Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-10-27

II CONFEDERATE CONSTITUTION.
Secession was an armed protest against
the Northern construction Of the Con-
sritBtion. Argument hsd been ex-
bsusted. and the parties came to blows,
The movement, the wsr that followed,
and the conduct Of affairs during the
vsr. are not only a part Of the History
Of The century, but an instructive com
mentsrv on the Constitution, being part
OF the practice under it.
That the possibility Of Secession Wss
not believed in by the North; that it
wholly mistook the temper Of the south
and the questions. at bottom, in issue
that the south dreamed thEt 1t would be
allowed TO secede in peace, and that the
Democratic party Of the North would
svmpathize with il snd prevent the use
Of force that it wholly failed to sppre-
oiste the vast influence upon the public
mind of the North, Of the idea Of the
Trion and reverence for the flag; that
noDe in either country expected 8 wal Of
sueh length or magnitude that cotton
was supposed to be King, and foreign in
t-srvsution in behalf Of the South GER
tsin that bankruptcy and universal dis
content in the North we're believed in
evitabIe. and that it was the general
oDinfon in the South that the Southern
man could whip five Northern ones, sll
are matters fraught with Instructive and
pro1table lessons. If the world learns
nothing from them, 50 much the worse
for the world. Whether we ourselves
have Learned anything, by which we
shall profit, is extremely doubtful. The
errors Of men benefit others, as cram
D1es. Jur rGrelythemselvss.
Although the Confederate States did
not succeed in winning their indepen-
deuce. the Constitution framed for them
and intended to remedy the defects Of
that Of the United States will always be
instructive because it must be supposed
to embody the idess Of the leading minds
OF the South, and because Il toas, as an
improvement on that, q signal failure.
It was really as far from efecting its
purpose, IS the Federal Constitution,
and possessed the same great and fatal
defects. It opened the way to the same
assumptions and u]surpatiOus Of power
bv the General Government. 1t left
omen and unsettled the same dangerous
questions.
The rank ~usurpations Of power by the
Confederate Congress, President and
Generals, snd their encrOaehments upon
their total overthrow Of the rights Of
the States, in a war wsged 10 establish
those rights, will be always and equally
instructive to the world, although these
Ststes are subjugated. We do not think
the history Of the world contains any
thing more singular and striking, more
worthy to be studied, more replete with
great and grave lessons.
Therefore, although these States, over
powered and crushed, are now Provinces
under Military DespOts, we still publish
what we began to write before defest.
When we began It, We hoped it would
be thereafter useful to our people. It
may benefit the people Of the Northern
States, if they are not too fully commit
ted %, too much enamored with, their
errors. Some other people may, at some
time. endesvour to establish a free Gov 4,
eminent, under q written Constitution Z
and then the errors Of the men Of the
present day may serve as warnings and
afford profitable lessons.
The Confederate Constitution, like the
struggle, and the usurpations Of govern :
ment asd generals, is a fact. It was a /
law to the people OF the eleven States for
more than three years. The usurpstions q
were committed by the agents Of those :
States. in q struggle for State sovereign
ty; aud committed against the States
themselves. ]
Moreover, it so little differs from the
Federal Constitution, that what is to be C
said Of one Supplies for the most part to
the other. Essential difference, indeed, d
there is none. One merely expresses the C
same sense, a little more distinctly than p
the other. The Confederate Constitution C
is the more instructive, only because the
experience Of seventy-eight years has de- il
veloped so plainly in practice the de- t
fects Of its prototype, that not TO have b
avoided them only marks more strongly G.
the incapscity Of Den to provide a gov c
eminent for themselves, and proves that p
such governments must gro1U, like that o
Of England, and cannot be manufactured 81
Ike cottOn-gins. o.
The defects Of the old Constitution, q
sndits chief pecUlisrities, and all its COM f
promises, grew, as we have shown, out Il
Of lst, the fact that it was the fruit Of q o.
struggle between the large and small b
States %, that part Of the States recog- 81
nized property in slaves, and part did
not Sd, that part Of the States desired -
70 continue the slsve-trade, and part !,
were averse TO II and 4th, that part OF I,
them, engaged in navigation, wanted !,
the c~arrying-trade, while the Southern I
States were strictly agricultural. The =,
Confederate States made a Constitution
under totally different circumstance q,
They were 8 homogeneous people, with !,
the III interests and pursuits, There =
were no jesl0usies, no rivalries among
them. There WAS no basis, with them,
for the compromises OF the old constitu- =
ton. There was no reason why they :,
could not avoid its defects. They knew Z.
the evils OF the Presidential elections, !.
Senatorial dependence, the decadence Of
the Judiciary. Nothing prevented their :
settling 81 disputed questions. Neither
ambition, fsnaticism or commercial -
greed was there, to insist on advantages,
and trSne for compromises, as in 1857. -
How much wisdom was displayed by =
the Congress that framed the Consttu
ton ? Did they settle forever the we'll ,
known, dangerous, disputed questions? -
Did they follow out TO the end their own a,
theory that the Constitution is compact =
between the States? Did they do enough -
or anything, to secure permsnency for
the Government, and stability and con- -,
sistency ia measures? Did they make s 49,
Government sufficient for war as well as p
for peace? Il,
The Confederate Constitution declared de
that if was made by the STATES and
that these were the only parties to it; eli
but Il by no means settled what was the no,
OF the Government created by It. El
Was it q mere league Of the States, Of
same nature as s commercial partner We
That's the meaning Of the word ID,
Confederate , but also Of Federate' and tiv
Federal II it was bit 8 league, then, be
I debts were created, the States, each a. ms
political corporation, owed them IN rec
OIidO, each being bound for the whole. the
And it may hereafter become q very the
rave question, whether Virginia, for Dst
.ample. is not bound for the redemp- lin
Of every bond and treasury-note 3
suea,- question well worth trying By and
he holders OF the ~cotton-bonds sold In sun
Are sovereign States relieved Con
+ debts contracted by them Jointly. be- q,
,,sa THAR mint p-ovarnn,ant y