Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-05-12

IMPERIALIssI.
A few days since we published letter
from Senator Brownlow, in which be
said I:
Had I my way, would SO construct
the government of the United States as to
form a STRONG CENTRAL GovERNNEET here
in the District of Columbia and organize /
the States as so many colonial corpora /
tons, as absolutely dependent upon and i
subject to the will of the central power !
at Washington as are counties to States. |
This may seem to some as the vagary |
of an infirm old man. But here is ex-
pressed the leading idea of the Imperial
lists A strong, central government, 10
Gated at a particular poirt, the States or
ganized as so many colonial corporations
absolutely dependent upon and subject to
the viii ofthe central power, as are coun-
ties TO States. This involves an entire
change Of our Constitution, a total sub
version of the original principles of our
Government 1t leads inevitably to I'm
perialism, perhaps through Anarchy.
Senator Brownlow concluded his letter
by saying:
While only speak for myself, / be-
lieve that Congress and the country are
looking in the same direction.
BY sthe country" we presume the
Senator means the Radical party. That
Congress is looking that way we have too
much reason to fear. A recent telegram
from Washington informs US:
In the forthcoming Republican Con-
gressional caucus Southern Sena-
tors intend to propose policy,
10 be incorporated into law, for
the better protection of col0red people in
the South, and secure the enforcement of
the Fifteenth Amendment in the North.
This viii take something of the shape of
bill prepared by Poor, of North Caro-
lima, and will declare that all citizens of
the United States shall have in the several
States all privileges and immunities of
life, liberty and property. 1t will declare
it TO be unlawful for persons to combine
or conspire to violate, hinder or impede
any of the rights meant TO be secured by
this act, one of which is to prevent the
discharge from employment of any per
son with intent to restrain free and COM
plete exercise of the elective franchise.
Another feature of the proposed legisla-
ton is to authorize the President to en-
ploy land and naval forces or militia to
preserve peace.
This is another step in advance in the
same direction as the Fifteenth Amend
ment which gave Congress power to reg
ulate suffrage in the States. In addition
to this we have now pending in Congress,
based upon suggestion of President
Grant in his Fifteenth Amendment mes
sage, bill introduced by Mr.. Hoar, OF
Massachusetts,, advancing still in the came
direction:
After high-sounding preamble, apro-
pos of the Fifteenth Amendment, Mr..
Hoar comes straight to business and pro
poses the appointment for each State in
, the Union of Superintendent of Nation
Schools, at yearly salary of So, 600.
Multiply 5000 by 81, (the number of
States when they are all in,) we have
Sill, 900 of annual expense to begin with.
These Superintendent will ''boss the job
under the immediate direction of the Com
missioner of Education, who, in turn, re-
ports for general instruction to the Secre-
tary of the Interior, who finally takes his
cue from the President, making the whole
affair a complete administrative ma
chine as much as the army or reve-
nue. crowd. For each Congressional
District, the Secretary of the Int
rior is TO appoint 'Diyision Inspector of
Schools" on a salary of $4,000. This
multiplied by 242 equals $4s4, 900. Each
of the divisions shall be divided by the
State Superintendent into school districts
of convenient size &c be managed by
'1ocaI superintendent of national schools"
at So a day for the time he is actually
employed. This means millions upon
millions of dollars in the aggregate, but
for want of more precise data than we
have, we cannot estimate the sum very
| proximately. What with the salaries of
all these myrmidons of the strong gov
eminent, the hiring of an indefinite num-
Der of school masters and mistresses, the
erecting and repairing of schoolhouses,
the furnishing of school books for chill
dren unable to buy them, and other Incl
dental expenses, Mr. Hoar is probably
within the mark by providing for a direct
tax, to be apportiOned among the several
States, of fifty million dollars-iust to
start the experiment, for that is all that
even so large an amount as that will
really do. Themore we turn this scheme
over, the more are we lost in enforced
admiration of the audacious genius that
planned it. Besides the incalculabIe
political power that it confers on the
administration-through its thousands
of well paid and willing stipen-
diaries, and the indoctrination in the
tender mind of childhood of the straisb,,
est Radical rinciples-thirk of the -
ings and stealingsl Every other .obor,o
fades into nothingness COMPANY 4 70 the
profits tobe made from s,lpplying school,
books, putting up schooIhouses. etc
Patronage pow CT, money--all things that
t'oi'"oal .nbtion prizes and struggles
Loi--' Ill flow in bOundless measure from
~ ,Ir's bill. With an enforcement of the
interference which viii grow out of the
Fifteenth Amendment, followed up by
the Hear school bill, succeeded by Mr..
Poor's protection" bill, the hopes an,l
wishes of Senator Brownlow will soon
be fully realized Such is Radicalism.
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4 CORRECTION BUT NOT a DE-
NAL.
Mi VIII Aono4L