The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-10-24
Our Position.

i
The greatest danger which besets ms as
a nation at the present time, is, we fear,
that our true position is lost sight Of by
those who undertake to include the desti-
MES of our countfys by remolaing our Con.
stitution.
Our governments not one nor can it be,
of brute force, or compulsion. The very
moment it becomes necessary to hold any
portion OF the State or nation to their
allegiance by conpulsion through military
OF any kind of physical force, that moment
a republican government is at an end. e
3is We are not to, we cannot, copy our
course from any of the existing forms Of
government in the world outside of orr
own, for the basis of all Others Is essential
ly radically different ZIG
We are government by compact. We
profess and the whole theory Of our gov
ernmcnt rests upon the idea, that the ex-
pressed will of the people is law, and there
fore that it is indispensable that there
should be an expression of the popular will,
in order that the government should be
carried on, and not simply tremendously
but at ALL
Say is necessary, even under circum-
stances of difficulty like these which now
environ u.s. as a consequence Of the late
rebellion, that physical force shall for a
time hold those in order who We're lately
engaged in the rebellion, but havenow laid
down their arms and acknowledge fealty
to the laws of the land and to the Consti-
tuition, against which they raised the OPP
posing arm and you say nothing; more nor
less than than the experiment. ola popular
government has failed. You say that there
is no hope for humanity better than the
old plea of despotism-that the many shall
be servants to the few, and that might is
right and governments can live only by
its exercise If it is necessary now, that
power shall coerce those whose patriotism
we cannot trust, and their protested wiling
ness to obey the laws of the land, backed
by the oath Of allegiance, when will the
time be that physical force will not be
necessary? When, if not to-day, will it be
proper to take off the restraints OF physical
force, and permit the people Of the States
to exercise their constitutional rights under
a free government based upon the consent
of the governed |? 50 asN
1t is said by those who now oppose the
President in his efforts to harmonic con-
fieting opinions and action, that this will
be done whenever the South will f give
guarantees, of fidelity, and that such
guarantees ought to be demanded But
should not the North and other sections OF
the land be required to give guarantees for
their adlierence to the Constitution as well
as the South9 Are these sections Of the
IL 7,
ions Of the constitutional faye, there's
the rub" They are willing to take, but
not to give. Not only SO, they now, in the
face of all professions of loyalty, insist
on changing the provisions Of the Consti-
tuition, and compelling others to acquiesce.
A word expresses the whole matter. A
government like that under which we have
lived, as constituted by our fathers, must
live in the affections and willingness of the
people, if atall.
A despotism may for time be sustained
by compulsion, but democratic govern
ment never-[ Boston Commercial.