The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-09

his admirable speech delivered in tn
Senate on Friday, against the concur
rent resolution excluding the Southern
States from representation in Congress
that such radical measures were alarm
ing the country that "the people ar
anxious aud that "the political stmos
| phere bodies the coming of no common
storm. These words of apprehension
and warning are not mere rhetoriea
flourish; they faithfully represent tbs
feVerish state of the public mind. W.
are no alarmists, and have a good dea
of confidence in the elasticity and re-
cuperatiFe power of the country undel
severe trials; but we must confess there
is cause for alarm in the obstinate anc
persistent revolutionary conduct o.
Congress From the time the session
commenced to the passage of this un
constitutional concurrent resolution
Congress has done nothing to heal the
wounds caused by the war On the con
trary, its whole cond9et, from FIRST tc
last, has been such as to keep those
wounds open and bleeding.
During last summer and fall, and uI
to the meeting of that body, the coun
try was buoyant with hSpe The wal
had no sooner collapsed than q feeling
of confidence and security inSsthe fu
ture sprung up in the minds Of the peo.
pie. Every one felt the rebellion was
30 efectually crushed that there need
not be the least apprehension of any
future attempt on the part of the South
/ 70 roe;sF tho Uovorpu,aut Tho Coutb
ern people everywhere saw that the ef-
forts to break up the government had
utterly failed; that their destiny was ir-
revocably fixed in the same republican
empire with ourselves, and their rea-
son, their interests and their common
sense told them that both their duty
and their welfare required thereafter
unfeigned loyalty After hostilities
ceased and President johnson inaugu-
rated his healing restoration policy,
| the people, both North and South,
breathed freely again. Anticipating
that the enmity created by the war
would soon be allayed and harmony re-
stored by this liberal, ststesmanlike
policy, the country became prosperous.
Industry, trade, commerce, prosperity
in everything kept pace with the pro-
gress of restoration. The people be-
| ieyed the end of our domestic troubles
was at hand, and that Congress would
soon crown the work so happily be-
gun and carried on by the Pres
| sident. That was the condition
of things, the hope and the feeling of
the country up to last December. Then
| Congress began to undo what had been
done, to agitate the country and to
blast the hopes of the people 1t has
continued this revolutionary and de-
structive course all through, and now,
IS Mr.. Cowan expresses it, "the people
are anxious, and the political atmos-
phere bodies the coming of no common
storm" A feeling of uncertainty and
| gloomy apprehension has seized the
popular mind and this last revolution
airy act will greatly increase it 1t is
true the people have become wearied
with political and war eXcitements, and
! are ready to submit to good deal for
the sake of present peace. This, per.
haps, is a reason why the radical revo-
lutionists in Congress are so presump'
tuous. such measures and proceed
ings as would have aroused the whole
country before the war are allowed to
pass for the present without much de-
monstration. But public spirit here is
not dead, and must be aroused in time.
Still there is always danger in such
apathy, Eternal vigilance is the price
of liberty" History teaches us that it
is Just at such times-just when the
| people become weaTied and disgusted
with agitation and strifes, and ready to
submit TO almost anything - that
usurpers, the Cesars, The Cromwells,
the Napoleons, Parliaments, Conven-
tions, and Congress trample on consti.
tutions, destroy liberty, and usurp un'
constitutional power
Do we use too strong a term when
we call the proceedings of Congress
revolutionary Is not this concurrent
resolution, by which one House binds
| the other in matter that, according
to the constitution, belongs to each ex-
clusively, revolutionary Is not the
| ia ctious war made for party political
| purposes upon the Executive, and the
measures he has already put into oper-
alton, revolutionary What are all
those constitutional amendments pass
| ed without the representatives OF large
portion of the people voting upon them
but revolutionary f? The whole OF
these proceedings are in direct conflict
with the constitution and spirit Of our
institutions. 1t has been said revolu-
tiOns never 20 back. 1t will be fOrtun.
ate for US if we can arrest the progress
OF this one before the fundamental
character of the glorious government
| transmitted to us by the fathers be
comes entirely changed. The visionary
radicals of Congress, like the reyolu.
| tionists in France and other countries,
think because they are representa-
tives they can do anything. They
forget their powers are limited by
the constitution. They will not see
that Congress may be as much usurp
er as any individual despot The legis
latiYe bodies of State are usually very
Jealous of their rights and privileges
and carefully guard against one en-
croaching upon the other. But in the
case Of this concurrent resolution eact
has. surrendered ,the privilege it pos
sesses to determine who are entitled tC
seats as its members. Nay, they &c
farther than this; they assume to de
termine not only as to the right of IN
dividual representatives TO seats, but a
to whether States shall be represented
or not Such usurpstion was neVel
dreamed of by the founders of the gov
ernment, has no authority in the con
stitution, and is therefore clearly revo
lutionary. Loyal representatives were
admitted from States in rebellion dur
ing the war, and yet, now the war II
over, they are rejected. This IS
strange inconsistency. Such a slate o
things could only exist where power
fol and sn unscrupulous faction mas 60
the upper hand and is determined tC
make revolution in the forms and
spirit of the government for politlea
ends.
But what must be the consequence o
the conduct Of this fsctious Congress
| If they persistently pursue the courst
they have been pursuing since they met
we shall be plunged into the creates
difficulties st home and humillateC
abroad. As we observed, there IS 81
ready feeling Of anxiety and gloon
pervading the country. Trade is be
coming paralyzsd, particularly with tn
South; Southern productions are al
rested, and it will not be long befor
We shall hear offnancial troubles, boil
in commercial business and with th
government. Great as may be our n
sources and industrial vitality, th
country cannot long bear the strain O
our present disorgsnized condition
European Powers are watching intent
what IS passing at Washington The
stand ready to take advantage of ou
| difficulties, as they did during the wa
TO humihste us. Win France leav
, Mexico or England do US justice if th
country remains unsettled Itrequire
, little sagacity to perceive how our 70
: eign relations would be affected by d,
t mestic strife. Now we have the mo.
3 enviable position as a great nation; bt
] | let tia revolutionary radicals have the
way and our historical record with II
I gard 70 pending international affai
= viii be such that our children vi
. blush for the humiliation the great 7
f public viii have suffered-Nss0 Yoi
{ Herald