The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-01-03

In the good old days of the Union,
says the Courier Journal, the Constitu-
ton was looked apOn as barrier against
all aggres-ions upon the rights of the PEG
pie and Government, State and Federal,
from aaY quarter whatsoever 1t was
held as sacred, and when at rare inter-
walls 1t was found essential to adapt it to
the exieencies of the times the necessary
modifcatiOns were suggested with hesita
ton, and adopted only after the most
serious consideration All parties were
agreed that the general system could not
be improved, and only at long intervals
was en- amendment further developing
rather than changing that system ventur-
ed upon with lnisgivings and reluctance
All that is changed Fools row rush
in where before wise men feared to tread,
and the instrument which was so ion@
held as second only to inspiration is now
regarded as a formula to be improved by
every wiseacre who can manage to get
into Congress. The politicians seem t.
have resolved themselves into general
political meeting whose business it is to
consider the charter Of our liberties in the
light Of the report Of a committee, Subject
to any number of alte rati0ns and amends
ments.
The war broke down the barriers OF
the Constitution. Since that most disas
trous event all reverence for the time-
hOnOred iustru aent seems to have van
ished-vcnished, at least so far as those
who have control Of the Government are
concerned. There are people indeed who
| still hold to the ancient fai;h, but they
are in the minority and utterly powers
! less. Some serious changes have already
been made These, if the true men had
/ fheir way, they would accept and agai n
| crystalline the Constitution. The Con-
| s,itution as it was is TO more. Happy
would it be for the American people if
/ they could preserve the Constitution as 1t
] Is
| Twentv>six amendments. all told, are,
we believe, nov pending, and every day
may bring forth a new batch Nlne of
the twentY-six are in reference to the
| election of President Oae of them, by
/ Mr., Sumner, proposes to abrogate the Of
| fee of Vice President and declare the
/ President ineligible for a secc end term
| Another, by Mr.. Banks, contempla.es a
| single term ofsix years and doubling OF
/ the Presidential salary Another pros
! posed amendment Is for removing the dis
! qualifications for the Presidency and
! Vice Presidency of fOreign-bOrn citizens,
! declaring Judges of the Snprme Court
! Ineligible forever, and m7mbers of Con
! gTess ineligible during their term of Office
and two years thereafter. Another pro-
/ poses to fix q day for all the State cleo
| tions and the Presid initial and Congress
Si0nal elections Another proposes the
! abolition Of the electoral college, ana a
! direct vcte by the people. Another pro-
| poses that members Of the Cabinet and
! other government officers shall be elected
} by the popular voice Under the prOgis~
| ions Of another it would become the duty
| Of the Supreme Court to decide, on app
! plication within six months after its pass
sage, upon the cOnstitutionality of any
| enactment State or Federal Others
world inaugurGto a national school sys-
ten, protect the public lands raise rev~
euue by direct taxation, and prevent the
/ intermarriage between white people and
negroes. Such are the subjects Of the
| leading propositions for consfitu tiOnal
amendment ut present before Congress.
How many there will be before the add
! tournament Of that body, and upon what
| diverse subjects, is one Of those thing
| which for the present no fellow can find
out
Now, our advice to these Constitutions
tinkers is just to let the old document
stand as 1t is. 1t has already been patch,
| ed up and dOctored as much as is good
for it, and if more patching and doctor
ing are done the whole thing will 90 &c
| pieces.
After a while, perhaps. it may be well
to make few changes, but we are in the
middle of the stream now, and can not
| afford to swap horses, 1t was a strange
| oversight on the part of the trainers oil
| the Constitution that they did not insert
q clause limiting the President to one
! term Of four years, and that seems q
very unwise policy that makes Bel But
Ter eligible to the Presidency and g
statesman and patriot like Carl Schurz
ineligible; but for the present our best
/ course is to adopt the motto Of Durand
arte: Patience and shuttle the cards
When the amendment epidemic is over
! and the organic law saved from destruc-
ton, it viii be time enough for patriot Il
and thinking men to consider the one OIL
two amendments that really ought tosbe
made. Constitution tinkeTing no IS eX
| tremely dangerous, because the gen era
tendency is to centralize all power in the
| Federal Government and in the Adluiais
tration The old barrier though it.
strength is greatly impaired, may still
prove an effective protection against i'm
perialism if patriotic aud true men guarl
least, let US have no further changes o
any kind in the Federal Constitution.