The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-03-28
For Assessor.
The Danger Of our Present Position.

Congress is uncertain OF its position. it,
duties, it powers. 1t is full of factious
restless, revolutionary spirit. 1t seems to
have thrown away the old Government
to have cut loose from the Constitution
Great wars necessarily suspended the ope
ration of law to certain extent and Justify
the use of extreme or doubtful powers but
. wise Legislature would lose no opportu'
nifty to relinquish doubtful position that
it had assumed, for the public good, and
take once more its natural place in the cir.
Gle of government. Congress, on the con.
trary, is determined not to relinquish the
position that the war gave it. Its whole
struggle is to hold that position, and to
prevent, by every means, return to the
harmonious, quiet, natural operation OF the
old system. Its revolutionary disposition
and purpose is most clearly seen in its pro-
positions to change the Constitution of the
country. Some thirty or forty amend
ments are before it which, if adopted, would
completely do away with the system under
which the United States have been so pros
porous, and would change our Government
In nearly every feature. Congress assumes
that the Constitution is a nullity. Itig-
nores the Constitutional distribution Of
powers. 1t has taken the position of the
Supreme Court, to interpret the Constitu-
ton by party vote. 1t has made its Cen
trail Directory-its Committee of Fifteen
an Executive, to supe:sede the President.
IT has threatened to impeach him, also. In
all ways it assumes superiority to the law,
and is not Congress under the Constitu-
ton, but a faction governing in defiance OF
that instrument.
1t is from this very point in their histo-
y that free Governments tumble into des-
potism. At some weak hour when, for one
cause or another, faction prevails and law
is superseded, and faction daily grows worse
till a political chaos teens imminent, then
some strong hand seizes all, and an unscru-
pulous leader gains the confidence of the
people by putting the factions under bis
foot, aud little later, in virtue ofthat very
confidence, put liberty in the same place.
This is the history of a thousand republics
taken from that very point in their career
at which we now stand in ours. The fall
begins when faction supersedes the Gov
eminent and partisan passion takes the
place of law. This was the history of lib
erty in Rome, in France and in England.
Faction made Rome ready for Caesar, fac
ton in the long Parliament prepared the
way for Cromwell, and faction in France
made Napoleon inevitable. 1t is the same
series Of facts in every case. tits a law of
national life, and We will not be exempt
from it unless there is something in US diff
ferent from all other nations. The people
are the only hope. They are certalnly
more intelligent and more free, and their
influence is more direct than in other coun-
tries. Their intelligence, their patriotism
md their freedom is what we must count
upon for the hope that the factions will be
put down by power not inimical to free
dom, by the voice Of the whole people and
not by an ambitious leader ready to become
= desp0t.-[N. Y Herald.