Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-12-10


DegTo governments after they are established.
The sum thus thrown away Tould, if properly
used, for sinking fund large enough to pay
the whole national debt n less than fifteen
years. It is vain to hope that negroes will
maintain their accenGancy Themselves
Without military power they are wholly
Incapable of holding in subjecrion the white
people Of the South. [ submit to the judg,
rnent c. Congress whether the public crsSis
may not be injuriousIy affected by sys.er
of measures like this. With our debt and
tho vast private interests which are conpli-
Gated with it, IIe cannot be too cautious of a
policy which might by possibility impair the
confidence of the world in our Government
That confidence can only he retained by care
fully intoxicating the principles of Justice aad
honor on the popular mind and by the most
scrupGloas fidelity to ell our engagements of
every sort. Any serious breach Of the organic
laI, persisted in for considerable time, can
not but cre2te fears fcr the stability OF oar
institutions. dabitual violation Cs sprescribcd
rules, which we bind ourselves to observe,
must demOraii.s the people; our only stand-
ard OF civil duty being SCI at nGlght the sheet
anchor OF our political morality IS lost, and
the public conscience swings irorl its I..ocriugs
and yields to every impulse of passion and
interest. Ii We -epudiase the Constitution,
we will not be expected 20 care much for mere
pccuniaTy obligations. The violation of such
pledge as we made on the 22d day of July,
1851, will assuredly diminish the market
value Of our other promises. Besides, if we
now acknowledge that the national debt was
created noJ to hold the States in the Union.
as the taxpayers were led to suppose, bat TO
exPel them from it, aad hand them over to
be governed By negroes, the moral duty to
pay it may seem mach less clear | say 1t
may seem so, for do not admit that this or
any other argument in favor OF Reputation
can ke entertained as sound. But It's influence
on some classes Of minds may we'll be appIs-
hendsd. The financial honor ola great com
merc'el nation, largely indebted, aud with a
republican form Of Government, administered
by agents of the popular choice, is thing of
such delicate texture, and the destruction Of
it would be followed BY such uuspeakable
calamity, that every true patriot must desire
to avoid whatever might expose 1t TO the
slightest danger. The great Interests of the
country require immediate relief from these
enactments. Business in the South IS para
ly=ed Oy sense Of general insecurity, BY
terror OF oOniiscation, end the dread of negro
supremacy. The Southern trade, from which
the North would have derived SO great a profit
under government of law, still languishcs.
and can never be revived until Il ceases to be
fc;erel by the arbitrary power which makes
ali its operations unsafe. That rich country
the richest in natural resources the world
ever saw, is worse tu:a los! II it be not soon
placed under tie protection OF u free Conatitu.
tica. Instead CT being, "a i ought to be.
source Cf wealth and power, it will become an
intClerable burden upon the res: of the nation.
Another reason for retracing our steps will
doubtless besscn BY Congress- in the late mani
festct:on Of pablic opinion upon this subject.
We I've IN a country where TIE popular will
always eniorces obedience to itself sooner or
later. Il is vain to think of opposing it with
anything short Of legal authority backed by
oyerS h6huiHg force. 1t cannot have escaped
your attention thstftOm the dag On ,.LicL Con.
gress fairly and formally presented the promo,
sition 20 govern the Southern States BY militia
ry forces, with view to the ultimate establish.
ncnt Of negro supremacy, every expression of
the general sentiment has bee2 more or less
adverse tU it. The affections of this genera
ton cannot be detached from the Institutions
OF their ancestors their determination to pre-.
serve the inheritance of free Government in
their own hands, and transmit it undivided
and unlmp1.red to their own posterity, is too
strong to be successfully opposed. Every
weaker passion will disappear before that love
of liberty and law for which the American
people are distinguished above all others in
the world.
DUTY OF THE PRESIDENT.
How far the duty of the President to pre-
serve, protect and defend the constitution re-
quires him to go in opposing an unconstitu,
t!onal act Of Congress, is a very serious and
important question, on which have delbera-
ted much and felt extremely anxious to reach
a proper conclusion. Where an act has been
passed according to the forms of the Consti-
tct.on ny the supreme Legislative authority.
and IS regularly enrolled among the public
statutes of tie country, Executive resist.
anco to it, especially in times of high party
excitement, wOC!d be likely to produce yf6
lent collision between the respective adhe-
rents Of the two branches of the Govern
raent. This would be simply civil var. and
civil va: must be resorted to only as the last
remedy for the worst of evils. Whatever
might tcad to pvovoke il should be most care
fully avoided. 4 faithful and coascicn;;ons
magistrate .:ii conccde very much to honest
error, and something even to personal malice
before he will endanger the public peace; and
he will not adOp; foreible measures, OF such
as might lead TO force, as long as those which
arc peacea6'e remain open TO him or to his
constituents. 1t is true that cases may occur
in which the Executive would be compeIIed
!" SIAM y" AS u"u f'ghls anu MAINTAIN them
regardless of all consequences, if Congress
should pass an act which is not only in pslp.-
bic conflict with the Constitution, but will GER
tain'y, if carried out, produce immediate aud
irreParab!e injury 20 the organic structure of
the Government and if there be neither in,
dieial remedy for the wrongs it inficts. nor
power OF TIE people to protect themselves
without the ofHcial aid OF their elected de.
fender; if, for instance, the legislative de.
Partment should pass an act. even tbrouob
all the forms of law, to abolish Coordinate
department of the Government, in such a case
the President must take the high resnonsi-