The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-08-28
a,,v of the Republicans.

w. A. Fl. SrEPHETs keeps UP n'' w.
- rho "new departure" be nas Nv
49, ~ If snrrenderfng. What good purpo@
IN homes TO accomplish we cannot say Ans
only effect OF his arguments VIII pe ~ p.o'.
,ance daaf1eciion in the ranks OF the pen,o'
cratic party for it is as certain 90 a'y ,u'
,,,ro event can be that the Democratic VA
.,anol convention will next year aaopt
~,.+sorm In which one OF the pianks Ehi
hs Main. candid concession that the ne"
amendments are part and parcel OIL the
Federal Constitution. We cannot imagine
a single good reason why anybody snouio
object TO such course. Mr.. STEPHENS de-
clares that he does not think that amend
ments ratified by fraud and force are Salio'
and that in this opinion he expects 'ne gu
preme Court of the United States to:aetee
with him whenever the question OF W, -.
lidity Of the new amendments shAl
passed moon by that tribunal. tohc'as
that the amendments are invalid anu
the Supreme Court will ultimately ueo,u
that they IRE 80. we cannot yet see 'h 'h.
admission anv reason why we may lf'' ".-
knowledge that at present the amendments
are to all inteDts and purposes fai'o;, ioi
ipasmuch as both the Executive anu III.
Legislative departments OF the Governhep
have, In the most solemn form, deeiaieu
that these amendments were constnu'ioh
ally ratified and made part OF the ors't,''
law Of the country, It certainly cannot oe
wrong for the people generally 10 own
fact. And is it not fact! Have MOI "on'
cress and the President solemnsy aeciaieu'
according to the forms required ps
law, that the 18th, 14th, anu i","
amendments have been coDsututiohai's
ratified Are they not, then, at pfcseh'
as truly parts of the Constitution as any
other article in 1t, and this NOTWITHSTANDING
that they may have been ratified at the
point of the bayonet2 They are; ana II
MIR. STEPHENS could demonstrate, ne PLAINLY
az he could the simplest mathematical pro-
pos,ion. that these amendments have never
been ratified in the manner and form ae-
manded by the Constitution, they would
still remain parts of that instrument, WhicD
all the Executive officers Of the Govern
ment would be bound to respect rs SUCH
until the proper Judicial tribunals should
have overruled. in a constitutional ant'
lawful manner, the decision of The EXecu.
tive and the Legislative departments OF The
Government. IT Mr.. STEPHENS himself were
a Federal Executive officer he would Dc
compelled as such to treat the act TO en-
force the 14'h amendment as constltu'
tional law. The "ncw departure" then,
us we have often said, is simply an acknow-
Icdgment of the existence of facts which
The IS Ignored by sensible men,. -.
law from Democratic We, - Cn,ve,.
ton. Ii its opinions or decisions coliio =
Influenced by party platform, they woulc
be worthless at best, and would certainly
be upon the side Of the other two branches
of the Government. II they cannot he so
influenced, and if the fact is that the
amendments are for the present at least
parts OF the Constitution, where is the
harm in saying so! We fear that we shall
have to write down Mr.. STEPHENS as an
inlpracticable. He is playing into the hands
of the Republican party. He and Messrs.
ToOMBs and DAVIS have always hitherto
managed to say or do something just i'll the
nick of time and of the right sort to blight
all the prospects of the Democratic party
for success. Let us hope that he will not
next year again hid in the election Of a re-
publican President.