The Van Buren press., 1868-06-26
Radical Esgerness

watch The process Of stranguls'ion, by
which Bcrublicanism is being robbed of
IL. vitality Anxious 20 share ~ the spoils
of our general political min, they are
blinded to the absurdity Of many Of the
errors committed by their party. The
press is, Of coursc equally anxious and
deeply concerned for the government
pap TO be dished out TO them by these
officials. We find the knights Of the
quill furiously attacking Gen. BucHAS-
NAN, military satrap Of the Province OF
which Louisiana is part, for prohibiting
the Legislature from assembling IN that
fractional Province, until Congress shall
have accepted the Constitution, Gen.
B. has displayed knowledge ofthe Re-
construction laws, that is rot peculiar TO
commanders ofHouthern Provinces Our
military commander cannot find it in his
heart to prohibit the assembling of the
body" at Little Rock because the
people have a right to peaceably assem-
bic" but he will not recognize them as an
official body. This species of hair split
ting does look amazingly like the meta
physics Of a Sophomore. The people
have a right TO peaceably assemble
granted does this help the cssef Have
a few Of the people, " who claim to be
chosen Law makers, right TO assemble
in the form Of a law making body and
compel tie rest Of" The people" 10 pay the
expenses Of the meettns1 Ought the
Governor of Province to sitquietly and
allow few pretenders to assume the
functions of law makers, and, also, as
sumo to compel the payment of illegal
taxes to defray the expenses Of these
law makers If the mongrel body, now
at Little Rock, is not legal Legislature"
and cannot be " officially recognized" by
the commander, then it is nothing, and
" the people" ought not to be required to
pay the expenses Of Tom, Dick and Sam
bo, who may choose to visit the Capitol.
They assemble openly and notoriously as
a Legislature and in no other capacity
1t is not 81 the people peaceably" as
sembling 1t is monstrous assumption
of the perogatives Of those chosen by
1.-The people. Gen. BUCHANAN has taken
the proper view Of this matter, and by
his order, prohibiting the assembling of
the Legislature Of Louisiana, he has fore
stalled the trouble we are to have when
pay day comes, The Legislature has no
life and can exercise no functions, until it |
has au organic law for its foundation.
The Legislature is chosen, when chosen
at all, in legal sense, to be the legisla-
tive body Of the future State. If Con
gress has any right to require the South
ern States to adopt new constitutions,
then, in that view, they are not States un-
til such new constitutions are adopted.
1t matters not whether the members of
the Legislature are elected at the same
time the constitution is voted on by the
people, as a Legislature they do not, and
cannot lawfully, exist until the life giving
organic law becomes finally established
in the mode prescribed by law. The Re-
construction law provides, among other
things: and when said State, by vote
Of its Legislature elected under said con-
stitution. shall have adopted the amend
ment to the Constitution Of the United
States proposed" etc, etc,--referring to
the l4th article. This language follows,
Immediately after this ; land Congress
shall have approved the same" (the State
Constitution.) The approval Of Con
gress, then, is condition precedent to
the existence of the constitution, There
by the State) as constitution, Thereby
the State as a legal State The Consti-
tuition, being in our form Of government,
the life and soul Of all our State institu-
tons, no Legislature can legally assem-
BILE and claim to be Legislature, until
the constitution is perfected by being
put into full life by the approval of Con
gress. Gen. BUCHANAN, then, has taken
the correct view and, in our Judgment, has
pursued the proper course, The military
commanders are forced to be the tools of
the Radical politicians in Congress, and
most Of them, (there being few honor.
able exceptions seem to feel it incumbent
upon them to do wrong, and to violate
the principles of justice and republican.
ism and when HANCOCK or a BCCuAN.
AN chooses to obey the dictates Of reason
and common sense the press Of the Rad.
ical stripe raise general howl against
! them Reason and common snnsa docs