Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-10-16
AmR. JOHNSON AND THE CONSTR.
TTTIOH

To the Editor of the Union and American:
There are some people who regard Mr..
johnson as the greatest living expounder
| of the Constitution of the United States.
1t is a theme upon which he has spoken a
great deal; sometimes finding fault and
proposing alterations; at other times extOl-
| ing the old document to the skies, and thus
he has hammered away until he has appa-
| rently convinced himself and some others
| that he is its greatest defender.
Now propose to examine bis claims to
the above title in the light of his late speech
at the Exposition building in this city. In
! that speech he declared that "The Consti-
| tuition of the United States was Of Divine
emanation, and that the men who framed
| it spoke the voice of Cod" 1t is to this
declaration of Mr.. johnson that wish to
call attention. confess that this view Of
the subject is new to me. Neither Justice
Storey, nor Mr.. Jefferson, nor Calhoun,
nor Webster, nor any of the trainers or
great expounders Of the Constitution, have
ever advanced any such doctrine as this.
What does it mean? If he means that the
men who framed the Constitution were in
spired by the Spirit of God, and that in
strument is Divine revelation, every
1CiluCooCC WIN pronounce
him incompetent to teach constitutional
law.
The Constitution of the United States
emanated from wise and good men, guided
by their own experience and by the history
OF the world for several centuries preced-
ing their day, but none of them ever claim
ed for it divine authority.
fThe Constitution was set up in direct OPP
position to the dogma that Kings rule by
divine right. The people of England fought
two hundred years for the right to limit
and define the prerogatives OF the King.
Our Constitution was intended to define
and limit the powers and duties of our gov
eminent. By and through the Constitution
the people created the government and
placed over it the Constitution as the law
of its being. 1t was intended for the bul
wark for the protection Of the people in the
endowment of :all the rights and liberties
therein contained. 1t was inteDde0 to be
a law unto the government, controlling tin
all its departments.
ANY Infringement of this fundamental
law, therefore, is treason against the people.
1t was the manifest determination
on the part of the Republican party
to use the power of the governmental abol-
ish slavery that brought on our late unhap-
py war. In 1861 Mr.. johnson threw HIM
self into the ranks of that party-and for
foul years seemed to have forgotten there
was any Constitution. But in 1865, the war
being over and Mr.. johnson finding himself
in the Presidential chair, and desiring to
exercise the powers which the Constitution
guaranteed 10 that position, the Repub.
hcan party not only denied that he had
any right to exercise those powers but ac-
tually charged him with high crimes and
misdemeanors for presuming to act under
the Constitution.
The party then and now in possession OF
the government assume 20 be masters OF
the Constitu ion and of the people. They
seem to think the people have no rights
they are bound to respect. They change
the Constitution by force and fraud and
then compel obedience at the point Of the
| bayonet.
When Mr.. johnson rushed into the
ranks of the the Republican party and
aided them in breaking down ali the Con-
| stitutional provisions which guarded the
rights ofthe people, he committed grave
ofense against his constituents of Tennes-
see.
When be tells us that the constitution