Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-12-19
fundamental Principles.

worth having to hope that t,rts TO arouse public
attention to the Importance OF founding our Confeder-
ate and Sate Constitutions Republican basis, will
not prove in vain. Il Is evident to every reheotng
mind that they do not rest on that basis now. The
Democratic element has an undue and dangerous pre-
ponderence In them. That element any other one,
unchecked, has and ever will generate despotism Gov
eminent to secure personal rights and public liberty,
must have lis powers distributed among so many inde-
pendent agents. that no Of them by the abuse Of his
trust can work serious mischief to the public veal All
SCENTS should be sutsc. to the Lar and each should
be vested with but little authority II be transcribed or
violated his trust he could be held accountable to the
Law But whnt mockery is it to talk about the respon-
ibiy Of an ecer who holds In his hands the lives OF
thousands and has at his beck hundreds Of thou
sandsl We have seen the result of an unlimited and
supreme democracy, represented by an elective mon
arch beyond the Potomsc. All the power of that abso
Lutte Democracy has passed into the hands ard Injured to
the benefit Of its representavethe elective kng-ahd
constituted him the mosi intense despot Ia existence
Not vestige of freedom survives in the land which
twelve months ago boosted ITSELF par excellence the reest
on the face Of the earth. Free speech free labor free
love free rascaty of every conceivable character were
the hunted badges Of It's incon parable freedom. Mill
tary espotism Of the EXTREMIST gor arbitrary arrests
STATE prisons, and a mu1sled press, and one man su
preme over all are installed in the halls Of departed
Liberty.
Psople express establishment at the metamorphosis
The rapidly OF It Is the only subject OF wonder. Tie
result was ss inevitable and effect. The mex
orabe logic Of Aristotle founded in the immutable laws
of human nature had demonstrated it more than two
thousand years ego. Power unchecked whether in the
hands oue or Many, becomes despOtc. All human eI.
p,rience proves IT, Its happening Is ouly question
of time. 4 good Monarch may sway with banignity-
or bad one will rule with a rod Of IRON The result
depends upon his personal disposition Absolute power
in the Enthusiastically Democrscy-may be In ap-
pearancc the of the whole but Is not less
prone to tyranny and all history proves that 1t 'psediy
masses from the Many to the One. The present arbi.
rary Ruler of France gives practical illustration o.
tins sort of democratic governmeut-the government of
One by the will of all. Lincoln supplies another eI.
ample at our ows doors. Another grea! principle,
which the unbrokeu current of human experience esab-
fishes H. that wherever Chief Magistrate Is elected by
popular vote the public liberty has been lost the cor
ruption Of the engendered by the mode OF election,
combining with the power and patronage Of the whole
elded by single man. tends irresistibly TO consods
ton and Gsspotism.
These general views Rave q special application to our
Constitution We have not corrected the vices Of our
old system They may be latent, but they are in e1s
t,uce ready to come into play whenever favorable cir
cumsances arise Abraham Lincoln with his spies and
1formers Is the legally constituted Of George
Washington, with his Immaculate Repubcinism. Presi.
dent DAvi successo Of some not very remote day, may
mark a. great degeneraey. The corrupng process of
popular elections AM the system of patronage and spos
which engendered Lincoln exist in full force In our sJs
m. 1t is true our social status is different. The ind
viuaity and natural arstoc'scy, which the slave Dst
tuition in Southern society, would prevent our
people from tamely submitting this time, to Lincoln
If we could get rid Of him, In no other way we would
enact the parts Of Brutus and Cassu and treat him to
cld steel But that would not reach the seat of the
disease The vicious system would still prevail; and that
in the spss of time would prove too strong for the vr-
the Of any individuals Yankee institutions would in
the end produce Yankee spirit. The very essence OF
these institutions intense inveterate hatred OF
gentleman. They abhor the genus gentleman, as ma
tnre does vacuum Excepting their despot, universal
equality however degraded-is their sunmnn bonIr.-
This in our judgment constitutes the distinguishing
and characteristics difference between and the Yam
KEGS Republican system, founded IN ldU. which,
while protecting every individuals freedom, shall encou.
rage the greatest number of gentlemen the frame Of
best aaaRsa 70 our eaS anu s
vsed China has four hundred millions Of Inhabitants
Yankeedom may reach the same monstrous figure, and
vet there will not be gentleman in the whole seethng
mass of vermin. Such condition of humanity has no.
hing in it attractive to our Imagination, aud 1t must
constitute disgusting spectacle In the eyes Of Deity
The immensely Of the numbers commands no respect
for Norway rats equally prolific; it promotes civil
lzation, no elevation of humanity and it imparts no
national strength We see that one of men the
field of blle is equal to FIVE of the Yankees and in the
Cabinet one Is more than match for twenty millions.
We believe Il Is not impossible and that 1t is desira.
be that our Conlederacy should conss. exclusively of
gentlemen and negroes. By wise system of govern
ment encouraging the virtues which make the gentle.
man, and discoura ;ug the vices which constitute the
backyard the result is feasible The worthy
of the best efforts Of statesmen for pure, high.
toned Southern gentleman weighed in any scales human
or divine Il worth more than the entire twenty millions
o! Yankees.
We write for the future- the present dsregards US
for bachelors having children Of their own priv
legged to be socitous about the children Of others
Their affections disiuerested and not contracted to
single household, but tensVe with the whole hu
man family. This ia our apology for whatever may
sound unsavory untmey In these crude suggestions
Sketches OF Lower North Caroliaa, By Z. RtJsn
This Is very interesting book, published by the State
of North Carolina The honor cost rred our distin-
gaished ciil9. by that Safe might well have been
shared by Yrgn for the topics discussed are for the
most part, of ,qisl interest 10 the citizens of both
States table ia spread of dishes varied and sppe
zng that there few cultivated readers Of any
lion who couli fail to eIj,y the repast We first
served with dissertation the geological formation
Of the Atlantic SLOPE from Georgia to New York. incu