The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-06-13
DIR. LIEBBR ON CONSTITUTIONAL
e. ,,.. AaIENDMENTS..o

frlontB. '' ''''-
DIR. LIEBBR ON CONSTITUTIONAL
~ i''. hMENDMENTs..o G
or tho many former friends. and students Of
DR.. L. there may bo somo who, mindful only of
the pleasant relations that subsiuted between
them and their learned prcccptor, in tho golden
days Of their Sophonoreship, arc willing to
b'idgq,, over the past seven years. and still
| take On nffeotonate interest in the tough old
| Tcuton pcdagogue. For their Information,
thon, VIC pen these paragraphs. DR.. L., it ap-
Pears, although nearly septuagennran, is
Blill in the land ofthe living; still dogmntizo,
on penology, and still has his weakness Of
| ,ccriting about civil liberty. TT will bo re-
membered how delighted, how supremely fat
tered tho Doctor was when ho learned through
q newspaper correspondent, that his two vol
umes on Civil Liberty and Self Government
wero among the books of Louis PHILIrrE, sold
by the auctioneer. True, it was whispered,
that the Doctor himself had sent them TO his
Majesty of Orleans, "with compliments Of tho
author" but This was probably mere slander,
begat Of envy.l
| DR.. LIEBRn has written much and leotured
moro on civil liberty, and on the constitution,
since he left us; md ho had no liltto trouble in
the first place, to unloarn all he had said and
taught for many years, while Professor of His
tory md Political Economy in tho South
Carolina College, In defence Of slavery, and
ih advoeacy Of tho doctrine OF States
Rights and State Sovereignty and in the
second place. it was no small Job for man of
DR.. LIS years, to follow tho fate of the Ameri-
can Constitution, through ell the tor,uous sin
uosities Of Congressional legislation. The
Doctors marvellous momory, trained and eI-
eroised through years Of laborious study,
night perhaps hnve accomplished the task Of
4esPipg abreast. with the various constitutional
amendments proposed or passed. But this fac
/ tulty would b6 of litno service to him in the
moro afduous undertaking, upon which, as an
lltrn-loyal e. c. Radically man, he would feel il
incumbent to onter, of adapting his projections
to.tho now system Of constitutional hormeneu-
tics, promulgated IN Washington within tho
last two years. The Pandeet. and the In,titutt,
tre liked; SAr,, ALBERT SAITH and LOCKE,
4 HUME, RIcAnno and 8fALTnus, MILL and BAs-
fiAT, are all entities, and, however enigmati-
4 tnlAometimes yet not pust the analy ytical probe
bf ouf'I learned Nesfor. But it 10 otherwise
with tho new hermeneuticH. They, VIC should
boy, afford an uncertain foothold, shifting q.
The aqnds lnged By the briny wave. The Con-
grds5ional Globe il tho now textbook, and
FnaREf's Chronicle to be read as sscollateral." !"
! The Union League Club. in New York, has
|asst isau2a A RRR9blssssOsfi5h Tor r amendments;
whidh he thinks should bo made is the New
York State Constitution now on, its trial be-
i forethe Convention nt Albany and rs we
shall soon be "at sea" ourselves, constitution
l ally speaking, somc of his suggestions may,
perhaps, merit our attention. We therefore
j append the following synopsis Of his views,
some Of which. Il will be aeep, are ihee, result
Eor the new system of constitutional interpre.,
ton i,,u. ~ 4; .:hn Ys;ln $40 ~ ann II
\ DR.. LIEpRn thinks tho pardonins power
should be continued to tho Governor. bnt
"m6di6ed' and eIfcumscribed as the Legislature
may direct by lnw," and that .:the Constitution
ought to establish thai no pardon indrees per-
feotlfcenperation:o of cpoliudaisor civil rights
unless The pardon mentions fills fact according
to The law Ehiok. tAe Legislature Is may est9b.
| lisl,":,iIt 10 dssires also Board of Pardons
Also, go provision toiobligs every court to pro-
nounce. .Jsontepoo within Tho term in which tho
| case Has been tried;2!.. o. ::siCs.I.a.a.
Ho.udSises tie abolition Or the eleoliys judi
clary, and i'the appointment Of judges during
goSa behavior toswhich it would be wise to
add The, Fenoy4l of Judges BY the eonourresn.
Yotn "bnths hOlses yof the Legislature, two
thirds Of the rnenBe Befs present conuurring, And
tho o1oaaHe II removal being entered in thd JOUR.
nal of each houses or by .. separate two-thirds
vote: OF, each house." clio adds; "a place ought
to be left open in the new Constitution for the
possible introduction Of the system Of courts Of
peace."H 4" '"-.i'.''s ..-t''3 fe -.yi
He would "gire all State appointments, and
those more local Offices which the Legislature
may point out by law, to the Governor, with the
consent. Of the Fenate, and which lays down the I
period Of years for which such appointments
shalt hold-say, .fot instance, six yenrs-uolcss
the Legislature. assigns d shorter or longer
lrl term lS ~ SIy any epsoiaG ONCE By . two!thifdu
!pte,n .:..,, - ''.'?5 .-:' ..-
tAfito suffrage, he says: "It would appear
advisable that NO property qualification being
adopted in general, It ought also to be omitted
with reference to persons !of color" Also,
"that the Convention, it is to be hoped, Will
aotJieio " tuo entreatle1 which Will doublleBB
be made: Ia spirit which happens to bel
fashionable just now In our restless period.
Female suffrage ought not to be established"
As to representation he says: "The con-
vention ought 10 remember that three hundred
rather loRs than more-io the number of
representatives which experience has suggest
cd TO us as the most practical; that election dis
triets ought, to haYe sufficient extent for
liberal action, and that full freedom ought, to
DO left to tho constituents to elect any Citizen
Of the State, wherever he may reside"
iHs says ."it would seem advisable that tbs
word sovereign :bs omitted in tho revised Con-
stitrtlon, as unnecessary, deceptive, indeieri
inmate and misohiovous, capable Of. . variety
Of Interpretations, and fatterins to .puny
vanity. ~. L t'z r..,1ir--' itS7 Srie@!
As to tho government Of cities he ssya: r"aA
provision of the Constitution should establish
for cities containing population above o GER
tain number, two houses, one Of which repre-,
senting the taxpayers exolusiyeIy;a q supsrini
tendent OF the finances and dIsbursing officer,
appointed BY The Legislature or the Governor,
with the consent Of tho Senate, for FIVE years at