The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1870-03-26
No. 81

macy IS temporary. Truth will eventually
prevail, and perhaps Ia the next Presidential
canvass the great conservative hosts of the
North will Wrest the power from the hands
of this corrupt Radical party, and when the
BATHS is won how will our poor state appear
which was carried over By this Convention,
soul and body, to the most corrupt parry
Nhieh ever existed in republican govern
meRt All but it Is said that the Fifteenth
Amendments viii be adopted. Suppose it
will be, still it Is not now q part of the Con
atitution, and shall We make haste to run
before the Radical party ahd help it to con-
summate its terrible designs upon our re-
publican system. If iI is ever adopted, then
il will be time for Us to submit 10 it. Then
it will be no dishenOF 70 submit TO it, for our
cOasciences will be clear, and none of the
blood of murdered liberty will ne upon our
garments. Neither can the ghosts of the
veneFated siFes ~hO left as this republican
gOVePament glorious heritage, disturb
our peace; they cannot say We did It,
OIL sira, my heart yearns for peace-real
peace-fOF peace which, like oil upon the
troubled waters of discomfort, will calm
every wave, and frum its smooth and quiet
surface reflect the very light of Heaven
IeIcc which, like q blessed balm, shall heal
every wound from the crown Of the head to
the sole of the feet of this great people; =
shall be beat into the plowshars and the
pruning knife, and from hamlet and work
shop, pleasant fields and busy marts, mans
ions Of the rich and lOwly homes of the
poor, may rise like morning incense such
songs and rejOieings as that the very God of
war shall smooth his Wrinkled front in one
etc rnal smile of peace.
But. sire, such peace is never gained by
dishonor Ii is fret pure then peaceable. 1t
is the result of constancy to principle, at
tschment to honesty, union with truth. 1t
distils from the gentle, tender flowers of
purity and virtue, until the very air Is frag
rant with its sweetness. Do not pluck them
up, beseech you For when purity and
virtue depart from the household, peace can
not taFry, and 80 if our people receive with
open arms this bastard child of anarchy and
Radicalism, our republican system is gone,
and with il the peace which our fathers left
US.
EOw, Mr President, do not believe the
| Fifteenth Amendment will ever be legally
| adopted, for in order to effe il, every State
will have to adopt it freely, voluntarily and
uudeFstandingly, because il Is new com
pact which is proposed 1t is not question
of the distribution or modification of the
| constitutional powers which the States dele
gated at the formation nf our Government,
/ but it is proposition for the States to grant
an entirely new power which is utterly in-
consistent with the original compact 1t is
rue that Congress under the fifth article of
the Constitution of the United States, NAV
propose amendments looking To any change
in the distribution of powers already grant
ed bv the States to the General Government
or any modification of those granted powers;
but the Fifteenth Amendment proposes to
the States to make new governments new
compact-totaIly different in It's principles
and operation from the one under the Con
stisution 10 short, it proposes to make this
a consolidated instead of q republican Gov
eFnment. 1t proposes a different compact
Now. Just such a case arosr under the "olC
articles of confederation" lt was found
that there was not enough power granted K
the General Government, under the articles
of Confederation They did not want &c
change the distribution of the powers grant
ed, nor to modify them, but they wanted
new powers which the States had not dele
gated at all, and instead of misconstFuih;
the powers granted in article XIII of tn,
articles of Confederation, which declares
that amendments may be proposed by Con
sresS, and b. ratified by the States, the
under il to DO more than simply modify
o 1wers already granted And it would bs
easy to show if 1 had time, that none 0
tuOSG RFcdL men huO iEuluth IL CfoE CUu
templated, that new powers could under
, be taken from the States sr people. Bu
the Radical psrty by the Thirteenth, -Four
, teenth and Fifteenth Amendments, prOpos
not only to take away the reserved powers c
the States, bat essentially TO change Ou
torn Of government Now it is possible tina
10y force and corruption, Congress may ge
three-fourths of the Legislatures to ratify il
But it will never be held by the Suprem
Court to be valid until every State has freel
ratified it-n0t until we form new govern
] knew that this power of amendment Onl
E extended tl the distribution or mOdifcatio
g of powers already granted, and hence kne
= that In order to get new powers 3 ne
4 compact was necessary; so that generi
, convention was called at Philadelphia
a form q new compact, and no State which r
d fused 10 ratify it was bound by it or made
e part of the new Government and som
r States did not adopt the new Government
is become part of il for a long time aft'
r its formation l assert, further, that unde
Y article V of the Constitution allowing Coz
% gress to propose amendments, no aHsen
d ment was ever proposed until the Radic
. party got in power which claimed the rigl
1f ment and put entirely away the republica
e system which our fathers gave Us The Fl
p teenth Amendment has pot yet been rattle
a By three-fo1rihs of the States, and Il
e Radicals themselves do not claim that it is
! part of the Contitution Why, then, shs
,r we now voluntarily receive the negro as OF
ai political equal If the Fifteenth Amen
= ment is even adopted, then Congress, n
ID Tennessee, will declare the negro entiti
70 the elective franchise. Thea we "
a submit until by the peaceful exercise
r right to ballot we shall drive the Radio
a party from power, on the Supreme Cou
% relieves US
Q Mr.. President, I am willing to meet de
- gates on the half way grOhni. Let Us ref
II It to the people a separate question al
= let them decide l.. u no can Object to th
a iiase not the people The right to decide
- Faere seems TO be some difference osopini
ee among these seventy fise agents of the peoT
al a. TO which way the people want this q
It, iBpOrtInt question decided. Wei, the
le, hat can be fairer than 70 let them de.ids
80 for themselves2 They never have had