virtue. But we owe some |
thing to pOsterity well to ourselves and half
century more Of freedom, if we do not strengthen
our guards, may usher in a period of oppression !
long and hopeless to our children.
The tendency of power once gained is TO siren
CITIZEN ITSELF and provide for its continuance by all
the means which the possession Of it furnishes and
if instant danger does threaten, the time lrik
come when President of the United States will ex-
ert all those talents which first pointed him out to
the notice Of the people, and employ the whole of
lls immense patronage for the inglOrious purpose
Of securing his reelection. From such stale of
things the progress TO continued reflections and
hence TO Unbeatable power natural and inevitable
To avert this threatened termination of our Hber-
les would so amenI the Constitution, that man
once President should be President no more
II term OF Tour years be too short a period of |
honor and power with which to reward our most IL
usrIous citizens for past services let it be made
equal to that Of a Senator, With this limit to the
Of this great trust the sole aim of the
Incumbent would be so TO administer the govern
nent as to secure and advance a reputation already
great and respectable, and leave to his family and
us country the memory of an unsullied name 1t is
fact, perhaps not generally known that the cee-
'rated Jefferson was at time opposed to the ad-
ptiOn of the Constitution, and that one of his CAPT
al objections was the re-eligbity of the Presi-
lent. But it is not from the faliable virtue of a
President alone, that danger is to be apprehended.
10 strike at the root Of the evil and to stop up all
he fountains of corruption, the Constitution should
&c so amended that the President should not have
he power Of appointing any man to Office who
hall have had seat in Congress during any part of
is Presidential term"
1t will thus be seen that Mr.. Bell not only advo-
ated the suggestions of Mr.. Jefferson in favor of
mending the Federal Constitution so as to secure
he election of President direct by the people, as
matter of great Importance" but he was also in
lvor of so changing the Constitution as to render
man ineligiblef for a second term and to take away
ne power d" of appointing any to office who
hall have had a seat in Congress during any part
his Presidential term" We have no informa-
on that &r. Bell has ever changed or modified his
Jews upon this subject. We suppose in fact, that
lch are still his real sentiments. We suggest to
is friends therefore, that in their zeal to assai
ov johnson, they should guard against treading
pom the toes of their own distinguished leader