The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-13
Com,I0N CAUSE.

ly The lesson of The past, AMI carefully ~ heed
iIs lcnchngs. 1t is the part of folly TO walk
hlin'lly forward. needless Of obstacles, iiought-
less an 10 results. The s.ilor who would
iulnginc that he could dispense with compass
chart anl nautical instruments, would waste
his life in seeking employment. The traveller
| who wond reject guide AMI nvoid the beaten
rond, could certainly scarce hope TO reach his
dcstnation The mechanic who would reject
the tools Of his trade aud refuse to profit by
| the experience Of others would starvr. The
| ruler Of II nniun who closes his eyes 10 poliii-
cal philosophy, and shuts out from his mini,
the accumulated wisdom Of age must fail, as lc
certainly deserves to fail. lie does not know
whnt obstacles are 10 he overcome He can
h"t Tell when to yield. lie is uncertain, unless
prevented by vanity from feeling uncertain,
when 10 continue in his coursc. lie certainly
docs moi know TO what result his course will
lcad PuARAoH would not profit by the les
sons which the plaques should have taught, 4,
and he and his hosts were destroyed. The
stuart could learn nothing from prosperity
or university, and the crown of England was
| taken from his head, and tho sceptrc from his
SONS they Ind received, and the French throne
passeh from them to the descendant of n
rorsican. The Radical pnrty OF ,.e
tnitc'l States like PHARAOH, like tile
S1rAnr, like The Bourbon, refuse 10 learn
from the past. Relying oil its own thco-
ries, IT rainly imagincs that it hns more Wis
dom, more virtue, more greatness in its ranks
than has ever before beon produced in tho
world. The United States hud constitution
Framed by The wisest, and certainly the best
| men, that this country has produced That
Constitution was solemn compact hetwecn
Suites a that time sovereign; n Constitution
meant to last for ages, and intended 10 pro-
luce happiness, and prosperity to the entire
country. To maintain that Constitution or
rather their Interpretation Of that instrument
| the representatives Of the North declared again
ana again that the war was winged That Con
stituiion stood in the way Of radical ideas Of
progress, anil though the war was successful
AMI by lis success, under their own authoritn-
l,ai fan'nrthHMs bal. ..lcejlT their ,,npec,;o,
with the government, had never for /, momon,
been other than portions of the United Statps.
'hc Constitution, hcing an obstruction
ah' stumbling block 10 them, was oycr-
r'"'eh. Ten States have been placed nm
lrr military rule: their laws subicc, ~
the will Of the commander Of Tho NIil;,,rv p;s
'rirt. Ten States are taxed without represrnt.
anon. Zen States may he deprived nj any
moment OF the right of trial by jury In Ten
n'''es the h"he"S corpus acl is really suspendeL.
IN ten States, elections are 10 he held in onno-
siiion to their own State laws. md in the man
her directed By mnj jority of those who STYLE
themselves the Congress of the nation. In fen
states free government has ceased to exist in
| defiance Of the Constitution.
Could these things happen, If The purlv in
power pntd any attention TO the lessons Of tlc
P's' 'ohld irue' craftsmanship permit any
portion oil common country 10 be oppressed
iy any other portion? Does not the ms,
warn against such folly Does not the natural
law teach that evil rccoils on itself? Does no,
INC moral law leach TINT sin shall he punished.
i'oes not political science teach Tint ;nius,ice
!" one part Of n people will certainly rene,
OH those by whom it is infice ell. When tho
power of the nobility was checked in Franco
ny the King, and the privileges TO which tbov
were emitted cnrtailed, did il not develop ihe
popular power, which few generations later
deprived the descendant of that Kinr Of his
neal! When popular power was abused, did
II not in turn fall before despotism. Cun
Inc American people not yet sec the way in
which they are going, the end 10 which thew
must arrive?
Liberty to be preserved must he zea,o,s,v
guarded. Tho liberty of the bumbIcst ,non
f"on'o ne rs dear to community as the lber-
oil their best and most influential citizens,
N attacking the liberty Of the humblest citi- |
fzen' blow IS aimed Mt the liberty of the entire
stato. The same power that depriyes one man |
|oi his liberty to-day will Tomorrow strike at /
he liberty OF all. Power is seductive. and IL /
's seldom willing to go backwards, or 10 aban.
flon anything TINT il may possess The world
|has produced but one OIScINNArus md INF
one WASHINGTON few wearied spiriis have
n"unuohea power from disgust or satiety, but
very few have abandoned it from principle.
II, 10 preserve the freedom of community.
IL Is necessary to guard the freedom of the
citizen, then il follows that. 10 pre.
serve Tue freedom of Confederation of States
II ~ necessary to guard zealously the freedom
"i lie smallest State. If TINT freedom i, not
guard a. what must be the result seems to be
'a t.. ia ns that the world moves by fixed
Inv
Leaving ont of view the consideration of
mere party knavery, party ambition, and pnrty
schemes for the retention of power, the domi
NAM idea OF the party in power is, that the
will Of the majority of the party can
'Die oil seizlng power is the law of tho land.
rms nngnided will, unfeticrel by conpacts.
by moral obligations, can die.
nj" laws which, whether just or unjust. must
rr obeyed by all. Under their theory. there
3 practically but one branch of government, of
which the President Of the United States is Z
merely satrap. and the Supreme Court yenal : :
o"l There was q Rmnp Parliament. in
:ngland once that found masie er out of their a
wn school, a Radical ruler might, if The :
'eople permit, leach Congress the same lesson.
fe do not say Tint such Thing will DO. We
opo not! We believe notI We think tho
american people too wise and too great 10
low themselves 10 be long deceived. They l.
vii see their danger, and, in seeing, will know
ow 10 avoid.
suppose However, that the Radical party