Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1868-01-31
ccxesssa ANo tas sUeksAs oooar.

cAAAs
coSesssa ASS Fas sufksAs cooar.
fhe Aesrss%te SifA 10 which 'he Radical
mr. Sny IN f>ougrets are tedacsd in thrir -H"r's
~ frrfesuAss thsir power Appear in n"thi"f
more clenr,s than 10 the hilfs, which ~re now
j penaiuv, u undermine tho Suprcne Cou,t.
! AntAhM,he M Ahvcrxe deois,oa in the Nc
! Ardsc csss witch involves tho uuconstitn,on =
Alas cf ne f~ecns'tac,ioa Acs>, hill has
! s<rn ,,Ass-d by the House of Representatives.
| Ind u n ow t'end;hS IN tic S-natr, making \
t@o thirds rn7j"ri'S Of the Supreme Cont ne
crs.Srs 10 overrule na act OF ConyresA IA
| there are r"~ hui tight m~mb"s "f ,hs, cast,
, and tho Rs,licsls are certain uf thrre-Chase,
Swayac, and Millet--'hv effscL Of this require
! meNt would he 10 enable these to override tho
decision Of the o,her Eve. The revolutionary
, character Of the procee ling is go apparent,
aud its design 60 p~,sn, I" d-stroy the ro-ordi-
nate Department of the Government, tha, the
bill has been denounced by oil the respectable
pnp-rs Of the party, and will. i. is sAid. ne re-
| p"r,ed against BY q mnj"ri,y cf tho judiciary
C"mmalse Of the Senate. aud fail 10 pass
that body.
The eforesaid hill. IL seem.. 70 10 be surerre
3ed by one which has been coueoc,ea in 'he
fertile brain Of Thai. Stevens. aud agreed
eron in the Reconstyuston Committee by a
words:
BeI .nse'sa, d.. That the .pre,la,. juri.
dictIon Of III Supreme Court Of the UHited
States shall not extend to any act d"n-, or
which shall be dou-, "r to any rrs ccsding had.
or which ahaIl he had, under md by virtue Of
the act entitled IAN act to provide for the
mare efficient government Of the rebel States"
supplementary thereto; aud all such cases now
pending in said court, either by APPEAL or
othsrwise from any decision or proce siinr
had 10 any district or e;rcrit c,u:, of the
Vnlted States. shall 5e dismissed by asi,l Su-
rreme Court. snd TO record Of any proceeding
has or Which may be had before either of the
;sstr ct commanders, under either Of end acts
, shall he removed to or reviewed in any other
! tribunal, either upon hn6-as corpus, quo var
Td"fo, or in any manner whatever.
This bill throws of nil iisgusc. and gives
expression to the Purrore Of the party in intro
; dacing the frst named hill. II declares boldly
that it is the design Of Congress 10 prevent
any decision upon the constitutionality Of the
! Reconstruction Acts by the Supreme Court
All Of this is is keeping with tho character of
Stevens, and 10 perfectly consistent with his
ost-'srsatsl declaration that the policy o!
Congress in recon struclion was "ontsije OF
the Constitution" but it is to be .s.n whether
! the party il prepared to &C the lengths Of its
srratie leader The ackno " ledgnsst on the
face Of the bill, Of the uncousttr tisnality OF
tire Rsconstruction Aots would be more DAM
aging than An adverse d-cirion Of tho Court
As argued by ,he World it is confession s
judgment before tue trial of the ease. and
rnu.t convince all candid mrn, bntl, nt the
North and in the South. ths, Congress ia en-
gaged in w,l!ful attempt to subv.rt and over
ride the Constitution. Sn5s the World:
THIS new and moastrous bill, if not a fla,
usurpHtien Of power. is the m st fsgtion.
abuse Of power ever attempted by legsla tive
body. II is said that tue ancient Romans had
Lao law for the puui:hment of parriciie, j,
d never having entered the thoughts Of their
legislators that such a crime was possible.
Z The trainers of the Constitution seem To have
hsd like confidence that there were sane
4 dsptiis Of iafsn,y to which, An elected Con.
crees could moi descend It was in that Toe
ehat,table confidence that they inrer.ed thi,
Provision in the article relating 10 the judicia
~ = 1.-THE Supreme Court s,,sll have appal-
late jurisdiction. both ~ to law and fact with
such aessPtions, rand- uad-r such regulation
ss C.ngrtH shall make" The power to make
exceptions to The spp-Ilate juris !i.,ion Of III.
Supreme Court. here conferred in such broad
..snJ unqualified term. wa. desighe 10 prev ent
Tho Court tping oAer bhrdened and block
ed By tbs adjudication Of muI,ilad.. of insis
ni6tant cases. :;
lthad this ohi'ct, and nobody has ercr snp.
posed or pretsnded till now, that il had .ny
oiher. Tie act. for. organizing the Supreme
Conrt passed Ly the first Congress-. Con-
gsess largely composed of frsmsrs OF the
eSe.titplqn -..b owed that they undsrst ood i,
in this tshss5 ,s.y 'sIcspsidg tsi,s rwhere. the
afhmnt in conttovtrsy >was less than tw 5
thoussnd- dollars. The exclusion .sof small
casssis foshdsd On reason, nd tho constilu,iop
prrs med tkst Congress would 10 i:,ls rs.pscl
be Reasonable !" Tis.nevcr entered into the con.
temptation of hs, ,frsmers that Under the su
tbofity,to pate1she -tpsasils Of the appellate
\ Ijhrisdieuea; Cong ssts, :w,oatd Gu, Of i,s head
lhsstu dee tlis .horiiy TO except petty eas0.
I II would exclude tho most inpor, ant. Til.
esgtharitys tbsretofs -sonf.rr.d in brood
fssd aagass Cd srns; ewhiek ,lsierprs,ed 4by
lhstf in ibsis .,ririt, ara