Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-06-17

A public man who lays down as his rule
Of action, IS General Grant has done, obe-
dience at all times and under AL circufn.
stances, TO the will Of the people" must
either have no convictions OF right, or must
hold himself ready TO sacrifice those he has
whenever the varying caprices Of the mass
place them and him in opposition. What
"the will Of The people" is the New York
JoarTidl Of Commerce aptly Illustrates, when
it says: The inhabitants of certain is
land were unanimous in, declaring thai
Paul vas murderer whom sengeaBce
suffered not to live. But when they saw
no harm come TO him, they changed their
minds, and said that he was God! Here
on the same day were two opposite YER
diets by the whole people, and both of them
we're without shadow of truth for their
foundation-he was neither murderer nor
a God p One Of the wisest and profound
est Of those great statesmen, who, in the
mother country, laid the foundations Of
those principles Of true government, which
the builders Of our own system sought to
erabody in its framework, expressed upon
the subject views which contrast with those
of the Republican nominee for the Presi-
dency ss the deductions of experience,
learning and philosophy must ever contrast
with the crude notions Of inexperience
and ignorance, Said Edmund Burke, in
his celebrated speech after the Bristol cleo
tion: 81. Il
Certainly, gentlemen, it ought 10 be the
happiness and glory Of a representative, to
live in the strictest union, the closest cor
respondence, and the most unreseryed
Communication with his constituents,
Their wishes ought to have great weight
with him; their opinion high respect
their business unremitted attention. 1t is
his duty TO sacrifice his repose, his pleas
ure, his satisfaction, TO theirs and, above
all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their
interest 10 his own. Bot, his unbiased
opinion, his mature judgment, hiz enlight-
ened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice
TO you to any man, or to any set of men
living. These he does not derive from
your pleasure; no, nor from the law and
the Constitution. They are a trust from
Providence, for the abuse of which he is
deeply answerable. Your representative
owes you, not his industry only, but his
Judgment; and he betrays, instead of sery-
ing you, if he sacrifices il to your opinion,
My worthy colleague says his will ought
10 be subservient to yours. II that be all,
the thing is innocent. Ifgovernment were
a matter Of will upon any side, yours,
without question, ought to be superior.
But government and legislation are matters
Of reason and Judgment, and not ofinclina-
ton; and what sort of reason is that, in
which the determination precedes the dis
cussion; in which one set of men deliber-
ate, and another decide; and where those
who form the conclusion are perhaps three
hundred miles distant from those who hear
the arguments? To deliver an opinion ia
the right Of sil men that of constituents
is a weighty and respectable opinion,
which representative ought always TO re-
joios 10 hear, and which he ought always
most seriously 10 consider. But autkori-
tative instructions; mandates issued, which
the member is bound blindly and i'm
plicitly TO obey, TO vote, and to argue for,
though contrary TO the clearest conviction
of his judgment and conscience; these are
things utterly unknown to the laws OF this
land, and WHICH arise from a fundamental
mistake of the whole order and tenor Of our
Constitution"