Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-02-06

Axsnt9 NJ shJ'ltu93f oSa6Ifss,U6
-. to Jssaas .fs ~ Aiiisisl ps!ss
u sass cnNalpys aeTstbs paaaees les every;
sv'' whiskalD ietesas social ~ ps,ialsalsys
ten. Is'o16rv1basosssr 70 ~ ksnSd : :.
Amend tno 1Cdhlkituts0a. IL AlAvesy 10 b.
forever aboa.hedt Z Amend ~ tSuSaittt;on.
Ar The qrQpes'te - lomisasd 10 u tl.s
rights o. sshnss every wher.y Les The
Conssitud y q sne5tM. In short. what.
ever the Issl, ~ani daae. = do s.s wsai
done, they propose 70 accoml lish ~ amend
msnt Of tho Constitution. They are Ike
quscks wA6ts1cssce with single specie.
Of patent ucdicine for the cure 81 al dissas
-: and whether purge or cmssic bc re-
quired, thy will In ali cases adniaisser thc
same dose, without diagnosis Or prssicosis-
Under the manipula,ions Of political char
lstans. who prescribe ~ amending plaster
for everything. the great charter Of Amer
can rights and liberty viii soon resemble
an old vessel covered with bsrnscles, rock
envclopcd in moss, Af.Ilcn tree fun ofmush
rooms, or COW shinsled over with ticks
II is proposed 10 tinker the Constitution ..
II it we're IN old cote pot, and to cobblo u
like an I'D lwSrd oat boot or shoe. New
patches, it seems, are constantly needed
upon this old garment Tu0 much new wine
put into this old bottle, VIC fear, viii prove
injurious TO its integrity, and wo arc lOok
ing forward u . period when the Consti,u-
ton will not be able to stand the treatment
10 which il has been subjected. We fear il
will break down, smash up and go to pieces,
under the weight Of oil proposed amend
mcnt.
No good can como Of this reckless and
frequent invasion Of the sanctity Of an in
strumcnt, from which polIuting hands
should be excluded AZ much ~ possible
Too much tampcrin. with the Constitution
safeguards Of . peoples freedom is danger
GUS. and jcopardisc their rights and happi
ness. The war has already str,incd the
tirbcrs Of the Constitution heavily, and has
given rlss 70 interpretations and the cxcr
ctso Of powers, which no one ever dreamed
the Constitution admitted of before 1t was
hoped that the return Of peace. the errors
would have been PERCEIVED and the damages
repaired. The shock and olcnce Of war,
are less 70 be feared than the sap and nine
Of peaceful amendment.
1t is not difficult to understand why the
Radicals desire to accomplish all their de-
signs by amendment They think that or
binary Congressional legislation, which can
be repealed At any subsequent session, will
not answerto pcrpctuatc thai, plans They
desire to iasten their policy and principles
upon the country, while they arc in power,
in such manner As not to be easily shaken
oil. Hence they seek to engraft their po-
liiical doctrines upon the organic law Of the
land. in the hopotha party strong enough
to lop them OF may never be found in TIL
country. They do ct reflect. or they do
not care, in pursuin, his course. that they
ar, bringing the sacr u compact Of our faith.
ers into contempt aud disrcpatc by making
It the engine Of demagogues and politicians
to fastcn the passions Of day upon the
country for years. Do they not know that
what they now do, the friends Of liberty and
justice will one day undo 7 They may amend
now. but their examples Of useless interfc,-
ence with the Constitution will be initiated
BY others in repeating. 1t is this pullin.
and picking to pieces Of revere instru-
ment, which every patriot and lover Of lib
crty would AVOID and prevent. The sane
tity and stability Of all laws will be sailed,
when the hand of ruthless ard indisctimi-
nate change mot REFORM shall be laid upon
the supreme organic law. for party ends
and purposes.
The French once thought that they had |
found remedy for all social and political |
disorders in the guillotine But they soon
learned that there were several suicidal ten
dencios about liberty which, when unre>
strained in the hands Of tho populacc, were
inconvcnicnt and highly dangerous. The
Constitution .f these United States under
the hands Of the Radicals, amended, altered
and repealed to suit their purposes, will
prove as destructive to the American poo
pie as the gu,llotine did 10 france
NnnSSOaIRn nIg.vnS