Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-11-01
Letter from Secretary Browning.


Publicity has been given to an important
letter from Hon. o. Fl. Browning, Secreta-
ry of the Interior, which was written to
some of his former constituentsin Illinois,
In which, 1t is stated, on being submitted
to the President, he fully approved and
desired to be made public, with the under
standing that it fully represented his pres
ent position. The paper opens with a con-
sideration of the tendencies to danger in
public affairs, chiefly from the centraliza-
ton of power in the general government
and the absorption of many of the powers
and prerogatives of the executive and ju-
dietary by the legislative department.. The
argument upon these premises is clear and
forcible, and chiefly directed against the
tendencies of the proposed constitutional
amendment, the writer concluding that cit
is impossible to maintain our wise and hap
Ply form of government without preserving
the independence and sovereignty of the
States within their appropriate and consti-
tutional spheres.
The States," he says, 'may exist and
perform all their functions without the Un-
ion or the Federal Government. The I'm
ion and the Federal Government cannot
exist without the States, and they must be
States OF equality-equal in dignity, equal
IN rights, equal i'll power, equal in control,
absolute and unconditional, of all things
pertaining to their internal and local poll
cy and interests. Another blow which the
proposed amendment aims at the govern
ment which our fathers founded, is in the
change of the basis of representation. This
would be of very pernicious effect. Aggre-
gate population is the true basis of repre-
| sentation. No matter how the elective
franchise be disposed of, whether exercised
by few or many, all classes of the commu-
nifty are represented. The interests of
all classes of the people in the same
community are so interviewer and COM
mingled that they cannot be sep
arated, and whoever wields the represen-
tative power must do it for the good or ill
OF all, perhaps not precisely in the same
degree, but he cannot use it so as largely to
benefit one class without to some extent
benefitting all, or to injure and Cypress one
class without to greater or less extent in
Jurlng and depressing oil. There are al
ways, even in this country, where the right
of suffrage is most widely extended, large
numbers who do not vote at all, whose in
terests, nevertheless, are cared for, and
whose numbers, being computed in the ap-
portionment of representation, widen the
foundations of the representative assem-
blies. Such are all persons under 81 years
of age, females of all ages, and unnatur-
allied foreigners. Why are they not per-
mltted to vote? And, not being permit
ted, why are they counted in fixing the ra-
tio of representation They are not al
lowed to vote because they are not sup
posed to be sufficiently instructed in poll
tical economy and governmental affairs to
be entrusted with the elective franchise
They are computed in fixing the ratio, be-
cause they are part of the same community
with those who do vote, having interests in
common with them, and their influence
ought to be felt in shaping the laws by
which their rights of life, liberty and pro-
perty are to be determined and although
they do not vote, their influence is felt and
their interests are cared for, precisely be-
cause they are counted in fixing the rela-
tive weight of the communities to which
they belong in the Legislative assemblies,
their voices are not directly heard
in determining who shall represent them.
The letter concludes with an elaborate
defense of Mr.. Johnson's policy for resto-
ration of the Union, showing that in prin-
ciple it is the same as that of Mr.. Lincoln,
which the Radicals attempted to overturn
at their Cleveland Convention, called after
Mr.. Lincolns denomination to the Presi-
dency, and which the people triumphantly
vindicated In his reelection as President,
with Mr.. johnson as Vice President.
Fearful Railroad Accident-Forty Persons
Injured, Three sertously-TwO Passenger
Cars and one Baggage Car Demolished
Generals Beauregard and Forrest Escape
Unhurt.
The train on the Memphis and Charles
ton road, returning from tournament at
Tuscumbia, met with an accident near
Burnsville on the morning of the 18TH
The rear truck of the express car broke
The AUdLdnche says:
The broken trucks caught in the bridge
and carried away all the trucks from under
three cars in rear of the express car. The
first car was that containing baggage, which
was precipitated into the abyss below dis
tance of about twenty-f five feet. This car
was badly damaged-turned over, the bot
tom torn out, and the baggage scattered
all around. The next was an elegant ladies'
car, containing about fifty passengers
This car was also carried into the creek and
turned over. Nearly all the passengers in
it were more or less hurt, but only one Sc
riously. General Forrest and family were
n this car, but escaped all injury. The
lext car was a smoking car, which went
over the embankment on the opposite side
If the track from the ladies car. This car
went down end foremost but no one was
nurt in it. The next two cars were Sleep
ing cars. They were left upon the track,
and uninjured, except the platforms, which
we're smashed to atoms. The brakesman,
Martin McMelon, was seriously hurt, one
eg being crushed and his head bruised
Tom Rogers, an employee of the road, was
also seriously hurt The wreck presented
a fearful sight and the cars were badly
smashed and broken. Generals Forrest
md Beauregard, who were on the train,
we're very prominent in getting the wound
I'd from the trains, and worked with great
energy. General Forrest telegraphed that
forty persons were more or less hurt, but
only two dangerously.
The Duke of Cambridge has expressed
ais approval of the introduction into the
'rmy of more extended bayonet exercise
oayonet against bayonet.
Hundreds of pretty girls in England are
1ecoyed to the Continent for immoral pur-
poses.
A New York milliner has just paid $685.
100 cash for palace on the Fifth Avenue,
or business purposes.