The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1867-12-11

: private interests Which arc complicated
with it, wo cannot be too cautious Of :
policy which might, by possibility, i'm
pn,r the confidence Of the world in ou,
Government That confidence ca,
only bo retained by carefully inculcn,ing
the principles OF justice and honor OF
the popular mind and by the most scru.
pnlous fidelity to all our engagements
OF every sort. Any serious breach OF
the organic law, persisted in for con.
siderable time. cannot but create fears
Tor The stability o! our institutions. LA.
bIual violation OF prescribed rules,
which we bind ourselves to observe,
must dcmoralzc the people Our only
STAN | Of civil duty being set 1t
naua /, the sheet anchor OF our poli,i-
cal morality is lost, tic public conscience
swings from It's moorngs and yields to
every impulse Of passion and interest.
If We repudiatc tho Constitution, VIC
will not be expected to care much for
mere pecuniarv obligations. The VIC.
lat'on OF such pledge as we made on
the 22d day OF July, 1861, will assured.
ly diminish The market value Of other
promises. Besides, i! We now acknowl.
edge that the national debt was created
not to hold the States in the Union, as
the tax payers were led to suppose, but
| 10 eXpel them from il and hand them
over to be governed by negroes, the
mora! duty pay 1t may seem much
less c'ca say it may Sccm so for |
DO no as lit that this or any argument
IN favor &. reputation can be entertan~
cl sonnu but its influence cn some class
rs 81 minds may wei! 10 apprehcndcd.
The financial honor OF great CONNER
cial nation, largely indebted, and with n
| republican form OF government admins
tered by agents OF the popular choice is
4 thing OF such delicate texture, and the
destruction Of i, would hc followed BY
such unSpc lhahlc calamity. that every
true patriot must desire to avoid
whatever might expose it to The slight
est danger.
The great interests Of the country re
Qn.re immediate rcNci from these enact.
mcn!s. Business in The South is para.
lyzed by sense Of general insecurity,
by the terror Of contiSca,ion, aud the
dread OF negro supremacy. Tho South
en- trade. from which the North would
have derived great prot under Il gov.
ernment of law, still languishes, and can
never be rev,ve, until il ceases to be
fcttercd by the arbitrary power which
makes all It's operations unsafe. That
r%h country the richest IN natural re-
sources the world ever saws worse
than lost if II be not soon placed under
he protection OF Il free Cunstitulo,i.-
Instead Of being, as it ought to be,
source of wealth and power, it will be.
come an into,erablc burden upon the rest
, % the nation.
THE POPULAR VOICE.
Another reason for letracing our steps
will doubtless DO seen by Congress in
/ tho lalo manifestations Of public opinion
upon this subject. We live in coun-
, try where The popular will always en-.
forces obedience to itself, sooner or later.
1t is vain to think Of opposing it with
anything short Of legal authority, backed
by overwhelming force 1t cannot have
, escaped your attention that from tho
day on which Congress fairly aud for.
mally presented the proposition to gov.
rrn tho Southern States by military
force, with view to the ultimate cetab.
lishmcnt Of negro supremacy, every cx-
preston Of the general sentiment has
been more or less adverse to it. The
affections OF this generation cannot be
detached from tho institutions Of their
ancestors. Their determination to pre-.
/ serve the inheritance OF free government
in their hands and transmit it undivided
and unimpaired to their own posterity,
is too strong to be successfully opposed.
Every weaker passion will disappear
before that love Of liberty and law Tor
whicht he American people are dis,
tingnishcd above all others in the
world.
TIRE EXECUTIVE POWERS.
How lar the duty Of the President,
"to preserve, protect, and dcfend tho
Constitution requires him to go in op.
posing an unconstitutional act of Con-
gross is very serious and important
question, on which I have deliberatel
much, and fclt extremely anxious to
reacl, proper conclusion. Where an
act has been passed according to the
forms Of the Constitution by The supreme
legislative authority, and is regularly
enrolled among the public statutes Of
tho country. Executive resistance to
it, especially in times Of high party cx-
cite ent, would bo likely to produce
violent collision between the respective
adherents OF the two branches Of tho
Government. This would be simply
evil war; and civil war must be resort
cd to only as tho last remedy for the
| worst OF evils. Whatever might tend
to provoke u should be most carefully
| avoided. A faithful and conscientious
Magistrate will conccde very much to
honest error, and something even to
pervrrso malice, before he will endan.
gcr tho public peace and he will not
adopt forcible measures. or such as
might lead TO force, as long as those
which are pcaccable remain open to him
or to his constituents. IL is true that