Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1871-06-07
Destroying the Constitution
---WhO is Responsible for

w hO 10 ANOSpVAAoAUAO AVA
it?
The destruction of Constitu.
ton does not spring from the
people, nor from any acts Of
the people; it is impossible
thatit should. 1t comes from
am bilious men, politicians, who
make use of all for the purpose
Of obtaining political power
Constitutions are made for the
protection Of the rights of the
people against possible usurpa-
tions of these very men, and no
real friend of the people ever
raised his voice or his hand
against that glorious instrument
once held sacred, the Ameri-
can Constitution.
In an evil hour, by men
reckless Of consequences, the
cry was sent forth that there
was a "higher law" than the
Constitution. 1t was at first
feeble, ridiculed by both Of the
great political parties of the
period; but the day came
when it suited certain politi-
clans to adopt it. The aggres
sive policy of the New Eng
land anti slavery leaders upon
the Constitution, met with en-
couragement among the people,
whose sympathies were aroused
by appeals, hard to resist, in
behalf of four millions of slaves.
This led to the civil war; a
war Of States against States;
orifthe expression be preferred
a war Of a number of seeding
States against the United
States, Suppose that a few
more States had seeded, and
that the seeding States had
conquered the remainingStates,
what would it have proved -? or
what does the success of the
United States in conquering the
seeding States prove ?
Is it a triumph of the main.
tenance of Constitutional prin.
ciples over some form Of tyran-
ny ? No, it is precisely the
reverse. 1t is triumph over
the American Constitution !;
which, had it been sacredly rp.
spected by New England, and
by the Southern States, would
have rendered a civil war i'm
possible.
The enemies of the people
will never lack a specious plea
when they undertake the sub
version of the peoples Consti.
tuition. Where are we now ?
Have we a Union of independ.
ent States, with a perfect Con.
stitu tion Of limited and clearly
understood powers? No, we
have no peoples Constitution
granting certain powers to
Congress and to the other de.
partments of the government.
In lieu Of it we have the Con-
gress of the United States
granting powers, limited by
Congress to the people. Thus
the American Constitution is
held under the lock and key of
the dominant Radical party,
and the people will never get
the control of it again save by
Il change Of party rulers.
If the Radical leaders are
right, and if the Democratic
party is wrong, the people nev.
er should have had the power
to make a Constitution for
themselves. The strong" gov.
ernment, of which the Radicals
speak, should be maintained;
and the weak government, of
the people, according to their
own free will should be cast
away as idle and impractica.
BILE.
1t is SO far from being either
idle or impracticable, that the
American Union of States can
not possibly exist for any con-
siderable length Of time on any
other basis than that of the
popular will. If the people
cannot be trusted by a few pol
iticians who happen to be
strutting before the world in
"A l. -. 1.ALI A. :,