Gazette and sentinel., 1861-03-23
The New Constitution.
From the Crescent.

at Montgomery. In the main it is but
a copy Of the Constitution of the old
Union, with a few additions and changes.
every one of which is, VIC think, an i'm,
provement.
The preamble differs from the pream.
bic of the Constitution of the United
States, in respect of its assertion of tho
doctrine Of State Sovereignty. Each
State acting in its sovereign and indie.
pendent character" is the languaro
used, thus giving Constitutional sane.
ton t. a doctrine, the denial of which
by the North, was the source of much
trouble and confusion in the old Union,
The preamble also recognizes our de-
~pendence upon a Supreme Being, which
is something not found in the Constitu.
ton of the United States.
The Legislative Department of the
Government is organized just as that
of the Union was. The right of sui.
frage, however, is confined to citizens
alone. In some Of the Northern States
they permit men to vote before they &C.
quire citizenship-a most monstrous
abuse, and one which our new Constj.
tuition wisely forbids. The ratio of rep
resentation in the lower House of Con.
gress is fixed at not less than SO, 900.
and the three-ffths provision in regard
to slaves is retained. Until otherwise
ordered, Louisiana is to have six Rep.
resentatives, South Carolina six, Geo
gia ten, Alabama nine, Florida two.
Mississippi seven, and Texas, six.
The powers and duties of Congress
are fully defined. In cases where sew.
eral appropriations are embraced in n
bill, the President is to have the right
to veto any particular appropriations,
and approve the others. This is a good
provision. 1t will break up the logroL
ling system, whereby appropriations for
unworthy objects were struggled in at
the close of Congress, and put into bills
that were obliged to be passed. This
will prevent anything like the fraud and
stealage that prevailed in the old Union.
Congress is forbidden to grant boun.
ties. No special Legislation, no favorite.
ism to classes oil any particular inter.
ests. This is good. We will have no
~swindling fishing bounties and naviga-
ton monopolies.
Then the post-ofice is to be self-sus-
tanning. This is good again. it will
prevent the s~quandering of the public
money in all sorts of postal contracts,
thus making the general treasury pay
for the accommodation of mere local
and particular interests.
The African slave trade Is forbidden.
but the importation of slaves from those
States not members of the Confederacy
is permitted, Congress, however, being
granted the power to prohibit it at dis
cretlon.
No extra compensation to any con-
tractor shall be granted. This is excel
lent. The Congress of the Union 10
bothered and badgered, every winter,
with an i~nnuInerable caravan of con-
tractors and old o~ffice-holders begging
for extra pay. The members are but
ton-hoIcd and annoyed by them, past
endurance-and many of these claims
slip through and are paid, when there
is not a shadow of justice in them.
The President is to be elected for six
years, and is to be ineligible. Six years
is short enough, and his being ineligi
BILE will prevent him from disposing Of
his patronage, or otherwise using his
power, to retain himself in the Office.
No person shall be eligible to the Office
of President or Vice-President, except
a natural born citizen Of the Confeder-
ate States, or a citizen at the time Of
the adoption of the Constitution, or Q
citizen born in the United States prior
to goth December, 1860. A residence
of fourteen years in the Confederate
States, as they may exist at the time OF
the election, is also necessary. The du-
ties of the President, and the organizs-
ton of the Executive Departments, are
about the same as in the Government at
Washington.
The Judicial power is to DO invested
in a Supreme Court and such other in
ferior courts as Congress may establish
just as in the Northern Union.
The right of transit and s%oiourn with
ones slaves, in any State or Territory,
is affirmed and secured. Fugitive slaves
are to be surrendered, and in all the
| Territories slavery is to be Recognized
and protected" The trainers of tho
present Constitution, are not so mea!y'
mouthed as our forefathers, and boldly
use the words Slaves and slarery, when
vas carefully excluded, for political
reasons, from the Constitution Of 'S1.
Other States may be admitted oya
vote of two-thirds of the whole House
of Representatives, and two-thirds Oh
the Senate, the latter voting by states
The Constitution provides fIr it's "
amendment, and three States having
n--@nn TOR InAL