Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-06-30

No GRAvER questions Wera ever pre- nj
ed to the people fer solution, says the
Baltimore CARTE, than those which will
constitute the leading issues between the
two parties in the next Presidential cam
paign. Since 1861 the Radicals have held
control of Government, and during ell
this time have been working, by legislative
enactments and all sorts of devices, to con-
solidate all power at Washington, The
checks and balances of the Constitution
have been steadily ignored; the rights Of
the Statos trampled upon the Judiciary
crippled in the exercise of its legitimate
functions, and the Executive reduced to
the conditi n Of mere subordinate OF
Congress. The scheme Of the Radicals
from the beginning has been to get rid OF
all constitutional restrictions which inter
fered with their determination TO make
the legislative department of the govern
ment the ruling power, and to bring about
an entire change in the relations CT the
States to the central authority. They have
undertaken at the South to make aud I'M
make States at their sovereign will and
pleasure. They have also undertaken.
both North and South, to clothe Federal
agents with the power to supervise cleo
tons, and to invest Federal Marshals,
backed by q multitude of armed Deputies,
with authority to regulate voting at the
p Ills, to make summary arrests, and to turn
over alleged offenders for trial before the
Federal Courts.
In respect to the amendments 10 the
Constitution, under which the Radicals
claim for Congress novel and extensive
grants of power, even Senator SHERMAN, in
his speech at the Republican Convention
held at Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday
last, did not dare to assert that all three of
them w~re legally adopted. Ins.ea1 of de-
claring o1trl ght his belief that they were
pre- perly passed, he dealt with the amend
ments alphabetically. IT," he said,
they were adopted by vote of two
"thirds of each House of Congress" and
{" If they were ratified by three-fourths of
i" tho States why then if 50, " the
" amendments were the supreme law"
After thus adroitly lodging the ques-
ton he challenged the Democrat to deny
that the amendments are part of the
Constitution. The Democrats do not pro-
pose to discuss this question. They do
not deny that the amendments have been
foisted into the Constitution but they
denounce the means that were taken to
frustrate the popular will liz respect to
them, and the fraud and force that were
used to mako them a part of "the SUI
preme law"
But leaving the amendments out Of the
question, there still remain between the
Democrats and the Radicals issues of the
utmost Importance to the well-being of
tue Republic. upon which an appeal to the
people is to be taken. The question
whether the present tariff, framed in the
interests of monopohsts, shall be contin-
ued, or whether it shall be changed into o.
tariff for revenue purposes merely, IS one
of these. A thorough reform of the in
ternal revenue system is another. The
of the Southern States as
equal members of the Union, and the
of the system OF political
prescription that prevails there is third.
Besides these there are many others
among which are: The enforcement of
a rigid economy in the administration of
all departments of government, reorgani-
cation of all departments of the civil ser
vice, and the adoption of financial sys.
tenn which shall equalize the distribution of
instead Of making nearly all of /
the States tributary to Eastern capitalists.
II there were no other issues before the