The Oxford falcon. [volume] (Oxford, Miss.) 1865-18??, 1867-10-12

greSS ChftU Ftnev were not; 'tae Icttdcr
OF the party, Dir. Stevens, still adrAit
they are not. That sucll members
could reconcile their votes u 18th their
oath to support, the COnstitaItipI is
characteristic of flexible cons cience,
and as an evidence also that th ey re-
garded the success of their party as
paramount to their duty to sup, ,DOrt
the Constitution. Will the SOuthe rn
people act with a like disregard #
the Constitutions? This they will do
by voting for a Convention, which
Is to be but the means of giving
strength to the radical party, by i'm
vesting the freedmen with the right
Of suffrage which was the leading OBJ
jeet Ofsthelr acts, & ireg.l .dt -a(
1t would be well for the Southern
people to reflect that as a minority
their, only security depends upon
protecting the Constitution from the
dangers which are always tO be ap-
pretended from the legislative de-
partInent OF the government. Mr..
Jefferson warned his eountrymen
that ssall the powers of the govern
ment, legislative, executive and ju-
dietary, are constantly tending to
the legislative departments, and
when there concentrated, it Is pre-
cisely the definition ola despOtism.n
Mr.. Madison w0s stiIl more en-
phatic, if possible, in warning his
cOuntrymen against the dangers to
be. apprehended from this depart
ment. He said, "against the enter
prising spirit of this department Of
the government the people should
exert all their jealousy and exhaust
all their watchfillness. 81 ain these
acts of Congress We have abundant
evidence of the wisdom and forecast
of these great fathers of the Republic.
Shall we yield our acQuieseence,, our
approval OF these great and glaring
inOvations on the Constitution by
voting for convention? If any
truth is settled beyond doubt, it is
that the people, the source of power,
should resist by all peaceablei means
in their power, every encrOachment
on their supreme will expressed by
the Constitution, however slight the
Instance or plausible the preteXt;
this is their only security. The in
novatiOn of to-day if tolerated, be-
comes a precedent for to morrow.
"What to-day is fact, tomorrow is
doctrine, and If the precedent does
not exactly suit, analogy will supply
/ the defect;" and so we 20 on from
one innovation to another until the
whole charter of our liberties is swept
into the terrible vortex of political
ambition. These remarks are just as
applicable to the Northern as to the
Southern people. MI may rtyst as-
sured that II their COnstitutiOE l,rs
not already been destroyed, 1t hectts
but their approval of these extreme
measures to complete the desecratiOn.
The Judicial department, it is true,
was intended TO be check on the
dangerous spirit Of aggression, but
that department. is weak, and COM
posed of men, frail men, who but too
often bend before the turbulence Of
faction, and will sometimes be found
not altogether free from party bias.
Besides, the judicial arm may be par-
allied by the overwhelming power
! oflegislative usurpatiOn, SO that at
last the people must depend upon
vigilance for MISREPRESENTATION of their
Constitutional liberties. a t IL,
It remains to notice some Of the
reasons urged for the acceptance of
these measures, some of which pre-
sent to my mind the strongest possi-
bic reasons why we should reject
them. t .ls.-,4 I.s ..,.o...,
Some will say, if VIC do not accept
these measures, we never shall get
our members into Congress-. And
will you compromise your COnstitu-
tionaI right to have your representa-
tives in Congress by establishing q
precedent which may be used to ex-
clude your representatives at any
time as it may suit the whims and
caprice of q dominant party? Such
a policy would amount to an abso-
lutte surrender of our Constitutional
right, and to substituting in. its place
the discretion of a majority i'll Con-
gress.d This consideration alone
should be sufficient to. induce us to
reject the plan. Nor should the peO-
pie desire to have representation in
Congress since it's certain. with the
elective franchise extended and con-
tfOIled as it Is to be- you never can
send any one there who does not Ap-
prove the entire Congressional plan,
or II you should chance to send such
as do not, it is very certain they will
be pronounced disloyal and rejected
Your representatives, then, are Il
become the instruments which ahal
but riYet the chains of slavery more
firmly upon you. Look at the con.
oditiOn of Tennessee, aud you may
see the prototype of what is to bC
yonr own condition; she has not !
single conservative member Of Con
greSs; not one who does nOtgO witt
the radical party to the fun Extent o
its work olf persecuti0pg 1snOk, too
at Kentucky, whose members wer'
Sexcluded simply BECAUSE 9tliey werU
opposed to the dominant party No
will you be allowed to chang
: the form of your State govern
} ihent So as to limit the right or suf
frage, since by adopting these imeas
ures. you admit that Congress ha
| the power to control, modify or abol
hishsft atTpleasupes und lyOn lFfllptb
held estOpped by your own act
! Your only security, therefore, Is to b
: found i'm persistefltiy holding on tO
, baIid in demanding an observance @
! your Constitutional rights If des
! potisln must be placed over you, lie
? III be done without your e0Ilsenl
Mississippi now occupies the attitud
4 of having resisted these measure
thrOughl tho proper chanilelsi ofsGG
7 appeal to the judiciary for relic.
: her people Twill destroy the mon
e fofoeI0f her position by q xolnntaT
Q hcquiescence in them. -. ~
! Others again say, five do not II
: cept those ,1neasuress somethiHl
!. worse will be inflicted on US. This.
Y cofnproinise by surfendering rigl
9 70 discretion. 1t il virtually lsayii
Z TO the radical paEt3s We will surreI
der our C0nstl tltutt tt0nal Il ghts eve
I the fgnetions and very akistence