The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-05-12

- "iiy othSi outuoittJ LHati
the people themselves can name or control
the voters. Despotism can always fiad
tools enough to play the republic before
the people while imperial policy is being
insidiously fastened upon them. The re.
tention by the people themselves of this
control is ipso ftlcso the absolute autonomy
Of the original sovereigns Of the couptry
under which the federal and state govern.
ments are alike agents. ls ~ lAbi
THE AMERICAN DIVINE RIGHT"
In addition - to the misleading of the
people above mentioned, the same pious
fraud has deluded them that ever was usel
in the Old World to reconcile the people:
to the rule OF kings. 1t is Taught that on,
Constitution. Instead Of being merely al
earthly instrument, involving the politica
aud business relations of states, is heaven
inspired, perfect, and to last forever
Buchanan and others asserted Its, divine
origin, and its Essential attribute of per
ipetpity."s reasonably follows from sucl
premises that "the government" sucl
divine institution ought tor-possesses
absolute supremacy" that "the states art
bound in allegiance" to '..the government;
and that estate state sovereignty is effect
ually controlled states having nc
status or rights but such as the nation, in
its supreme law" gives them. No strou
ger terms than these of Lincoln, Webster
and the Philadelphia Convention could
possibly be used to express the sovereignty
Of the British, French, or Prussian gov
ernments over their provinces and people
and they are utterly baseless, and absurdly
inconsistent with republican ideas, -, :.
THE IMPORTED THEORY OF TIE SOCIAL
iy..aa- BIT az COMPACT. ala aa{;lt,.
q The peryerters try to hdeldde the
people into ignoring the real social
compact which constitutes an American
state, andsunwittingly adopting the ex-
ploded European theory of the social
compact, wherein the people are said
to agree to pay taxes and supply "the
government" or monarch, with purple,
fine linen, and sumptuous fare, while it
or he is to govern and protect the peo-
pie. And we have militarily educated
and trained ournGrant's,s McClellans,
Hancocks, Blairss and Sher-
idans, SO as to have them ready to
by force this social compact,
and show that 'Earmy is the safety of
the republic thus formed. And these
neutrality-suspicious. all contend that
'the allegiance" both, of citizens and
states is due to "the government
which hires them; and is to be enforced
by arms, if not voluntarily: yielded.
And CONSERVATIVE, Stewards, ILiebers,
Ja,nesons, Worlds, ,lntelligen-
GERS ct ais, all over the country, stand
ready to justify by argument these but
rageous perversions of constitution re-
publicanism. Staring with the postu-,
late of a social compact forming a nag
ton, the argument of the pervertcrs is
easy compendious, and practical. The
national Constitution" is s'the O SUI
preme law Of the land" THIS gives
''tlc government" "absolute suprema-.
cy." The duty to- protect, which de-
wolves On the government; is coupled
with the right Of control, and this ex-
tends to tile effcctual control of state
as we'll as of all the civil
and political rights of the people! And
though there are limits to the autlori-s
ty Of the government which are admit
ted, it is claimed that these are to be
determined byIitself Said Webster:
ut rightfully belongs to Congress, and
the courts of the United States, to Set
tie the construction of. this supreme
law in doubtful cases." that is to say,
the government is Gas Jefferson pllrased
the claim) ssthe exclusive and final
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s " 90 ..' o.e ""S 81, 'no
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