The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-09-21
speech OF john ausnccy Adams

speech OF John Quincy Adams.
"A item published Tuesday, in
formed us that this gentleman had
made a speech at = conservative meet
ing ia Boston. As the New York
World remarks, ancestry does not 90
1or much III tins country, but when a
man speaks who has the blood of two
PRESIDENTS IN his Veins, and whose
1ather ranks among the most emf
nent OF our statesmen, his speech
Will at least he listened to with
marked attention. 1t is understood
that the opinion expressed on nation
al affairs, by the younger Mr.. Adams.
are the same as those held by his
father, Charles Francis Adams tine
present Minister to Great Britain
The following are extracts from the
speech. On the admission of the
Southern States, he says:
"Look at Congress to-day. insist
ing, as 1t does, that its rights are i'm
danger II these ten States are re-:,l-
mitted to Congress; it claims and ry.
erclses u right to hold out OF the
Union almost as many States as ever
strove to go out, and it imposes the
same condition Of further Constitu
tlonal guarantees as the price of n
renewed, much as the secessionists
did OF continued, Union. Iconfess
rs 4 matter of Constitutional law and
common sense, apart from the intent
OF Individuals, L sec very little to
choose between the man who takes a
State out OF the Union because he
cannot get constitutional guarantees
to snit INN, and one who kecpsa State
ont OF the Union until he can oat
Constitutional guarantees to suit him
In both cases we must look for the
evil prlnclpie precisely where the DO
htical theorist would have Indicated
beforehand, i'll the inherent weak
ness OF written constitutions, when
the fear of ambition Of !. lwindlinr
majority tempt them to ovcrstcp the
iim!ts OF the organic law to avert
their own humiliation, and the al
vent to power of Il rival party which.
OF course, appears to the still domi
nant faction an lnsul1crable calamity
NOW, my friends, thi, is the real
danger which Congress would avert
from us. tits absurd to suppose that
the bold and able men Who have
welded the whole power of the
north Tor years are much alarmed ut
the return Of Il beaten and broken
remnant whose power has passed
away, whose prestige is gone. and
whose burden is about as much as
they can well bear, to minSlc in the
deliberations Of Congress. No; the
organs OF Congress- make no secret
that their real apprehension is not the
South, but the North-no longer the
men whom they persist III treatino as
"llen enemies, but their loyal fellow
citizens OF the Democratics Dar;v
1T Is to secure their dear people from
The unutterable woes Of Democratic
RUE, and to pcrpctuate The inestimatc
blessings Of their own administration.
That they are willing to postpone in
definitely Il true restoration OF the
Union"
vi the proposed amendment to the
constitution, he remarks:
Passing over the strange ANOMALY
OF recognizing these States, which we
save ascertained by our committees
to be too wicked to be permitted f.
vote upon the simplest matter of
statute law-nay, rot even ON ures-
tions OF financc-whcrc surely mo-
human being, be he ever SO Rebel |
lIous, could well give more foolish or
dishonest votes than many of orr
radical friends as are still in the
Union, and safc1y reliable, so far as
l." pass upon the Gravest changes in
our organic law, and that too under
;tn u, open bribe; allowing all this for
Tue sake OF the argument, what shall
we gain by our move? Congress
says we shall secure ourselves against
another war, and take new guarantees
ior peace. But I confess / canno.
see how. This idea seems to me only
Il part Of the general theory SO pre-
Valent with us that statute has some