Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-21

fraud can ever command the respec'
: much less the affections, of the PEG
pie. Aud what is republican gov
eminent worth without them2 |
people are compelled, from an,
cause whatsoever, either from thu
corruption or the tyranny of public
dictionaries, to live under gov
eminent not of their choice
they will have already passed
through a revolution from free to
despotic institutions, even though
the empty forms of the former
should be preserved. We shall be
as much an oligarchy or empire as
if the constitution was sunk to the
bottom of the sea, and a council of
Jacobins or an Emperor fully in
stalled at the head of affairs. When
that day shall have arrived the
bondholders of the North may dis
pense with their organs of Imperial
ism, for the people will already have
been bound hand and foot and their
property confScated for the benefit
OF Yankee millionaires. We are
glad to see that even some of the
Radical party journals of the North
are awakening to sense of the dan
ger before US. The New York
Times, which has heretofore sup
ported every Federal usurpation,
and whose editor, when in Congress,
aided TO force the South into an |
adoption of the fourteenth amend !
ment, begins to see the fearful ten |
dency of the reckless policy. Ar
guing upon Senator Morton's
to the reconstruction
bill passed at the heel of the late
session of Congress, it uses his
and truthful language: |
"But as a means of amending
the constitution it is open to still |
graver objections. We say nothing
of the character of the constitu-
tional amendment itself, which GER
tainly is not beyond criticism. But |
it is to be passed, if passed at all,
by the vote of the people, in theory |
at least. But this new measure
leaves the people no voice in the
freedom of action what
ever, and without such freedom of
action all pretenses of a vote is
sheer mockery. They are to be
coerced into voting for the amend
ment, by an act of Congress. They
are TO be excluded from the Union,
not because they are not loyal, not
because they have failed to do any
act indicating their fitness to re-
urn or to comply with any of the
originally prescribed,
put because they fail to join in
orcing negro suffrage upon the
Northern States. If the constitu-
ion is thus amended it will be the
heerest folly; to talk of it's having
been done by the will of the people
'r by the action of the several
states. 1t will have been changed
~ act of Congress-nothing more
Tor nothing less.
"This amendment to the recon
truction act will add greatly to the
difficulties which surround the
'eaceful settlement of the whole
question, and eventually involve the
ountry in endorsements quite as
-reat as any from which it has es-
aped. 1t is the work of Mr.. Nor
on, one of the Senators from In
lana, and is another illustration of
he reckless and INSCRIPTIONS TEN
er with which he pursues his polit-
cal ends. 1t is very generally I'M
erstood that in his own State, In
AShSa1 40 "SlA hS ia OhAO, NSM L
.ork, and perhaps some others of
he larger and more powerful of the
I'D States, the sentiment of the peo-
lie is opposed to the amendment.
n neither Of them would its friends
enturc to submit it TO the popular
cite. The object of Mr.. MOrton's
mendment, therefore, was to dis
'ense entirely with the votes of
hese States by coercing the South
I'm States which are seeking read
mission to the Union, to vote in its
avor, and thus render the votes of
he others needless. By this device
he amendment may be adopted.
But it will not command the respect
# the people, and will contribute
to weaken, and possibly
overthrow, the party which makes
tself responsible for it"
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