Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-12-29
THE LAST OF THE PRESIDENTS.
thinks of Military Rulers-NO More
Free Government.

From the New Orleans Times.
Republics have usually been overthrown
by military rulers. The reason is not diff
fcult to understand. A Republics the rule
of law derived from public opinion; and
obedience TO law the rule Of its officials.
Directly the contrary is the habit of and
the practice of the military rulers. To
command aud to make the law, is their
habit, and their practice is to use force in
stead of law TO obtain obedience. Force
is despotism; law is liberty. ALI military
rulers are prone to use force, and, there
fore, by their profession, are despotic. The
restraints of law they know nothing about,
and what little they know they despise.
Their discipline is by coercion. But the
moral discipline, by which free and patri-
otic citizen is controlled, and carries on a
free government without arms, is the result
of virtuous restraint and moral culture,
which can alons make free government a
reality.
Passing over the ancient republics, We
have, in these United States, very striking
proofs of the unfitness of military men to
rule free governments. Gen. Washing
toms patriotism no one will question or
deny; yet who can doubt that if he and
Alexander Hamilton had not for seven
years been soldiers, the strong move to
Centralism in the Government Of the United
States never would have been impaired?
The first great rift in the constitution, un-
der the auspices of Hamilton, was made by
him, when he approved of the Bank of the
United States. He entered the wedge of
construction, which has shattel ed the whole
system of Government established by the
Constitution.
Gen. Jackson was the next militar ry ruler
placed over the Government of the United
States. He was SO decided Democrat,
and so furious against Gen. Washington
for the consolidation tendencies of his
Administration, that he was one of the
eleven who refused, in the House of
representatives, to express appreciation or
eulogy On his putlic services. But he be-
came General and leader of armies in
the War of 1872, and on account of
his brilliant military service was lifted to
the Presidential chair. On the very first
opposition to his rule, he flew immediately
to arms; and rushed into centralism by
his celebrated proclamation against South
Carolina, written by Mr.. Webster. This
proclamation surpassed all previous State
papers in its consolidation views of the
nature of the Government of the United
States. he tried, however, to restrict the
sphere of its legislation to the powers only
plainly granted to Congress by the Consti-
tuition of the United States. He beat down
construction during his Administration; but
he struck deadly blow at the principles of
free government, on which the Censtitu-
ton arose. .....
Gen. Taylor, soldier all his life, was our
next military President. He showed at
once bis predictions for military rather
than civil instrumentalitieS in government
and his deficiency in knowledge of the
Constitution of the United States. Cslifor-
mia had just been acquired from Mexico.
Every government OF every Territory of
the United States had been hitherto formed
exclusively by the legislation of Con-
gress. As the Territory did not belong
to thesPresident Of the United States,
his sphere and his duties there were pre-
scribed by law. He had not particle of
legislative power within a Territory, and
he had no more right to set up govern
ment in a Territory, much less to make it
a State, than to overthrow State by mill
tary power. Yet Gen. Taylor, immedi-
ately on his accession to the Presidency,
ordered Gen. Riley to go to California,
and there, by his military authority, to
issue a proclamation calling a convention
Of the people Of that Territory TO make q
constitution and make themselves a State,
prescribing the qualifications Of voters,
the districts to be represented, and the time,
place and mode of assemblage. He thus,
without law, and in defiance of the au-
thority of the Congress OF the United
States, undertook to create State out of a
Territory, as large as four States, by his
military power. This act, if there was
nothing else, when supported by the Con-
gress of the United States. justified dis
solution of the Union. The ACQUISITION of
the Territories of Louisiana and Texas, on
account of which NJ Massachusetts, threatened
to secede from the Union of the United
States, was nothing TO it.
Lastly, We have Gen. Ulysses S. Grant,
probably in all but name the last of the
Presidents of the United States. He who
declared that he had never read q single
book upon the profession of arms, to which
from youth he belonged, can not be sup
posed to have read the Constitution of the
United States; and if he did, he could not
understand it. But he does not care to IN
derstand it. He has but one constitution
10 gulue llIO, anu LnaG Is nlS Will, and
but one instrument to administer it, and
that is the sword. The wise and elaborate
principles of free government which the
Constitution was formed to carry out is as
far beyond his comprehension as Newton's
Queries at the end Of his Optics. In his
conception of government, Estates form
camp, and all the world driil,' with drill
sergeauts to discipline and files of soldiers
to shoot, for the preservation Of order.