Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1866-02-06
Government VS.. Administration.


to boast that they are living under the best
Government the world ever saw" The Rep
resentatives in Congress of the dominant par
ty in that section, whatever may be their pro-
LESSONS, do not seem to esteem the present Gov
eminent as by any means approaching perfec-
ton. We do not boast so persistenty and so
loudly of having the 'best Government the
world ever saw, though we have much better
opinion Of the Government than those who do.
We do not complain Of the Government, which
we think very good one, and really one of the
best the world ever saw, ~ but our complaints
are against the administration Of it. The Gov
eminent is good, but the administration oft is
bad, very bad Not satisfied with bad ad-
ministration the Representatives Of the domi-
nant party North are trying to change the char
acter Of the Government itself.
The manner in which they administer the
"best Government the world ever saw" leads
many to concur in the sentiment expressed in
the couplet ofPope:
For forms Of Government, let fools contest,
That which is best administered, is best"
North are not satisfied with the Government,
as is shown by their persistent and numerous
efforts to have it changed. We are better sat
isfed with the Government as it is and desire
no change The number of amendments to the
Constitution which have been offered by North
ern members Of Congress is startling, and shows
that in that section, there is great opposition
to the Government as it is. We believe that
more than twenty amendments have been pro-
posed. Some of the papers report that the
number is more than twice that many. These
numerous propositions of am endment show that,
in the mind Of those offering them, the eonsti-
tuition has no sanctity. The Richmond Times is
justified in saying that amendments to the
Federal Constitution seem to be regarded by the
dominant party in this country, as the panacea
system Is the ''rebel debt to be killed.
Amend the Constitution Is slavery to be for
ever abolished? Amend the Constitution
Are the negroes to bessadmitted to all the rights
Of suffrage everywhere? Let the Constitution
be amended In short, whatever the Radicals
want dene, or do not want done, they propose
to accomplish by amendment Of the Constitu-
ton They are like quacks who practice with
a single species of patent medicine for the cure
of all diseases: and whether purge or emetlc
be required, they will in all cases administer the
same dose, without diagnosis or prognosis: I'M
der the manipulations Of political charlatans,
who prescribe an amending plaster for every
thing, the great charter for American rights
and liberty will soon resemble an old vessel
covered with barnacles, rock enveloped In
moss a fallen tree full of mushrooms, or COW
shingled over with ticks. 1t is proposed to
tinker the Constitution as if it were an old cof-
fee pot, and to cobble it like an old WORKOUT
boot or shoe. New patches, it seems, are con-
stantly needed upon this old garment. Too
much new wine put into this old bottle, We
fear will prove injurious to its integrity, and
We are looking forward to a period when the
Constitution will not be able to stand the treat
ment to which it has been subjected. We fear
it will break down, smash up and go to pieces,
under the weight of ali proposed amendments.