, 1861-12-06

N@T-@ - --o ~---SA1&-N- ~
Spite Of the EEwordor a=sasain's etfletto.
While thrpbs heart in the breast of the brave
The oak Of the North or the Southern palmetto
Shall shelter no foe except in his grave.
While the gulf billow breaks
Echofng the northern lakes
and &cean replies unto ocean altar,
Yield VIC no inch Of land
While there's patriot hand
Grasping The bolts Of the thundrrs Of war!
THE LAPSE INTO BARBARlsM.
WHAT VIRGINIA PROPOSES.
Barriers against Popular Liberty to
be Strengthened.
The Richmond Enquirer Of November 20.
contains the report Of the committee appoint
cd br the Virginia State Convention, to re-
port on amendments to the Constitution. The
document is long and very curious.
The committee set out with an assertion of
the old distractions of the Virginia School,
and then proceed TO discuss the amendments
which they deem essential to erect the State
into al oligarcly. The people, they say, must
be disfranclised, labor must be depressed, and
free, schools abolished. We give some ex-
tracts from the report below. Let the free
men Of the North note the tendencies Of so
clcty in the slave States:
REBEL VIEWS OF POLITICAL EcoSosT.
tion Of tile rights Of persons and property;
aud any system must be radically defective
Which does not give ample security to both.
The great interests Of every community may
be Chased under the heads Of labor and capi-
tai, and it is essential to the well being OF So
cicty that the property equilibrium should lie
established between these two elements. The
undue prcdoninance Of either must, eyentu-
ally, prove destructive Of the social system.
Capital belongs to the few-hbort to the many.
In those systems in which capital has the as
ctndancy, the government must, to some cx-
tent, partakc Of tue character Of an olisarcl,y,
whilst in those in which labor is predominant,
the tendency is to what Mr. John Randolph
graphically described as sthe despotisnl of
King numbers II is the Office Of enlightened
craftsmanship to secure to cacA< its appropri-
ate influence, but 10 give the absolute control
to neither.
THE REBELS THINK NORTHERN LABOR TOO
POWERFUL.
The political condition OF the Northern
States presents striking Illustration of the
evils incident to the prcponderancc Of tic
element Of labor. In the carly periods Of their
history, these evils were not SO apparent rs
they have since become. Their population WIS
sparsc, and thc Western territories afforded
Il convenient outlet for their restless cit
izens; labor was in demand, at high
wages; property WIS easily acquired, and
consequently the line Of denarcatlon between
labur and capital was not strictly drawn,
because the laborcr Of to-day might readily
in the last twenty years a nlarkcd cllange has
taken place in the North. Population las be-
come dense, and the safvty-salye afforded to
enaigraiion to Western territories las been
greatly al,styucted. Wages have not kept
pace with the cost Of subsistence, and the difc:
tieulty of acquiring property has increased.
The tendency Of this new condition Of things
has been to divide society into two distinct
classcs, and to array the one against the other.
FREE SCHOOLS DEMO CScED.
THIS tendency TO conflict between labor
and capital has already manifested itself in
many forms, comparatively harmless it is
true, but nevertheless clearly Indicative of d
| spirit Of RIGHTEOUSNESS which must, Ill the end
ripen into agrarianiem. Hmay DC seca in tt;
sysxn Of free schools, by which the children Of
The poor arc educated at the expense Of the
rich; in the various forms Of exemption AMI
homestead bills in the popular CRY Of Glands
| for thu landless," and 's homes for the home.
I less" in FourieFism and communism; in the
habltual disregard Of the ordinances Of rcll'
and more distinctly III the form Of abolition
| ISM
FREE SUFFRAGE not TO BE PERMITTED.
In the opinion Of your committee, 40 sYs
tim Of golx7nna<nt eaH afford pe'7',ansn
ord ys}g ;gss tscz ;:e";ty res to on IT. h. 'y sas, a
",iimiid suffrage and the election Of officer
| tho direct vote Of the people. The tcndcnc,
Of such system is to demoralizc the masses
to encourage the habit Of oftice-seckiug; II
foster corruption Mt the polls, and to plaef
unworthy and incompetent men in position;
Of trust and responsibility. These, however
arc the vital principles Of the social organiz'
ton Of the North, and rs before stated, thei
hitter fruits are already in q course Of rapi'
development.
In tic Southern States more conscryatiy
and ratiozal principles still prevail. This
due mainly to the Institution Of slavery, Ehic
constitutes i partial restriction On the right Q
suffrage. Ii the North, men Of every clas
and condition of life are entitled to vote. I
| the South, all who arc in 4 condition Of 5eryi
tude are necessarily excluded from the excl
else Of political privileges, and the power c
the country is welded By the more intelligen
well-bcing Of society
tSau,Y also constitutes an efectuaI 6arrie
ogoinSf that tendency to dNtagonism bfteeen |ab0
and capital sesich crisis in TIE North. There
capital is the casual employer Of labor, and
interested in diminishing its wages. Herr
capital is the owner Of labor, and NATURAL
| seeks to enhance its rewards.
TIE PEOPLE MIST BE D1sFRANcH1sED.
Material changes seem, also, to be ncccssar
in regard to tic selection Of various classe
Of public. officers. Under tho constitution
as it now stands. no dis elimination is mad
i in the mode Of choosing public agents
founded on consideration Of the natu1
/ Of the functions they have to perform
a mistaken desire to propitiatc public faYo
rather thau i wise and well considered purpos
to give security to individual rights, and ST
| bility and dignity to the government, seen
to have controlled the action OF the Convel
tion IN 1870. The selection Of almost cyel
1re r.,.1t n
short ening the official term, as far us possibl
0 | the officers are made dependent on the peopl
In determining the mode Of selecting officer
it seems to your committee that some rcgal
| ought to be had to the Dature Of Il
]: duties they will be required to dischars
free from all objection, but your commit
believe that it would be safe to assume TIL
all legislative officers should be elected by Il
people, but that those who are to ill exec
five or judicial trusts should be chosen by i
: tcrmcdiatc agents. There seems to be a :sos
the rights and liberties Of the whole poop
collectively.
Hence, those who exercise legislative po
ers should be elected By a direct vote Of t
people, and be dependent, for thei1 contia
= ancc in office, on the will Of the people. B
e Judicial and executive officers, being cntrust
e | with the duty of expoundinS and administs
ing the public will, as expressed through t
: legislature, aud in applying law to indiyidr
i cases, hayc functions 70 perform which do .
n | concern the people at large, and ought not
j. be affected by their wishes.
= Asa general rule, it would be mu
safer for the people 10 elect, in the mode ?
scribed l'y tlc law, representatives in wlt<
= ability, integrity and patriotism they col
confde, and leave to them the duty, l
merely Of framing tl1c laws, but also Of sele
ing tic higher officers, to czpound and C
:. | cute them.
Easy Lessons In Geography.