The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-12-12
rrrE LAPSE INTS nAHBARIsNI,
rr;ers Against POPULAR liberty 10 be
Streng he neda

rVNE LAPSE INTO 8A 6bA hAShs
.rriers Against Popular Liberty 10 be
strengthened
piobroond Ezquirer of November 20, con- |
- +be report of the committee appointed by the
"a State Convention, to report on amend |
s7ts to the Constitution, The document long
very curious 49,. H.
distractions of the Virginia School, and then
aoaedad to discuss the amendments which they !
EN- essential to erect the State into an ohgafchy
ae people, they say, must be dlsfrancnised, Iaoor
ust be depressed, and Tree schools aooIshe e."
Of he freenten oe the north note the tendencies
society in the slave states
REBEL VIEWS OF POLITICAL EcoNoMY.
Governments are instituted for the protection OF
70 RIGHTS of persons and property ana any 'yo. |
IN must be radically defective which aoe sI ~
I'VE ample security to both. The great M NJ The
every community may be classed uh uei -
aads of labor and capital, and 1t IS esseli.'i
ne well being of society that the proper 80 Gle
nm should be established between che :,I !" - .
rents The undue performance VI 80 , 80 |
-t,o1I,, prova destructive of the social system
,anitaI belongs to the few-labor 10 lne many.
~ s1,stens in which capital has the asceh' |
fancy. the government must 10 soII eAees =;
oLa ~ the character OF an oll2arcny' "hlist III
~ ~ t~bicb labor is predominant, the tendency
. IN what Mr.. John Randolph graphicaily oe
,crihed as "tbe despotism OF king numbers. IL
= ~ ofica of enlightened craftsmanship to secure
n eacl Its dppTOpIioAO AANS+AN~j 49, o.
absolute control to neither.
ruvprRE1s THINK NORTHERN LABOR TOO pow
RRFUL.
The nolitical condition of the Northern States
,rosenfs a striking illustration of the evils incident
10 the preponderance OF the element OF LABOR In
The carly periods of their history, these evils were
nor SO apparent as they have since become. Iher
onuIeti6n was sparse, and the western territories
afforded convenient outlet for their restless GILL
zeps labor was in demand, at high wages prop
ertv was easily acquired, and consequently the
limo Of demarcatiOn between labor ana capltal was
not strictly drawn, because the laborer Of to-day
MIGHT readily become the capitalist OF to morrow
Bnt within the last twenty years marked change
has taken place in the North. Population has be
come dense and the satetyvalve afforded 70 emf
grafton to Western territories has been greatly
Instructed Wages have not kept pace with the
cost of subsistence and the difficulty OF acquiring
nroperty has increased. The tendency OF this new
condition of things has been to divide society into
Two distinct classes, and to array the one against
the other.
FREE SCHOOLS DENOUNCED.
This tendency to conflict between labor and
capital has already manifested itself III many forms
comparatively harmless il is true, but neverthe-
less clearly indicative Of SptrH 81 ttcent10hSHeSS
which must in the end, ripen into agrarlanism :
II aqay be seen IN the system Of free schools by
which the children OF the poor are educated at the
expense of the rich in the various forms OF ex-
emption and homestead bills Ill the popular cry
homeless :" in Fourierism and communism IN the
habitual disregard of the ordinances Of Religion
q nd of the institution Of matrimony and more dis
tinctly in the form of abolltionsm.
FREE SUFFRAGE NOT TO BE PERMITTED
In the opinion of your committee, system Of
government can afford permanent md egect"aI Sc
coity t0 life, liberty and PROPERTY arh'ch rests on
the basis Of uulimlcld Suffrage and the election OF
officers of every department of the government by
the direct vote of the people. The tendency OF
such a system is TO demoralize the masses to
encourage the habit of Office seeking to foster
corruption at the polls, and to place unworthy and
incompetent mon in positions OF trust and resp0n
sibility These, however, are the vital principles
OF the social organizations OF the North ana as be-
fore s;aed their bitter fruits are already IN course
of rapid development.
In the Southern States more conservative and
rational principles still prevail This is due mainly
to the institution OF slavery, winch constitutes q
partial restriction on the right OF suffrage In the
North men of every class and condition OF life are
entitled to vote. In the South, all who are IN a
condition of serYitude are necessarily excluded
from the exercise of political privileges, and the
power Of the country is welded by the more INTEL
Iigent classes who have a permanent interest IN
the well being of society
SIarcry also constitutes an cgecLuai Gayr1er
against that tendency to aaLagonasm 6etreeH fa6or
and caD1taL goilch eC9StS IN he N0rth There capl
tai is the casual employer of labor and Is interest
ed in diminishing its wages. He re, capital Is the
owner of labor and naturally seeks to enhance
its rewards.
THE PEOPLE MUST BE DIsFRANCHGsED.
Material changes seem, also, to be necessary in
regard to the selection Of various classes OF public
officers Under the Constitution, as it now stands
no discrimination is made in the mode OF choosing
public agents, founded on a consideration of the
nature of the functions they have to perform A
mistaken desire to prOpitate public favor, rather
than a wise and well considered purpose to give
security to individual rights, and stability and
dignity to the government, seems to have CONTROL
ed the action of the convention in 1880. The Sc
lection of almost every officer has been referred to
the people, and by shortening the official term
as far as possible, the officers made dependent
on the people In determining the mode OF select
ing officers, it seems to your committee that some
regard ought to be had to the nature OF the duties
they will be required 10 discharge. No rule can
be prescribed which will be free from all objection
but your committee believe that 1t would be safe
to assume that all legislative officers should be
elected by the people, but that those WHO are to
fill executive or judicial trusts should be chosen
reason for this distinction Legislation affects the
rights and liberties OF the whole people collect
lively.
Hence, those who exercise legislative powers
should be elected by direct vote of the people
and be dependent, for their continuance In othce,
on the will of the people. But judicial and exec
utive officers, being entrusted with the duty Of
expOundin z and administering the public will Of
expressed through the legislature, and in applying
law to individual cases have functions to perform
which do not concern the people at large, anC
ought not to be affected by their wishes.
As general rule, 1t would be much
safer for the people to elect III the MODE prescribed
by the law representa- tives III whose ability integ
rity and patriotism they could coniide, and leave
to them the duty, not merely Of framing the laws
but also of selecting the higher officers, to eXpounc
and execute them