Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-02-06

aOUND sEvAE.
Sunposing sonse Of eur Republican neigh
bors o,en their mouths ard take down .
4 :. n medicine conroctcd b. a well known
m .d;c;pe man Of their own school. For in
stance here Is good round dose from that
.t.unch old Republican sheet. the Spring
i,li 6Msss.) Rspa5icIa, itself, which has
been in the Radical harness for yeNs. II
q whole dose; here II Is, noa take il
town. and see hos you stand sound sense.
. Lich is 10 fast bsco ming - sutire stranger
% tho political couassls y Tie Radical
family:
"srAxD ~! HOLD nAnD r.
.Fseih dsseensus aruni" One lie max CO
a dossn others necessary. A wrong Act sd
hered 70 10 the beginning Of . series. OF which
each 10 worse than the preceding. These
arc vsriocs statements Of common law,
which has abundant illustrations in the his |
tories Of individuals and nations Most |
impressive Ia that which we have just ex- |
pesienccd in the course Of slavery, waxing
more vigorous from year TO year towards
ITS victims AZ they increased in number,
more arrogant in it's assumption Of powss 10
control and pervert the government to its
own use, and eliminating A. last In rebel
lion, Of which it died. Aud yet We are al
ready in danger of furnishing still another
example OF the same error, while moving,
40 We think. in tho opposite direction and
cyislating for liberty instead Of slavery.
The only dcfensiblo reason for recon
siruc;ins the Southern State governments
was the purpose 30 confer suffrage on the
freedmen, ia order to the protection Of their
rights. Those govsrnments wero we'll
enough in every other respect. II this sin
gle purpose had controlled in the matter
the process would have besn comparatively
simple and unobjsctionable. But patty OBJ
iects were allowed - he mixed ia. II WAS
thought Is would bs good thing 90 70 man
ipulA,e the Southern governments 40 10 &C.
ourc The votes Of the reconstructed States
for X Publican president. To accomplish
this the right 10 vote aud hold Office was
taken from all the Southern whites Who had
held Offices requiring On oath 70 support
the Constitution Of the United States. This
excluded At once from political life the most
intelligent classes in the South, and those
a tbs time hest disposed 70 accept Any
terms Of reconciliation that should be offer
ID. This made reconsssuction by tho white
population Of the South impsssbls, Tor they
naturally felt that il would be dishonorsbls
TO abandon the leaders Whs shared with
them the guilt Of the rebellion. Recon-
struction ives thus thrown into che hands
of the negroes, led By . few Northern white
men and Sousherness. who did not scruple
20 take any oath required Of them. That
tey should seek TO retain power BY the
same policy which gave il 10 them 10 mat
ter ~ course, and the Rrst new constitu-
ton framed virtually excludes nearly every
white man from sutfngs and Once. IL is 50
utterly indcisnsibis on any principle Of jus
tice and equality that ito trainers fear its
rejection BY the registered voters, and are
begging them 10 accept il 10 the hope that
Congress will strike out lie Objectionable
provisions.
The course Of thingsin Congrc az just now
docs not tsnd TO sustain any such hope Ii
u essential 10 tho success Of the programme
that the whites Of tho South shan be IN the
majority. and tho determination seems "a
DO 20 put II through at al haxuds. The
last remains Of civil governments In th,
South are 10 be swept AWAY, upon the de-
claration that they arc not republican in
FORM" though the forms arc just what they
always have been The false reason has
Sotas value, however, as showing At least
al appearance OF respect for the phrases OF
s;,v constitution. but We have not come
l. the end OF this business; we cannot even
$40 Il. Tho governments Of tho minority
N the SOUTH and that minority black, viii
rai 1t necessary to be more and moro re-
prcssiyc, and will neei a strong military
force TO maintain tn IN. 10 any body 20 in
sane ~ TO predict reconciliation Of races.
true republican or even moderately just
government, and restored peace and loyal
" AS the result Of such 4 systemr II so,
about how soons Nc, the system is funda-
mentally wrong, and viii inevitably wax
worse aud worse. And men are already
asking how soon political necessity" may
lead Congress to interfere with certain
Northern States AMI compel them TO take
she Republican form" Of negro suffrage
and white Acknowledgement.
Tho restoration oil Secretary Stanton IL
doubtless consistent with the tenure OF office
act. special provision was inserted in
II. indeed. to meet his case. But the dis
cussson has made il clear that the law can
not be defended upon general principles =
10 compel President to retain in his cab
met nan with whom friendly or respect
full relations are impossible. everybody fools
to b. nm outrage. Having had its way aud
protected Mr.. Stanton, the Senate would do
we'll to appeal nj once the provision made
ior Ills .~sa. in behalf OF which ~ q perina
nent rule not wurd can he said.
lhc proposition to get rid oil Cen Han
cock by the indirect and cowardly dodge
OF reducing the number Of Major Generals,
Is Of piece with the scheme for prevent.
ing decision against the constit u,ionality
OF reconstruction by hampcring the Su.
rrcme Court. They both illustrate our
theme. and show how ono wrong act make ca
smother necessary, and 90 legislation inev-
''ab'y goes from bad to worse. There il
yet hope that the Senate will arrest these
measures. The same party sxigeucy which
makes the two-ihirds rule necessary for the
Supreme Court may soon require that the
Court shall be forbidden to pronounce sny
act Of Congress unconstitutional, even II |
unanimous in that opinion. There 10 abso- |
lutely no stopping place in legislation Of
.n's A'"d. The descent 70 hell 10 easy. to |
be sure, but how ere 80 Ia oct hacks n 20
ever wish to stand again on te~~a ,;r,no |
Ten. Grant can carry pretty heavy ,oni
Tor us. but there are Weights that even he
cannot lift, aud gulf Toe broad even for hin
TO cross. A step too Ear may make rslurn
impossible.
CeNCxDRuH ron CoxanEss. The Spring
6sld tMsss.) Republican puts tho following
eonundrum TO Congress
III the Supreme Court should decide The
twc-shivds Law itself 70 be unsoustl tutlonsl
and hv two-thirds vote. what's 10 be done
next r.
This is poser. "Thcre seems says
the same paper, ITO Be nothing for Il bet to
suspend the action Of Ne eeurt on coosti-
tutional ousstions. dssing the existence Of
the present Congress.
This puts W u mind Of : conundrum We
heard It Dee Aoinss the other day. The
State Printer Eight was about 70 come Of,
and all the candidates wsrs hos,iins around
with unparalleled activity. Topping one
Of the candidates upon the shoulder, Gen. |
r. said: kTA 4
Link, IL | we're you l wouldn't be fool
ing away my time around here after this