The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-24

reign contempt for facts ought not to be the
only qualification Of an assailant of the policy
of protection.
p. SWIM the Times please to locate in
Pennsylvania the "half dozen large capital
lists" who make so much out of the duty on
bituminous coal We have always supposed
the Cumberland mines were in Maryland.
The Restoration of the Constitution South
and North.
From the ~ y. Herald
All great struggles bring certain destructive
elements to the surface against which gov
erning code, modelled in time of peace, cannot
provide. When the life of nation Is threat
ened new laws spring to the front, born OF the
moment and strong in their warlike birth.
The country which has not the stamina to
follow their lead takes long step backward
fails to hold its own in the race Of civilization.
So 1t has been in our own late struggle. Two
systems, both gigantic, grew side by side under
the most favorable circumstances for both.
One was ultra-liberalism, the other was feudal-
ism nursed by the forces which have been
brought so vigorously into action in this
century. Side by side they grew under the
same Constitution until the parasite threat
ered to destroy the tree and, as consequence,
wreck both. Then it was that both forgot the
Constitution. The South rudely tram pied it
under foot. The North also ignored the
p imal law, and, finding it entirely unsuited
to cope with that which threatened TO blot out
the Constitution and the nation at the same
time, did not hesitate to deal blows at the
Rebellion, even though the sabre strokes
clipped the great code at the same time.
Doing this, we saved the nation. Who is there
in all the broad miles we hold who would have
preferred the salvation of piece of parch-
mentY
We were without fundamental code dur
ing our Rebellion, and we have been without
one since the war clio cd; for there is no
Constitution existing so long as any one of its
parts is ignored. The non-recogni of one
item implies the right to ignore another, aud
so on until 1t vanishes away on the principle
of secession. In all this we of the Union did
well; but it has required an immense quantity
of common sense to preserve our liberties
during this epoch. Nothing but the general
diffusion OF education, the power of the press,
the vigor and governing force of the elements
of progress existing among us, have prevented
the loss of our form of government and the
adoption OF a military dictatorship. The war
threw the Constitution back upon the people,
and no greater proof exists of the strength
of republicanism than the fact that
for seven years We have held our old form of
government safely on deposit. We have pa
tiently awaited for the men whom we have
placed in power to follow our desires, like true
statesmen, and restore it, subject to the alte-
rations which we alone have made by the
becomes unrepublicau and dictatorial forcing,
as it were, its own desires into the foreground
and basiDg laws upon them, instead of simply
shaping our wishes into legal form. 1t is only
! in monarchical countries that the peopls are
supposed not to know what they want or what
is best for them. If Congress forgets this, then
have we taken the first step towards frmer
GENERALIZATION. To preserve our liberties we
must sweep aside the dross that has accumu-
! lated in Washington. The men there must
fall or recognize Immediately as a first prin-
oiple that no man can lead the people.
With the same good sense which has enabled
US TO march on in our national greatness,
ignoring for period our fundamental law, we
now feel that the moment has arrived for a
complete restoration of the law, both South
and North. If there still exist brains so weak
! that they think that The former feudal prin-
ciples of the South can trample upon and bar
| the mightiest progress in the worlds history,
they are scarcely worthy of living to enjoy
the product of electricity and steam. We
are beginning to be narrow and protective in
our governmental policy, and consequently
retrograde. Does the North wish to drag the
! ruins of eleven States after it as it marches
onward 1t is scarcely good sense, when
those States are now willing and able to march
| themselves, and consequently help instead OF
retard us. To become powerful again they
must have period of rest and progress. Is
any one SO mad as to think they will go back
to look for support to the Old instead of giving
entrance to the mighty New now knocking at
their doors The great ultimate object OF our
! struggle should be to make the nation homo
geneOus. Who can say that there are two
ways of doing it-one for the North and one
for the South? Last year ten OF the Southern
States gave less than thirty-three millions of
revenue to the national support. This does
not indicate prosperity, either local or
national, and is scarcely third of what they
should yield when free from political disturb
ances. There is but one way to mend all
this-let them alone and give them a chance
to 90 to work. AS there is but one direction
for them TO move in, they will take it, and we
shall be asonished to see how rapidly they
will fall in with us and help develop the Won
dcrful riches of the Western World.
But what is the first step towards all this
II rests more with ourselves than with them.
1t is in the hands of Congress-a Congress
which must now remember that the people
have elected them and demand that the
mandates of the people bs obeyed. The nation
has endured the war, its corruptions, and the
natural oscillations which are the results of
war. Our common sense has carried us safely
through where our Congress would have
wrecked us. Now we require the restoration
of our fundamental code of laws, for the time
has passed when national safety required it to
be held in allegiance. To-day We have but
one branch of government-our Congress.
The Executive is nullity; the Supreme
Court bows to power 1t cannot face. Let
Congress now evolve the powers which the
nation forced it to absorb give back to the
Executive branch its full authority; COM