The daily clarion. [volume] (Meridian, Miss.) 1863-1866, 1866-03-03

anti-republican, and yet, this has been done
in at least one of the States. Those VINO re-
member the Dorr rebellion in Rhode Island,
which was crushed by the general govern
ment, viii recall the circumstances
Why FederaIist should fall into Mr.. Sum-
ner's doctrine that no State has republi-
can form of government which prohibits any
person from the exercise of political power"
| cannot perceive. The Democratic party,
to which | claim to belong, has always pro-
fessed TO be the friend, par excellence, OF the
masses, and if the basis of political rights Is
to be enlarged, it is to that party that we
would naturally look for the movers and ac-
tors. The Federalists, on the contrary, have
always (and it was what made them OdlOus)
been painted to US men who held them
selves alOOf from all plebiean association; ;
men who sought by means of strong and
centralized government, to overawe and
rule the people everywhere. l think your
cotemporary is somewhat confused in his
party classification. But old parties are dead,
and old names should die with them.
There are questions of great difficulty and
complication to be met and settled for the
future. and they must be met and discussed
in the calm spirit Of craftsmanship. Men of
extreme opinions viii mar as often as they
mcddIe, and |, for one desire to see them ad-
iourued until men from all parts of the coun-
try, selected not for their forwardness, but
for their wisdom and patriotism, can take
them into consideration. l devoutly hope
for such a time and fatter myself that | see
signs Of its approach.
1t has often been said, and truly, that the
Constitution is a compromise 1t was GER
tainly a compromise of opinion, and to some
extent, of interest All compromises yield
something of principle as well as interest
and government founded upon compro-
misses is bound in all time to respect them
Perhaps no portion of the Constitution at
lords so many evidences of the spirit of COM
promise as those which relate to taxation, re-
presentation and suffrage The negro, a
slave when it was adopted, was nowhere
thought OF as a voter in Federal estimation
he was rcckoned as three fifths of a man for
purposes of representation and taxation,
whilst in the States, he was simply property.
No principle was involved in a distinction so
arbitrary If he is a man, he is a whole man,
and should have. been SO regarded; if he
is merely property, he is no more enti-
tied to representation than other property
Now, he is no longer property, and one of the
embarrassing questions of the day is, wheth-
er he is still to be represented, and if so, by
whom and i'll what manner The cOmplica-
tions of the whole matter proceed from the
following elements: /. The duty of Congress
to guarantee a republican form of govern
ment to each State 2. What constitutes a
republican form of government 3 The
generally received doctrine that representa-
ton and taxation are inseparable. l. The
right Of the States, under the Constitution,
to dispose of the whole question of suffrage.
As to the first, there is no doubt about the
duty of Congress. 1t passes Judgment upon
every new State Constitution, and if there
be anything Objectionable in it, either eX-
punges it or sends the whole back to the
people ofthe Territory. When the new State
is admitted it commences it career under the
rule of the majority, and the duty of Con.
gress is so far performed, presumably forever
for it is not to be supposed that a minority
can or will usurp the power which belongs
to the majority. But the case is possible
and should it occur or be attempted, it must
be by the employment of force In such an
event it is made the duty of the general
government upon the requisition of the
executive of the State so menaced, to inter
pose, suppress the insnrrectiOn and restore
the State government to its former condition
ofpeace and security. Thus far all is well.
But 2d What is republican form o
| government? Iapprehend that if a person
were called upon to 'give such definition
! as should include all that is necessary to
/ correct understanding of the terms, ht
! would find the task a much more difficult ont
! than he at first imagined. Government
! which widely differed from each other hav,
/ been called republics, and it would be ex
ceedingly difficult 60 determine at wha
point a government tending toward mo
narchy in one direction, toward ohgarch,
| in another, or to pure democracy, or anarch!
I
| can. and be held to have passed into one o
those other forms: 1t is true that the Con
! stitutions of the United States and of th
different States, furnish us models of par
ticular kind of republican government bu
we are not restricted to those models an'
| there is no means of determining in advance
! how far they may be departed from withou
our governments ceasing to be republican
! both in name and in fact The greatest re
public of ancient times was Rome, and tn,
dominant poweri her constitution was tn
aristocratic or oligarchical element She wa
not only called republic, but continued
| to be so called until long after all power haC
passed into the hands of hereditary mon
arch The really dominant element in tht
British government is the popular, and ye
it is called monarchy. 1t may with trHtl
be said that our repubhcanism is mucl
more nearly assimilated to the monarchy o
| England than to the republicanism of Rome
These remarks are intended simply to shov
the vast exteut of ground which lies within
the domains of republican government.
AgainI the States are prohibited from cor
ferring any title of nobility; they are no
prohibited, however, from re-enacting tn
law of primogeniture, nor from tying up es
| tates in tail, so as to perpetuate them il
families and create real aristocracy i
wealth and influence, though not in name
Such legislation may not comport with ou
ideas, of either republicanism or SCUM
policy; bnt are we authorized to say that
would be anti-republican And again
Congress is forbidden to make any law rt
speeting an establishment of religion, 0
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; bu
no prohibition in these respects is laid upo
the States. Suppose that they or any c
them as l think they clearly may, should es
tablish religion, provide for its support b
tithes or general taxation, and discountt
nance or disqualify all dissenters and nor
conformists. Idwould certainly be very bat
l,o[,, I'll III