Saint Mary's beacon., 1870-04-07

- tnag ssa9 - ysris1iratsa e - suaaa9s
vAirs q Al Oarn.-Tas Rslis.l
Ssaaase 6sa W5aesssin. Mr.. Caspeater,
has @an4 srsviee 70 tie sssssry. An
psha;e has tees exsseasly pss-
sled - understand vsas preei.s v,lue %
sath Ia ssppors Tie Ccassis1sicn Of Ne
United Sessss has il ~ sy.s of The R.-
Psblicans. In the sssss Of Davis, Lee.
ssd the ress ee.tss Cssfsaerases, il meant
thss they were Ysjsrsl trait,<s. for ass.
ing O esastilsGinSd eeussrucsioa which
sss religiosssy.-s;lisv in By . er-a,
m,nv shousands'ofpsspls n the Sossh.
Whether right or vr4nf, thy held ale
glance to be due priDarily 10 their respee-
tive States bat. nevertheless. wheuever
their names are mentiosed. such scrupi-
lous periodicals - Harper's insist that
they are b Be consigned 70 pers,aal TO-
hmy a fslons. and most Of The Radical
Journals echo aud re-echo The sactimoni-
cas hue and cry. o. the other haad,
when any Sosthern proo"nsulass l. to bs
reconsructed into Radical State. q most
accommodating spirit 10 shown in soften-
ing dowa the harsh features Of solemn
oath-even one made in old lav phrase,
ION the holy evangels Of Almighty God''
Ito support the vcnssased character Of
our national union. Senator Shurs, hav-
ing had large personal experience in re-
belliou in his native land. nodes,ly sus.
gested that in the case Of Georgia, some
good might aris- from at least an
external respect for constitutions and
laws; but Senator Drake scattered such
timid scraplcs to til. winds. and declared
that he cared nothing about the leg,l
questions iavalv,d. and that to him it
seemed the duty Of Coagress 70 pro,ec.
the loya! people Of Georgia. no matter
how many constitutional barriers might
stand in the vay.
In this dilemma. between the straight
jacket put upon Davis or . L-c, and
the ample gown in which Drake or .
Sumner may move his Senatorial limbs,
it is relief to receive from the Wiscou-
nn Senator . declaration which has all
the precision Of legal de6nision. on this
no, wh lly unimportaas sa,jsc: Of Official
oaths. His practical turn Of miud led
him to advocate the abolition Of the Ju-
dietary Committee of the Senate, - =
uscless member belonging to . condition
Of things when the constitution vas su.
premc and he conceded, as the now or
ihodox Radical doctrine, that whenever
the constitution stands in the way Of what
We deem human rights. Of what We deem
q temporary advantage, Of what ve deem
party ends. il is to be trampled under foo,
aud disrcgarded. Thus far his docsriue
agrees substantially with Mr.. Draks's !;
but he Introduces some notifications
which. We presume, may be regarded as
the las, word Of the Radical school Of con.
s,itutional law. A decent regard for SOL
emn oaths should dictate that the Consti-
tuition should not be tra.nplcd und,r foo;
except in cases Of great necessity aud Of
great corresponding advantage CD to
country, (2) or party, (3) "r t. human
rights. ~ or to somebody.
To make Mr.. Ca-penter's constitution
al doctrine entirely Il ,dic Il. only . worry
slight change is needed the interchange
OF plac y between excepti,ns l and A.
The relative order would then be some
b 'dv 6rst and c,untry last. Theory and
practice would then thoroughly harmon
ize. aud whether the som.body be an
Ames or Stokes. Bullock or = Whit
temore. the rule of precedence would
equally. apply-it being understood, Of
course. that the somebody must be trsly
loyal.
~ The Louisville Journal SAYS tha.
"'he Raiieal idea Of reconstruction is ev-
identity borrowed from John Rohinson'i
circus. Those WHO have witnessed the
performances Of tho great American oom.
bination' We mean John R,binson's).
will remember how the clown knocks over
the young gentleman in the gold laee,
aud then cries out poor fellow r and sets
him up again. and goes - washing him
clean. rs he says. with \ dirty broom
then be dusts him Of With . blacking-
brush. then he po'ishes him With rake ;
then he whirls him ab ,ut and asks, Now,
isn't he beautifu!r That's recoustruc.
tion over and over ag lin. Congress. takes
State aud knocks it down, thea it set.
it NJ. than it scrubs i with negro suiIr age,
then it polishes il with bayoncts, then
it dusts it With martial-law. Then,
finally, it goes Radical, like Mississippi,
aud says, Nov, isn't it beautiful r"
~Thc Richmond State Journal is
frank and outsp"ken 10 iss admission a
70 the present condition." not to say
situation" It says:
"The States are no,hing-no more
than coun,ies-and the general govern
mcnt everything. You may not like It,
but the war has made il %. State lesi.-
latures aud governors are Of small ac-
count. and will ''grow small BY degree.
and beautifully less" in the present and
fature political calculations Of this coun-
try"
70 this cooplexion have No come. Al
las:.
HThere are many families Who uss
night !smrs. and through inability to pro-
vide gas. have been in the h>bit Of burn.
ing kerosene oil, . very good thing when
=