The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1869-02-25

sistent with: outsiusthatio and dan.
gesous to liberty. They iorga the
teachings of.history, that the citizens
Of republic cannot oppress:a cdnqucr'
ed people, much less subdue and tram
pie on their own brethren, without feel
ing the evil consequences Of their wrong
and injustice. The Old consolidation
party assuming one of its Protean forms
and raising sectional issue, blinded
tseir-eyess. -Ehey-leBt-sAeir- assistance
to party which bad INCREASINGLY at
tempted to undermine the framework
of our ovsrnment from lifetime of its
adoption, trying one scheme when L.
mother failcd, not hesitatiug'to employ
force, fraud or any instrument for car
rying out their designs In vain did
the South lift up its voice, deprccating
the course of the United,States govern
ment not only because itruined u.s. but
also because We saw that it must in the
end, overthrow the liberties of the whole
nation. In vain did sagacious and pa
triotic statesmen. at the North attempt
to stem the popular current and warn
their fellow citizens of dangers in the
future. They had it in their power,
at the late election, by the peaceful
instrumcntality of the ballot, to place
the safety of the nation in. the hands Of
those, who, whatever may have other
wise taruishcd the reputation of the
Democratic party had always respected
the Constitution. Now, if they. are
hoistcd by their own petard, it is but
natural that we should "laugh at. their
calamity, and mock. when their fear
cometh." There is now under consid-
Grafton in Congress, q constitutional
amendment, which has passed the Sc.
nate, and reads: "No discrimination
shall be made, in the United States, in
the exercise of the elective franchise, or
in the right, to hold Office many State, on
account of race, color, nativity, property,
education OF. creed. The object Of this,
it will be seen, is to. force universal; un-
qualified suffrage on all the States
Congress expects, with the vote Of the
southern legislatures, assisted by. the
radical northern States, to have the
iniGuitous feature incorporated into the
Constitution. BY this means they wish
to obtain an excuse for interfering with
the internal affairs apd domestic econo.
my of those free States, which have
shown themselves hostile to their meas,
urcs. IF this amendment becomes law,
Congress will have power to rcconstruc,
any State in the Union, and to resor,
to any means to accomplish this end
The supreme court, in a number Of ca
ses, has decided, that the delegation OF
power to the general government
carries With it the right to use any
means for putting that power into ex.
ecution. A State may have been toyal
TO the government d2ring the war, but
if its people do not wish to throw the
baliot,box open to ignorance, vice and
corruption, they can be put under mar
tiallaw, and tyrannised over, as the
rebelliess South has been. Such a
changeiin our Constitution will sweep
away its fouudation-stone and most vafI
uablo principle, theiudcrcndeDce ofthe
State, which Independence consists in
the right to regulate the franchise with
in its own borders; all political power ID
this country is vested in the ballot &;
Congress rules the ballot; therefore, it
holds supreme politicah power. IL will
be master by the forms Of law, if posi-
Bile; if not, anyhow, unless General
Grant has wisdom and patriotism e.
noush to restrain it,. This remains to
be tried. .. .-.. 81,