The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-03-09
a.A Dead 4es,ies,,

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Nothing is more dangsrous 20 the Ii.
berties of people than 60 submit TO
usurpations and revolutionary .inn6va-
Eons upon the freedom OF their institu-
tions, because they have been fraudu-
lently Initiated and made to take the
forms of law. A vicious constitutional
amendment or wicked law never be-
comes 'sa dead issue with people who
know what true liberty is, and love it for
its own sake. A distinguished historian
whom Mfr. Beck, of Kentucky, is fond of
quoting. has said: ''We find in the his
tory of all usurping governments, time
changes anomaly into system, and in
jury into right. Examples beget GUS
tom, and custom ripens into law, and
the doubtful precedents OF one genera
ton become the Fundamental maxims of
another"
II these changes, doubtful precedents,
and the like, are at opoe accepted as
''dead issues" forever gone from the
control or the contemplation of the peo-
pie, what. according to the historian,
has happened in the past will happen
again in the future, and is happening at
this moment In the daIly workings Of
the United States Government. It is q
very easy thing tor a people to lose their
liberties. While they are careless of
phbii6 affairs! intent on money making,
OF asleep, liberty clips away from peo-
pie before they know it. simply by q
change in the forms and laws Of govern
meit, effected by designing men. No
deeper truism was ever uttered than that
"eternal vigilance is the price of liber-
ty:" The acts OF legislation passed, and
to be passed, by the present Congress,
oSo 10 t1,o1,
are submitted to as ''dead issues" are
alone sufficient to subvert the whole orr
ginal fabric of the United States Co.
vernment, wipe out the State lines and
erect despotic central power at Wash
ington. Indeed, the republic OF the ia.
theirs is on trial this day, and the rslpa-
ble question before the people is, shall
we abolish the Republic for an Empire,
or shall we not? The trial is before the
grand inquest of the people, and the
judgment is to be rendered at the next
Presidential election. Any man who
cries out 'dead issues" and seeks to
smother the recorded crimes of Radical
ism against our once free government,
aids and abets the criminals and the
crimes. Liberty is habit, and it is
astonishing how easily careless people
get over the habit of wearing and enjoy
ing its blessings. The Grant party is
working on that theory, and is trying to
accustom the people to the use of fetters
on their rights, at the mention of which
our fathers would have flown to arms.
We took up the pen to-day to illustrate
one Of these "dead issues" that we are
told it is patriotic to forget and ignore.
It is in reference to one that radicalism
holds most dear, and daily uses as it's
greatest scare-crow to leading Democrats.
They say touch the fifteenth amendme ent,
if you dare, and we will again rally the
Republican hordes and overwhelm you
indeed it is chip on the Radical shoulder
that they are especially desirous that
somebody should knock of. Now,
what is the status Of the fifteenth amend
stitution? The other day, in New Jer-
sey, man by the name of Souders was
brought before the courts for interfcr-
ing with qualified negro voters in the ex-
ercise of the right of suffrage under the
fifteenth amendment. The counsel of
Souders at once raised tho direct uues-
ton that negroes in New Jersey were not
legal voters. Certainly, they were so, if
the fifteenth amendment was valid in
law, but he took the ground that the
amendment was nullity and void, be-
cause it had not been fairly and legally
ratified in the terms prescribed by the
Constitution. Now, it is not likely that
Sonders will over be permitted to bring
the point before an honest court compe-
tent TO settle it in the last resort. He
will be bought off by the enormous
purchasing power of the Radical Govern
ment. But suppose he should develop
the Roman virtue to push it, what would
tho court have to decide? The following
points:
1. Whether Congress had the right to
coerce the ratification by State.
2. Whether the votes of Indiana and
New York were legally and properly
counted.
8. Whether any amendment is legal
that has not been submitted to the Pre-
sident of the United States for his ap-
proval.
Now, neither of these points need
judicial Investigation. Every man in
America who knows anything about the
matter, knows that they are already set.
tied and adjudicated before the great bar
of truth and of conviction in the uni
versal mind. We all know that to effect
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