The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1872-04-25

n when the words of that charter ,,ii no
I willingly yield them. H0wevg good ti.l,s
: eB !S mag have been. the means were fl
6 o. 0an1er. The poop became accustolne
: u look - y at the eli = - be lcconp' sh
AID 10 thIak lite al but the ,ian .r1.,,.s
2 III ans emp.uyed. The abuses of I'll. w;.
: inscnsIbly lnsInuatei themselves INTO TN
e practices of peace. Now look around vou
: iOok at the young men who were from Il
: to IL Years oil when the war began, an.
g who are now from II 10 y, consttdtin.
one full third part of oar voting population
: Consider what school those young men hav,
gone through. They have scarcely evel
seen or heard anything of the constitution
al restraint of power. What they have
heard and seen WAS only bold assumption
. and strong exercise of governmental au
thorltv. They were taught to believe in
Its necesslty-to submit to 1t, to justify IT,
10 aid 1t. Why. gentlemen, the COnsttu
ton of the United States became hardly
known 10 them by name. That is only
tradition and experience under which they
have grown up, and now they are taking
an active part IN the control Of our Gov
ernment. Is not the mere statement of
this undenIable fact sufficient 10 I'LL with
apprehension the heart of every friend of
constitutional government, and Of popular
liberty III this Country? 1t was NV fer
vent hope that the party IN power, when
peace was restored, and the legitimate re-
suits of the war were firmly secured bv
constitutional guarantees, wuuil appreciate
rs tremendous responsibility in tAis re-
>pect; that 1t wodld comprehend its great
DUTY Jast because the ha JIt of arbitrary as
SUMPTION OF power on one Side and an easy
ac4uie>cence on the other had grown Up IN
times of great public danger, to stem the
pernclous tendency with tile most concien-
tlons care: that, instead Of continuing the
practice of constituting powers in the Goa
stltusion beyond their clear meaning, it
would strenuously insist upon conscienti-
4 Gus observance Of its restrictions; that, iu-
stead OF permitting any arbitrary assump-
tlun or exercise OF authority, it would, Win
watchtui eye, see to faithful and strict
compliance with the laws of the land in
every branch of the Government
! il.s this duty b Ell fllliileI? We have
witnessed things of the most alarming
nature. We have seen legal euactmeut>
passed, glar.nsly patting the most essen
tI;l guarantees of the rights aud liberty Of
the citizen at the mercy of the centraI
power. We have heard them .jI>the on
The ground that the objects to be attained
were good, regardless of the fact that the
employment of unconstitutional and al bi-
trarS means as a system to correct evils
may be worse in its consequences than the
evils themselves and that the overthrow of
Tree institutions almost always .eglns
by the assumption of arbitrary authority on /.
The ground that existing evils call for it. /
Ne have Il law in force to day, whicl, had .
1t been on the statute book before the war,
might by ii liberal construction such as we
have so frequently seen in our days, have F.
PIT every anti-slavery organization, as an
unlawful conspiracy. at the mercy of a
pro-slavery Government.
ABUSES OF POWER.
We see officers Of the Government using
their power with disregard of the laws
'.efimins their authority, as if power We're a
law unto .tsclf, and We see them DO it with
impunity. In Your own midst yoa have
seen private rights scaudalously iutvrfcreI
with 10y public officials, If they recog-
u'zcl 40 authority bur their own pleasure.
y { have seen the President of the United
States himself, III his anxious desire t.
annex Santo Domingo. Yhicn sGlrcslv any
10 commit ac., Of Har should tle rllcr ca
that coIutrv be interlcrtl with either by a
foreign power or by his own subjects,
AMI lnis even after the treaty Of anne1a-
tion had been solymuiy rejected by the
) natc-tlUs clearly u~u pig the war-mah-
.ur power which the Constitution vests Ill
Congress. We have thus seen ~ act com
mitted which, If raised To the dIgnlty Of a /
precedent 20 serve as AN authoritative rule
ot constitutional construction, Will Virtn-
ally place the war making power III the
uauaS of President, aad make the
peace of the coantry mere piaythlnG tor I
the ambition OF arbitrary pleasure OF one
man And we see these Things, before
which the statesman OF the best times ut
tins Republic would have stood aghaSt,
not oulv done with impunity, bat JusuHed
and wnitewashei in the halls OF Congress,
and by servi!e press. and more than nat,
we see the re election OF the Executive WIZ"
committed so glarlng an act OF u>hrpation
so vociferousiy demln led bY eager parti-
sans who thus strive to stamp that SUB
version Of one of the most essential rrin-
cinlts of our constitutional Government,
a. IL valid precedent for all time, with the
>a"ction of popular approval. W ha' Is
the doctrine thus practically taught:
I ruat the central power may 10 aS It pleas
6, anl that the Constitution and laws are
to be construed in accordance with Its acts
Nay, worse than that, we are tod tdaI
/ the people do not care about sGch thlhSN'
and that those who raise their protest
arainst them must be set down as captIOuS
f4ult-fudQr and disappointed sore-heads.
Well. if it is true that large numbers ol
people DO not care about the observance OF
the laws and the maintenance OF those
constitutional principles which form the
bllwark of their rights and liberties: II 1t
is true that the great Rel ubiican rart'
is controlled bv influences whca are ready
to sacrifice the sauctitv OF the laws ana
the Constitution TO party advantag", theh
say, it is high time that those vino 40
care should rise up, with patriotic dctermi-
nation, to defend the laws ani the con
>titution, not only against arbitrary as
|, sumption but also against equally danger
Gus indifference. II Is high time that
they should not confne themselves to
empty protests, to be followed BY pusiI-
, Ianimous acquiescence AMI submission to
party dictatiou. but act with al! the IN aus
winch free institutions put at their dis'
poSal. | repeat, action Is neeiei that
- this Republic, now happily freed from
slavery, be freed from every species of ar
btrarv rule: that the constitution, not
only with all the grants of power 1t makes
: but also with all the restraints of power 1
T. imposes, shall! again resume its suprem'
d authority: that the self-government Of th'
+ people shall be respected in It's Legitimate
o sphere: that the law Of the land shall b.
| again the law, net only for those who ar
: governed, but also for those who govern
' and that the whole reople of this Rrpub
: lie be again inspired with a clear appre
e ciation of the meaning and value of Con
n >titutional rule and a just sense OF thel
=. rights and obligations.
: THE TIME FOR REFoRN.
q The time has come when the effort mus
! be male. and confidently trust there ar
is It'll men enough in the Republican ranl.
h whom Il slavish terror of the party WIN
t Will not deter from doing what they cor