Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-06
IMPORT OF THE RADICAL REV.
nEEEHnN

The Radical leaders are growing holder
in the avowal Of their designs upon the
government. They nave progressed 50
far from the point at which they set out
in the beginning of The war, and have
really encountered SO few obstacles in
their usurpations, that they feel they can
now avow their purposes with perfect
impunity. They declared in its inception
and during its progress, that the war was
waged to preserve the life of tle nation,
but now they unblushingly admit that the
war meant more than the mere preserva-
ton of the life OF the nation. II is now
boldly and even insOlently admitted by
the Radical leaders and their organs, that
the government has been thoroughly revo-
lutionised, and tina. we have no longer
the government which oar fathers
instituted in 1899. Il is now clear that it
has been the real intention Of the Radi-
cal leaders from the first to'clothe them
selves through Congress (Which has been
for years and is now no more than a mere
convent ion of the Ralical parry with die
ta.orial authority, and to perpetGate thair
supremacy in such dynasiic or scnli-dynas-
tic form, either oIiglrchical Or imperia',
as might be most eXpedient. The Con
gress was the chosen means by which the
revolution could be best consummated, be-
cause possessing the whole legislative
authority with a two-thirds majority it
could mask the revolution all the
time under color Of JasO. they have
proceeded step by step until this object
is accomplished, and to-day Congress is
the Supreme power in this country. The
Washington Chronicle, the organ of the
Radical party at the national capital,
writes in a vein of unbridled license in re-
card TO the revolution that has been ac-
complished, as il conscious of the vantage
ground which its party has secured as
result of the war. That paper says:
DThe friends and the foes of the III
teentb amendment to the constitution Of
the United States are substantially agreed
upon one point, viz: that taken in connec-
ton with the thirteenth and fourteenth
amendments, it substantially revolution
ICES our system of government. The New
York Herald very truly says: we have
in these amendments a greater revolution
in the structure of the government than
that which transferred the American peO-
ple from the crown of England TO their
own institutions under the original consti-
tuition of the States.
owe are glad that the Democracy
agree with us in regard to The pienary
power now conferred upon Congress to
maintain at ali times republican gov
eminent in all the States, by legislation
prohibitory or precautionary, according to
its own discretion in the selection of
means. Let US hope that when the occa-
sion for such legislation arrives, we shall
hear no more repetitions of the stale
Democratic protest of 'unconstitut on
ality.' If this is revolution, let them
make the most CT ii!
That our Democratic friends may con-
tinue to harmonic with US in our inter
probation of the effect Of the fifteenth
amendment, is our earnest desire, and as
our contribution toward proper under
standing of our new constitutional law,
we vii PROFOUND the following axioms,