Des Arc weekly citizen., 1868-06-20
Nil DesperandlIrs,.
From the Washington Telegraph.

From the Washington Telegraph.
 So we have told you all through the dreary days of the past summer, when, benumbed and paraIyzed by the shock of the reconstruction acts our best people despaired of any hope for our civil liberties, save by participating ill elections under these acts, and making the best of the chances they afforded.
 We said all along that Congress could not fix these things permanently on the Southern States--even by iorc- ing them into the Union-and that we would gain nothing by recognising or acting under them.
 Our friends sneercd unl<indly at this considered us partially deranged and responded ''how are you going to help vourself?"
 They were honest also and meant well. But as they have fully tried their plan of resistance and signally failed in fighting the devil with fire, it is gratifying to find that all of us begin to recognise that there was some truth in the only hope we ever had from the first--the superior eilicacy of holy water in any such contest.
 We arc particularly pleased with the Gazettec, which copies the following from the New York World. Any of our good conservative papers might have copied similar articles, (the iden tical ideas, in almost the identical words.) from the Washington Telc- graph for the last twelve months They are true. and they afford the sub stantial hope of the South for the restoration ot the Constitution, and maintainance Of our civil liberties un- der the entire control of the white race.
 The article is as follows:
 1.-The republicans seem to suppose that when all the negro states are thus admitted. the success of their recon lstiuction scheme will have become "a fixed fact" and the asccndancv of their party will be insured for many years. Their object is to fortify themseyes against the consequences of reyolu- ton in the public sentiment of the country. If democratic president and democratic house of representa- tivcs should be chosen next fall, they fancy their negro policy will never theless be safe against subversion, by reason of their assured control of the
 
 years. II inc negro States should all be admitted with their new constitu- lions. there will be an addition of ! twenty radical members 10 a senate in which the party has already majority l Of nearly fonr to one. The senate. at present. stands forty three republicans tn eleven democrats. If the ten arr canized states are admitted before this session closes ;the senate will be com posed of sixty-threc republicans to eleven democrats ;and the great length of the senatorial terms will keep the senate republican until after the presi- acntial election of 1872. even fall the elections in every part of the country should meanwhile be carried by the democrats. The republicans are there ! fore planning to make the senate the citadel or their strength. By their certain control of one branch of cen- gress they expect to prevent the repeal of the partisan legislation of the last two years. since no law can be repeal ed without the concurrence of the senate. They accordingly suppose that. in spite ot the mutations of party politics. tho reconstruction laws will stand, and fla democratic president is elected this year. the tenure Of office act will be kept in force. and Gen. Grant continued to supervise the military orders Of his commander-in- chief.
 The bnlwark which seems to its con structors so solid and inpregnahle is really very frail lruo the reconstruc- ton cannot be repealed without the concurrence of the senate. but uncon- stitutional laws need no repeal. They are completely abragated from the mo- ment that the supreme Court adjudges them repugnant to the consultation. It is well known that the supreme court regards the reconstruction acts as unconstitutional. and would have pronounced them so iu the McCardlc case, il the decision had not been post poned until the next term of the court. If the democrats elect the new presi- dent iu November. the judges will have courage enough to meet the ques- ton in December which thev lately evaded nv post lonc cment, A decision on the reconstruction acts by the su- preme court wilt be even better than a repeal of them by congress. The immese preponderance Of the republi- cans in the senate will go for nothing in the support of spurious laws which violate tho constitution. The same re- mark will apply to the tennre-of-oiiice law, and the law which virtually diyests the president of the command of the army. Roth are certain to be declared void as soon AS they can be brought to the judicial notice of the supreme court. The republicans are therefore acting under . hallucination in supposing that they can prevent the repeal of their partisan by strength ening their majority in the senate.
 The condition imposed upon Arkan- sas in the bill passed yesterday, that the negroes shall never Dc deprived of the suffrage, is perfectly nugatory. Not only are the reconstruction laws unconstitutional, and certain to be judicially declared so, but the condi ton here imposed is equally a viola ton of the constitution. The people of Arkar sas and the other states will so regard 1t, and will refuse to be bound by it. With a democratic sem ate and house, how can the republican senate enforce the condition If mill ltary coercion were removed, the negro governments would not stand a month tn any of the states. A republican senate cannot make appropriations for maintaining armies to support the new WoNarnpnpnfG ual. hos n anu aufhnr.itv