The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-03-19

measures Of oppression. They have en-
| gagged in class legislation, built and en-
couraged ~nonopoliea that the few might
be enriched at the expense OF the many.
They have failed to act upon important
treaties, thereby %endangering our peaceful
relations with foreign powers.
Their COURSE Of Hsurpation has notbeen
limited TO inroads upon the executive de-
partment by unconstitutional aud -oppres-
Hive enactmonts. The people of ten states
of the Union have been reducedftOt N con-
dition more intolcrable than that from
which the patriots of the revolution re-
belled. Millions of American citizens can
now say Of their oppressors, with moro
truth than our fathers did of the British
tyrants, that they have forbidden the
Government 10 pass Avs Of immediate and
pressing importance, unless suspended.
until their assent should be obtained, that
kthey have refused TO pass other laws for
the accommodation Of large districts Of
people. unless those people would relin-
quish the right of representation in tho
Legislature, a right inestimable to them
and formidable TO tyTants only;
that they have made judges dependent on
their will alone for their tenure of offices,
and the amount and payment oftheir sala-
riea; that they have erected n multitude Of
new Offices aud sent hither swarms of off,
GERS to harrass our people and eat out their
substance; that they nave affected TO rem
der the military independent aud superior
10 the civil power, combined with others 10
subject us to \ jurisdiction foreign to our
Constitution and unacknowledged by our
laws; quartered large bodies Of armed
troops among us; protected them by mock
trial from punishment for any murders
which they should commit on the
inhabitants; imposed taxes upon us
without our consent deprived us in many
cases of ttial by jury taken away our char
tors; excited domestic insurTection among
us: abolished our most valuable laws; al
tered fundamentally the forms of our Gov
srnment suspended our own Legislatures;
and declared themselves invested with pow
er TO ~legislate for us in all cases whatever.
THIS catalogue Of crimes, long "a II is, is
not complete. The Constitution vests the
judicial power of the United States in one
Supreme Court, whose jurisdiction shall
extend to all cases arising under the Con
stitution and tho Avs Of the United States.
Encouraged by this promise as q refuge from
tyranny, q citizen of the United States
who, by the order of o military commander,
given under sanction Of a cruel and DELHI
crate edict Of Congress, has been denied
the constitutional rights of liberty of con-
science, freedom Of the pressand OF speech
personal freedom from military arrest; Of
being held TO answer for crime only upon
the presentment Of an indictment; Of trial
BY the writ of h1beds corpus,
aud the protection Of a civil and
constitutional governmental citizen
thus deeply wronged appeals to the Su-
preme Court for the protection guaranteed
nim by the organic law Of the land. At
once a fierce and excited majority, by the
ruthless hand OF legislative power, stripped
the ermine from the judges, transferred the
the sword of justice to the General, and re-
maudcd the oppressed citizen TO q degrA-
dation aud bondage worse than death. II
will also be recorded Ns one Of the morals
Of tho times, that q party claiming for it.
self a monopoly of consistency and patri-
Il otism. and Boosting Of its unlimited sway,
endeaysred, by n costly and deliberate
trial. to impeach one who defended the
. Constitution aud the Union, not only
throughout the war Of the rebellion, but
during the whole term OF office as chief
magistrate but Mt the same time could find
/ no warrant or means at THEN command to
/ bring TO trial even tho chief of the rebel
lion. Indeed, the remarkable failures IN
this case are 80 often repeated that, ioi
propriety's sake, II fol- no other reason, II
: became, nj last necessary 10 extend 10 him
an unconditional pardon. What %morsplain.
liz than this illustrates the eXtremities Of
= party management aud Inconsistency on onC
hand, and OF faction, vindicativeness and
| intolerance on the otherg Patriotism
/ will hardly be encouraged wien in such {
record IL sees that its instant reward may
bo the most virulont party abuse and Oblo
= quy, IL not attempted disgiHee. Instead o.
seeking TO mako treason odious, II would
In truth, seem to have been their purpose
, rather 20 make tho defense Of the Constitu.
ton and Union "a crime, and to punish
| fidelity to an oath OF office, II counter L
party dictation, by all the means at theii
command.
Happily for tho peace Of the country, tn
war has determined against assumed pave
/, OF the states 70 withdraw at pleasure frou
tue Union. The institution of slavery ais,
7 found itH destruction IN the rebellion, com
menced in its interest. IL should DO born
b ia mind, however, that the war neithe
impaired nor destroyed the Constitution
: but, on the contrary, preserved il
: existence and made apparent its real powe
J and enduring strength. All rights granite,
10 tho states. or reserved to the people, ar
therefore intact, Among those rights /
: that OF the people of each state to declar,
: the qualifications oftheir state electors. l
. il now assumed that Congress can contro
. this vital right, which cannot be tnkei
! away from states without impairing tn
fundamental principle Of the Governmen
ITSELF 1t ia necessary to the existence O
: Btates, as well as to the protection OF tn
! tight TO select, the elector in whom
the political power of the state shal
be lodged, involves the right Of tn
. state to govern itself, When deprived o
this prerogatiyo tho states will have n
. power worth retaining. All will be gone
4 and they will be subjected TO the arbitrar
: will Of Congress. The Government wi.
d then be centralized, if not by the passag
OF laws, thon by the adoption, through par
> tisan influence, of an amendment Direct
I, Ia conflict with tho original design OF tn
q Constitution. This proves how necessar
! it is that the people should require the ad
ministration OF the three great department
e OF the Government 10 be within the limit
J OF the Constitution. Their boundaries hav
{ been accurately defined, and neithC
q should be allowed to tresspass on the othel
q nor, above all, to encroach upon the II
served rights OF the people aud the statel
= The troubles Of the past tour years wi
= prove 10 the nation u blessing if they pre-
duce so desirable a result. Upon thos
u who became young men amid the sound
y cannon aud the din of arms, and VIII
quietly returned to the farms, tho tactorie
and the schools Of the land, will Iincipa
d Is deyolyo the solemn duty OF perpetuatin
n the union of the states, in defense of whie
hundreds of thousands OF THEN comradC
IT expired and hundreds Of millions of nj
tional obligations were incurred. A mani
people will not neglect the training necel
e Sary to resist aggression, but they should /
Jealous that the civil DO not made subol
D dinate to the military element. We noe
lie to encourage, in every legitimate way,
ts study of tho Constitution for which the WI
., - - l...-Ial.. II - 1900