Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1866-07-20
ciples = not changed. Ny platform is The

ciples Re not changed. Ny platform is the
same.
Upoe the surrender Of the Confederate ar
mics the establishing of State Governments
by the people who were at war, accordance
with the new order of things under the di-
rection Of that experienced pilot, the Presi-
dent, and the frank acceptance of the terms
OF amnesty proposed by the Commander-in-
chief and his Generals, the Government was
restored, In law and in fact and now IL it is
desired to continue the strife and harrow up
the past by embittering the present, It must
be done without mt. am for the right
agaigst wrong ssfor the people against power
and more than this for the rights Of the peo-
with whom dwell. And when II Is at
tempted to inaugurate a policy which may
terminate in DISTINGUISHING the great mass Of
the men Of the country-many Of the men
who have been the directors Of the public
mind--the talent and ornament of the State
placing in power above them the people
who hsve done their menial work-driven
their carriages, worked their fields and black
ed their boots, cannot, and will not assist
even BY silence, in thus debasing any of our
people. s -,
Wesf brethren Of the same family, In
heriting the same blood, and dwelling in
the same land. We have had our fight and
settled the terms. We are now at peace let
us set about gathering up the debris of war,
and in the great crucible of National Broth
erhood, cement the hearts of our people. Let
our motto be "Union," not division; ''peace,"
and not contention.
Pardon me, for saying 80 much of per-
sonal character. 1t was all deemed appro-
pirate.
will now address myself to the report.
The first resolution and the last clause of
the last one, covers the whole ground. The
others are only 80 many reasons why these
are true. The alteration of the organic law
is an epoch in q nations history, the most
important in is record. Either. it is no
change, or it 10 change affecting all peo-
pie and interests within its Jurisdiction. If
it is no change, 1t 10 not needed; If it il q
change, everybody liable 70 be affected by it
Is entitled 70 voice in Its preparation and
adjustment and if this is denied to any thus
entitled, the adoption Of the measure Is not
law; and its Incorporation into the supreme
charter is error.
How is our Government ffamed2 What
is its origin, and what its constitutional his
tory? lsit representative, or is it absolute
Are we Government Of States, or are we
consolidated nation, with all the power at
the Capital2
Onr history as people does not begin in
1889, when we started out under the new
Constitution; but away back in time. when
the commissions of the old World, drove out
the best spirit of the land; when the oppres-
sion of tyranny, and the persecution Of big
otry, pressed so hard upon the bodies of live
men, shat their souls burst their letters and
determined to look up a pure land in the
west, where they could at least have the free
dom of solitude; it was then our national life
began. We were Young. and "a we grew in
years and experience, the wisdom OF Gen.
tury taught us the necessity of union. The
lion was still in our path. and his capture
and conquest Law only in uniting our strength
against him. In l774, we had grown up
into great States-thirteen in number-but
we were euyironed by dangers, If COM
bined for mutual protection, we werr safe; by
remaining divided. we were subjects of in
defirite oppression.
In ,76, we united, and convinced the COM
mon enemy that America, born of ffeemen
would be free. During the eight or nine
years of the Revolution, we discovered that
a more perfect system of general government
for some purposes was needed. Experience
had taught the necessity for change. Each
State sent up its representatives in a COM
mon council; and after two years of careful
and deliberate consideration. after the war
cloud had passed, a constitution was adopted
by the States. embodying the wisdom of the
world, and the experience of the nations
There was nothing hasty or partisan in its
preparation; there was nothing proscriptiye
in its PROVISIONS nothing tyranical in its
power; n ,thing partial in its discrimiuations
nothing oppressive in its requirements: and
nothing in its stipulations which was not
adopted by each State, in its turn, in perfect
consistency with its desires and former his.
tory. II was most perfect bond of union
between sisterhood ofueiehborinp States.
How long. how steadily those GOOD old men
worked in preparing this most perfect of all
political systems and how admirably adant-
ed to ali The wants of the ape. How per-
fectly the whole machinery of The nation has
moved under its BENIGN influence nearly a
century. So lonp ss its teachinos are heed
ed. and its precepts followed. no storm. .cloud
dared To mar the beauty Of our temple. II
has been found sufflcient-with a few amend
ments made soon after its adoption to puard
still more securely the rights of the peoDle of
the States. from the centralizinp Tendencies
of Federalism-to carry ma successfully
through two foreign wars amplv Sufficient
to drown the voice of discontented New Erq-
land. in The times of the Hartford Convention: