The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-01-06
COLUMBIA.
Sunday Irorning, January 6, 1867.
The Governme,at 10 be Changed.

The Government to be Changed.
The Atlaatic Monthly, published in
Boston, is one of the most promi-
nent of the monthly literary periodi-
Gals of the North. 1t does not contine
itself to mere literature, but furnishes
ideas for the public men of the New
England States. In its December
issue, We see it stated, there Is an
article which declares that the South
ern difficulty will not be reached,
tHunless the whole structure of the
Government be changed from Co.
ce,mn,ent By States to something like a
despotic central Government, with
power to control even the municipal
regulations of States, and to make
them to conform to its own despotic
will. While there remains such an
idea as the right of each State to con-
troll its own local affairs-an idea, by
the way, more deeply rooted in the
minds Of men of all sections of the
country than perhaps any one other
political idea-no general expression
of human rights can be eof any value. !"
This IS plain language, but SO far
as we have observed, the design there
in intimated appears to be one dis
tinctive feature in the policy of the
dominant party in the Congress now
in session. Senator Ben. Wade, one
of the Congressional tourists in the
South, made speech, the other day,
at Memphis, in which he declared
that the destinies of this nation right
fully belonged to Congress, and fur
4her, that the great object of the
founders of this Government was to
escape the one-man power, and hence
they had delegated to Congress, and
nobody else, the power to fix its poll
cies and direct its administration
All this is utterly absurd, if the
men OF the present day have any re-
gard for the Constitution. The stand
ard judicial authorities, Story and
Kent, the decisions of the Chief JUS
tices for years. the concurrent evil
dence Of AL the great statesmen of
She country, have all established that
tue Congress WAS only one depart
lnent OF the Government; the one
under the immediate supervision and
control of the people, and the one
which could be changed as frequently
as the people thought it transcended
its authority and limits. Alexander
Hamilton,' III the F'eGeraliSt, warned
the people against the aggressive
growth of Congressional authority as
the great evil to be feared in our free
Government, and Judge Story, nearly
fifty years afterwards, solemnly re-
peated the admonition.
But the party OF which the -4Nantit
Montty is IN organ, and Ben. Wade
IS representative, fling all these
warnings and admoni,ions to the
wind. They want power, and to that
end would do away with the Execu
tive Department OF the Government,
and abolish the Supreme Court, OF
remodel it to suit their own views
and render it subservient to the au-
thority OF Congress. That this is
evidently the scheme, may be in
ferred from the measures which our
telegraph dispatches, yesterday morn
ing, Informed us has already been in
troduced into Congress since its re-
assembling. We appear evidently to
be drifting into central dcspotism,
and it is to be feared that the republic
is rapidly Fastening to this end.
A NICE PROGRAMME. The Boston
Post says: "Mr. Kelley wants the
DOWer of 3Onointnapt oIvo, +o 4l,o