Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-08-01


itably become a system Of faction, op-
preston and corruption. There is, under
such 8 system, no check upon the indul'
genee of the passions or political vices o.
the dominant party. 1t becomes chron-
icslly diseased, its strength becomes it:
weakness, and its corruptions and mis-
deeds at last drag it down to ruin. Such
was the fate Of the Democratic party.
which became, years before the war, SC
generally in the ascendant every where
Is to be tyranBical and proseriptive,
We had, for thirty years, the absolute
dominion, sl over the Union, 0 fthe pop
ular Democratic msiority. No matter
by how small a number of votes that
party had the majority in q State, it was
an ~autOcrscy, omnipOtent by virtue Of
the popular principle that the majority
has the divine right to govern. It fell by
its intestine divisions, at last, and it is
now occupying every where the same
huminating and impOtent position in
which it for years kept the great and
capable Wing minority. Rsdicslism
now has the divine authority Of num-
bers, and the Democratic party hardly
has s cOFpOrsls guard Of members Of the
House Of Representatives Of the United
States, and only q littie squad Of Sen
ators. With fits immense numbers, its
immense proprietorship Of property, its
responsibility and its intellect, it is
utterly powerless, except to provoke
J~acobinism to greater excuses.
We have always taken it to be uHde-
niabIy true that the majority Of votes
ought to govern absolutely every where,
and that there can be no freedom where
there is not universal suffrage. Consti-
t~utional liberty has been regarded as in-
separable from this and the rule Of the
popular majority as utterly dependent
for its existence upon every freeman, or
at least every free white man going up
to the polls and depOsiting his vote for a
| candidate nominated by 9 caucus Of
party managers. In all the essentials OF
freedom, either England or France is far
more free to-day than the United States,
and no country is much less free than
| this unfortunate State Of Tennessee,
The truth is, as we are rapidly finding
out, the absolute rule Of the popular ma
jority is in the end necessarily fatal to
liberty snd it must become much more
rapidly so when that msjority is largely
composed of creatures Of en- inferior race,
utterly ignorant Of the principles Of con-
stilutional government, and capable OF
approaching only the license Of freedom.
With this, We inevitably have the des-
potism OF anarchy, welded by 3 body Of
the representative Of the populace, and
those led and managed by q few violent
and INSCRIPTIONS men, who rule the body
by continual appeals from them TO the
mob Of electors,
The Jacobin lesdSrs and presses speak
and legislste by authority Of " the people
OF the United States" It is by virtue Of
the omuipotent will Of that people "
that they pampie the Constitution under
foot, establish military despotisms over
States, and rob the executive Office Of its
Constitutional powers n PrvEQgstives.
The United States are now in the same
condition as France was when the Ma
tioDal Convention grasped all the powers
Of the State and destroyed the King,
who had become by the Consultation tie
mere hereditary Chief Magistrate Of 3
Republic, because he exercised his Con-
stituliOnal right Of vetOing bills which he
disspproged. King VETO - resisted,
attempted to escape, was imprisoned,
tried and beheaded. II the President is
not ~beheaded, he will be deposea. il he
dsres to resist. There is to-day but a
power in the State-the Congress,
which is above tins Constitution.
And yet the Democratic party Is every
where in the North numerous and rs-
spectacle. In many, even OF the great
States, it is weaker than the Radicals by
only q few thousand votes. Thirty-fve
or forty thousand votes, added to it in
different States, would rsyolutionize the
whole country, and the Democrats, hav-
ing the popular majority, would rule iG
their turn, and the Radical minority have
no voice in public affsirs. This is not
Liberty or Republicanism. It is not 8
free government where a powerful mi-
nority is wholly in the power Of a bare
majority, and has no weight in the ad-
ministratlou Of national affairs.
Here in Tennessee, the Radical popu-
lar majority, which is despot, tyrant and
master, is obtained by comforting the
right 20 vote on negroes, and disfran-
chising white men. The amendments
to the Constitution, by which these
things have been effected, have never
lawfully become a part OF the Constitu-
ton. The whole government Of the
State is a sheer usurpation, maintained
by force and fraud. It's a naked despot-
ism. We do not vituperate Governor
BROwNLow. He is simply the embodi-
ment and exponent Of Radicalism. Not
against him but against it, the arrows Of
truth ought TO be aimed. He is neither
better or worse than Others through
whom Radicalism acts. II il were the
real and actual popular majority that
governed here, no men being disfran-
the Government, administered
upon its present principles, would still
be q despotism. As it is, the Mis-govern.
ment is an oIigarchy, sustained by force
and the bsyonet.
That the whole system OF pretended
free government is a failure, is too evil
dent to be denied. Il has been found
impractieable to carry It on by means Of
the intelligence Of the country, and
the attempt is now made to administer
it by the ignorance and want OF intelli-
gence Of mass Of new voters. This is
a ~depIorable failure. It is found
impossible to conduct the first election
In this City ~pesoesbly, without
in q regiment Of regular
troops to act as a special
To resort 10 this is a confession
hat the people, including the negroes,
are not capable Of self-govsrnment. No
me seems 10 think Of the danger Of the
precedent 20 set, Of the suicidal nature Of
his invitation TO the military power OF :
he nation to interfere as an adjunct to :
he Police force Of the city, without any !
awful warrant. We see Il stated, in !
Iced, that the citizens hope that General !
viii declare martial law, when e
lie has no power, under any circum- '
tsnces, to do 50 and when, If he had |
bat power in case Of rebellion or insur- =
there is neither rebellion nor in. '
direction to warrant it. Il
The people are satisfied that rspubli- :
government is 3 failure; that the :
'OVsrnment Of 5 popular majority Of 4