Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-03-31

. Not accepting the war 9s n cOnfeSSe
r false step on the part Of those who in
I augUrated it, it was an error which nov
! only time can cure, and which, even a
: this late dcte, we should eHdCavOr +
palliate- Experiencing, moreover, a
Z all have done, the frigntfUl cost of tn
arbitrament of the swoTd, let us in tn
{ future cling closer than ever to the Con
T stitutiOn as our only saferguaTd. It i
, to be hoped that not until the burden
now bearing upon US with such fearfu
? weight are removed, will our people
forget the lessons of the war; and that
remembering them, peace between sec
tions and States may be perpetual.
, The history of the events in our coun
. try, as well as Of the greatest govern
ments of ancient and modern times
T teach us that we have every thing K
; fearfrOm departure from the letter anC
spirit of the Constitution, and the un
due ascendency of men allowed to as,
sumo powers in what are considered des
perate emergencies. Scylla, on becom.
ing master of Rome, at once adopted
measures to crush his enemies and tC
consolidate the power of his party. He
established auxiliary colonies through.
out Italy, deprived of full Roman fran.
chise the inhabitants Of the italian
towns who had opposed his usurpatiOn
cOnfiscated their lands and gave them
to his soldiers, and conferred citizenship
upon a great number of slaves belong
ing to those who had prescribed him,
thus creating at Rome a kind of body
guard for his protection. After having
| given Rome over to slaughter and tyran-
ny beyond all examples, over those Op-
posed to him, and the legion, his terri
bic instrument of wrong, Scylla could
yet feel safe in laying down the ensign
Of power so dreadfUlly abused, and in
mingling freely with the families and
! friends of his myriad victims. The fear
which he had inspired continued after
/ his voluntary abdicatiOn and even in re-
! tiTement, his will was law to a people
who had permitted themselves to be en-
/ slaved. What but subtle knowledge
and conviction that Roman people had
! become changed, discouraged and utter
! ly krOken in spirit, could have induced
/ this daring assumption? What but pub
! lie Indifference to consequences so ter
rible as to leave Rome open to every ca.
! lamity which subsequently befell her,
could have justified the conclusions Ofthe
dictator and tyrant in his startling eX-
pertinent?
We find that in the time which has
since elapsed, human nature and eXi-
gencies in governments have not great
ly changed. Who, few years ago, in
contemplating our future could have
supposed that in brief period of bitter
experience every thing demanded in the
name of military emergency, or dictat-
ed by caprice, would come to be consid-
cred as mere matters of course? That
cOnscriptiOn, confiscatiOn, loss Of per-
sonal liberty, the subsection of States to
military rule and disfranchisement with
the extension Of the right of suffrage,
merely to accomplish party ends, would
receive the passive submission; if not
the acquiescence of the people of the
Republic.
It has been clearly demonstrated by
recent occurrences that the encroach-
ments upon the Constitution can not be
prevented by the President, however
devoted or determined he may be; that
unless the people interpose there is no
power under the Constitution to check
a dominant majority of tWO-thirds of
the Congress of the United States. An
appeal to the nation is attended with
too much delay to meet the emergency,
while, if left free to act, the people
would correct, in time, such evils as
might follow legislative usTpatiOn.-
There is danger that the same power
which disregards the Constitution will
deprive them of the right to change
their rulers except by revolution. We
have already seen the jurisdiction of the
Judiciary circUmscribed, when it was
apprehended that the Courts would de-
cided against laws having for their sole
object the supremacy of party; while
the vote power lodged in the Executive
by the Constitution for the interest and
protection Of the people, and exercised
by Washington and his successors, has
been rendered nugatOry by a partisan
majority of twO-thirds in each of the
National Legislature.
The Constitution evidently contem-
plates that when a bill is returned with
the Presidents objections, it will be
calmly reconsidered by Congress. Such,
however, has not been the practice un-
der the present party rulers. 1t has be-
come evident that men who pass a bill
under partisan influence are not likely,
through patriotic motives, to admit
their error, and thereby weaken their
own organizations by sOlemnly confess
ing it under the official oath. Pride Of
opinion, if nothing else, has interVened
and prevented a calm and dispassiOnate
reconsideration Of a bill disapprOved by
the Executive. Much as I venerate the
Constitution, it must be admitted that
this condition of affairs has developed a
defect, which under the aggressive ten
dency of the Legislative Department of
the Government may readily work its
overthrow. It may, however, be reme- |
died without disturbing the harmony of
the instrument. The veto power is gen. !
orally exercised upon constitutional
grounds, and whenever it is so applied !
o11d fln hill Cd rrrft1,
tive's reasons for Withholding his sig !
nature, it ought to be Immediately GER |
titled to the Supreme Court of the Unit |
ed States for its decision. If its cOnsti- |
tUtiOnality shall be declared by that |
tribunal it should then become a law, !
but if the decision is otherwise, it should /
fall without power i'll Congress to re-en- |
act it, In cases in which the veto rests |
upon hasty or incOnsideTate legislation, |
and in which no constitutional question |
is involved, I would not change the |
fundamental law, for in such cases no |
permanent evil can be incorporated i'll |
the federal system. 1t is obvious that !
without such an amendment, the Gov
ernment, as it existed under the COnsti- |
tuition prior to the rebellion, may be |
wholly subverted and Overthrown by a |
twO-thirds majority in Congress.
It is not, therefore, difficult to see
how easily and rapidly the people may
lOse-shall I not say have lOst-their |
by an unchecked and ncon- |
trOllable majority in the law-making |
power? And whenever deprived of their |
rights how pOwerless they are to regain |
them. Let us turn for moment to the /
majority in Congress, which has acted |
in such utter disregard to the COnstitu-
tiOO While Ouhlip attention has bppO
carefully and constantly turned to the
past, and exposed the sins of the South,
and the servants of the people, in high
places, have boldly outraged their trust,
broken their Oaths of obedience, and
the very foundations of lib
erty, justice and good government.
When the rebellion was being suppress
ed by the volunteered services of patri-
OF soldiers, amid the dangers Of the bat
tle-feld, these men crept, without ques-
ton, into place and power in the Nation
al councils. After all danger had passed,
when no armed foe remained, when u
people bowed their heads to the
flag, and renewed their allegiance to the
of the United States, then
it was that pretended patriots appeared ,
before the nation and began to pTate
about the thousands Of lives and milli- (
Ons of treasure sacrificed in the suppress
sion of the rebellion. They have since
persistently sought TO intlNmC the prCju- ]
dice engendcred between the sections;
to retaTd the restoration of peace and {
harmony, and by every means to keep {
open and exposed to the poisonous breath