The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-24
THE CHARLESTON 1rERcURY.
The Proprietor Bids Farewell to its Sub
scribers.

prictor Of the Charleston Mercury has boer
printed in the form Of o circular, and II
now in process of distribution among the late
subscribers to that journal:
a Farewell to tho Subscribers of thu
Charleston Mercury.
After the suspension OF the Mercury, few
weeks since, eXpec.atioas wero formed of Its
renewed ISSUE with larger capacity for useful
ness. 1t is proper to notify the sub seribers o.
| the paper that tbese expectations have proved
abortlve. in order that they may turn to Other
sources for information and instruction as to
| the events and transactions OF tho day. The
proprietor, havin. exhausted all RESP urces,
would now take leave of the subscribers to the
Mercury. That communion which Il daily
press has so long established is about to be
severed; and al parting, our friends Will par
| don US for Offering few last reflections upon
the condition aud prospects Of the south.
Both sections of the United States have
| equally failed III obtaining tho avowed objects
of the war. The South sought Independence;
! the North the continuance OF the Unirn of the
Constitution. The Union, dissolved by seces-
sion, is not restored. l. no longer exists, but
has perished with the constitution which cs-
tablisned ii; and consolidated despotism,
W tbout any Union Of States, constitutes t!;e
government OF the country.
But few weeks since, the S'ato o. Oregon
sent resolutions to the Senate Ct tho United
States requesting her seuators to resign their
seats. because they had voted for uucoustitu-
tional measures. On the prcscn; alton OF these
resolutions, the Senate passed resolution re-
| fusrng to receive them. and ordering them to
be returned 10 the State of Oregon, as ''scan-
| da ous and impert:nent." Under the Old gov
ernment existing before the war, senators
were considered to bo ambasSadorlal represeli-
! tatives. Whel instructed b. the States, they
'1y
senators reused to obey the instructions OF
their States, no ono however wild IN his con-
solidation, ever questioned the right OF L S: ate
to express and send up tn the Senate It's opn-
ions concern pg the comstitItl1uality OF laws,
or to instr ct is senators. The right Of the
people 10 request anything of their represen-
tives, or to arraign before Congress any low
passed BY Congress as unconstitutional, 70
this day has not beeu questioned or denied.
Why then is this right now denied 10 L State !?
Simply because, under the new government,
there is no such thing as State. We have
lived under complex government, and there
is but one stride from liberty 10 despotlsm.
Strike out the States and assume Ter the Gen.
eral Government the reserved rights guaran-
teed to them throuS Il the constitution, and the
whole sys'6m of government Established by
the consti ution is gonc, 1t eares 'c1pm
7ao1iuu2l" Of deSpotism. which 10 bravery OF
words. no hypocrisy of language, whether
used in Mexico or at Washington. can disguise.
The rerouiionists OF the new government IN
the Senate thoroughly understand this. and
covct the powers they usurD. Hence they deny
that the Legislature of Il State has Anything to
do, either with the senators or with the laws
they may pass. The States are nothing moro,
under the new government, than convenient
circles for local legislation; but possessed OF
no political power. o. course, if thcrc are no
States there eau be no Union OF Stats. That
-, 1, III Dll ia
now nothing but centralized. constituencies
despotism of majority in Congress, ruling
the United States by secret caucusscS, where
the Senatei5 practically anuihllatcd Us an ill.,
dependent le@Islativc Or political power, and
al responsibility to the people is merged n
party. The grand profcssed Object Of the war,
therefore, on the part OF the Northern poo lie,
has not been obtained. 1t has been defeated
by the very means used to obtain it. And what
have they gained by war but desDotism and
debt and ta1rs-and North aud South sce:h-
ing craters OF hate?
we know we'll that all those results are de-
MED by the revo utlonists, who have compassed
them. According to their vocabulary, they
havo saved the life OF the nation" The ma
tiou! That wor was contained in Mr.. Ram
dol his scheme Of constitution, submitted to
the august convention which passed the Con-
stitution of the United States, and it was
str.ckon out in q dozen places. Tho trainers
of that gre It instrument fatty repudiated The
proposition to make the UnLed states y
'.Nalion;" and the. States never entertained
it. So far as foreign affairs and foreign
natiors we've concerned, they We're to be
q nution; but IN their internal affairs, and
with respect to each other, they were to be
Confederacv OF States, united on the tcras OF
the Constitutional compact, and exercising IN
common, through the General Government,
The powers therein granted end agreed upon.
Io,,t l,nt 4.
men who aspire not only to manufacture
words, but constitutions? Tho llfo of free
pc pic is embodied in their fundamental law
Within tho sacred form of their constitution
arc incarnated the vital elements of all their
liberties. Life has bcen fully and feioniorlsly
takou out of the Constitution OF the United
States. As existing ut the commcnc nleEt OF
the war. it is u thing of the past. aid q rev
government clothed in the hablhmeats OF the
dead-a .hastiy councrfeit-a mockcry on free
govcrumcat-stands II its s'cad.
The rcvo!utlo lists deny, too. that they havo
set up dcsootsm eve: the Uaiscd Staios.
They are h?uu'in% loy-rs OF locrir! Are they
not o v5catcs f1r universal scdcage? Tins
they affect 10 think is the pcim criterion OF
ali republican governments. On this account.
they are now arraignng tic constitutions Of
the States which 10 u1t tolerate negro suf-
frase IS not republican IN their form OF gov
cranent. Yet tic only GIcat nation which nas
p;aciicel universal suffrIgc that VIC know OF,
Is Franc; and there it las created tho lnIpe-
rial dlspUiisn of Napoleon the Third. VIVA.
universal suffrage caG have to do with the LEGAL
q d constitutional limitations on power, wLncl
alone can constitute freedom IL governments,
il * difficult to perceive. Swelling the nnit:-
tudes to vote or 10 rule. does no. make liberty.
In the light If cummou sense, II IS incoucoiy-
able how despotism is les dospo:ism be-
cause imposed by many rather than by . few.
or by one man. Liberty is not L boon enjoyed at
the will of one man, or At tho option " ma
jority OF the peop.e. And the burden of in-
Justice and oppression is just as heavy wheth-
er imposed by one tyraut Mt headquarters. or
By IGN ,rant and Irresponsible numCors scat-
tered in different sections Of vast country.
" hat does it signify to the p.oJie CT Oregon,
o. of South Carolina, if they arc ruled ab-o
lutclv. wh:;her it be by q majority in Congress
felscted by no matter what kind OF suffrage,
who are totally irresponsible to them). or by
General Grant? Is not the despotism the
same? Whit is dcspo,sm but irrcspolsib
power? What is free government, but aoy-
crn:nent le.ay guard d from tho exercise of
ruiimi ed power2 What is liberty but the
u; Cd e ruling their affairs Though their own
yrontS or rc2re esentauvc5 clnsSn by them
an resp msbc 20 them? The frazer Of tho
Coz, utlon of tto Uni'ed States peri ely
unti rstoo thee plain and supple Dtin.ip:cs
aod tAorcr re SIa:.:el hy its pr.g s;nns. pow
crs TO INC Gcucrll Government /: oj;.b :sIcd
only over S ch interests IS " &c Comm Il To all
sections rlia. leaving iO,..: nic. e.ts IL The co.,
irol OF tho tate vtrpinpn.s. lii: prot cc;ioa
acr .;ns abuse o. opprossi2I. il Tic t1srcIsa OF
IN u,wer: f-rasiai was found n tiIcv v,ry