The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1868-03-25
Let Republicans" Read This.

The following is from the u. S. .E,con
one'sh Il "Rcpuhlican" paper, and is SO
fair, candid ana truthful that it ought to
lie read BY every "Rcpublican" IN the
land:
"The serious nature Of current leg,s-
iatioE III Congress compcls us to depart
from our custom Of leaving the discus.
sion OF party issues to other journals
1t is impossible to witness the length to
which the parlizan zeal is now carrying
the majority Of Congress without grave
in:sglvings rs TO the future OF the coun-
try. 1t ls significant illustration OF
the maxim that revolutions never go
backward, that within the present
month the House Of Representatives
has passed bills interfering with the free
operation OF the Supreme Court and de-
priving the President OF his constitution.
al prcroGativc rs Commander.iD. Chief
so lar as respects several OF the States.
Congress Is thus following up the dc
feaicd revolution Of The South, by acts
rs directly revolutionary, in fact anG in
tendency, as anything ever attempted
by the insnrrecionary States. The
Supreme Court hll is extra constitution
al, the Constitution having left The ma.
lorlty o!,votcs in the court to be rcgu-
lated by the usage OF legal tribunals;
and Tho Reconstruction bill is na,ly
an,l-constitu'ional, being in direct oppo-
s''lon to the express letter Of tie charter
OF union. Congress Will then have done
upon its own responsibility what the
Constitution requires shall be done only
by two thirds majority Of the States;
the Constitutional powers orthe States
Will have been rampled under foot
and the Federal legislature will have
asserted It's supremacy over the consti-
'h''onal powers Of the Chief Magistrate,
orrr The States from which it derives its
powers, and over the Constitution itself
THIS constitutes Congress an absolute
power like the British Parliament, and
places Tho country mder<a form 0: Gov.
ernmcnt totally different from that pro-
vided in'the' Constitution Of the United
States.
"This principle once enacted and put
IN force, and the States have no longer
any reserved rights. and the rights ard
liberties of the people at large, are abso-
i"tely dependent upon the central lcgis-
latnrc TO what dangerous icngths
sdcirpownrs might be carried it is by no
means dithcnls 10 loresee. If Congress
has The power to deprive Tho President
OF his military authority over The South,
't,has equal right to appoint the Gene
raj Of The army with supreme control
over tho North. And, III such case,
where 10 our liberties atand2 lift bc
necessary Tor political ends, to make
Gen. GRANT dictator over, the South,
and it should prove desirable on. like
grounds that he should supcrsede the
authority the President in" the North,
tae only guarantee we have. that the
NoI thern States would not be similarly
dealt with ls,thc fiict that such. usurpn-
ton might maet with forcible opposition.
10 amounts, therefore, to this, that the
only security of The North against Con.
gress is in its ability to defend its rights.
Congress hhs asmuch right to appoint
any olhcr pcrsou TO supcrintcnd the
government ot the South as Gen. Grant,
and has no more righ. to appoint such
person TO govern the South than to
govern The North. Ii is thus apparent
mat there is but a stop between the es
tabishing a Southern dictatorship and
Que oyer The whole country. Only the
oce ceaslon and The political necessity arc
needed for the realization of The latter
conditioner afairs.
'"Ihtse' aspects OF the political situa-
ton aR the more serious from the fact
that the revolutionary expedients arc
neaorlcd to merely for the, purpose Of The