Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-11-30
THE PERmANENCY OF REPUB-


is a solicitous one and the Southern
States, next to France and Spain. seem
to be the. chief objects of its solicitude.
1t begins by moralizing as follows:
ut is nearly seventy years since
Gouverneur Morris wrote to Josiah
Quincy In discussion regarding the
machinery of the Federal government.
Our mistake was IN the beginning
when we united eight republics with
five oligarchies.' His description of the
original thirteen states is complete
and the distinction made is the key to
the difficulties in the machinery of the
Union as they revealed them
selves until 1865. By the
victory of that year the nation was
enabled to fulfill the obligation of the
| Constitution, and to secure to each
State republican government, as the
Constitution of the United States re-
CURED. The oligarchies came to an
end, and weak and tender republics
with the same territorial boundaries
took their places, Every American
who has been trained In the national
confidence in republican systems, trusts
that these newborn Republics of the
South will succeed. Every one knows
that the difficulties of their position are
immense. But we have so great conf
| dence In the system, that the sanguine
all believe, and even the more anxious
hope that these difficulties will be con-
quered. We are among those, who
both hope and believe It is but
prudent, however, to acknowledge that
there are difficulties, and it would be
wise to make more inquiry, than we are
making, as to the removal of these diff
ficulties, to inquire indeed what are the
conditions of permanency of repub-
lies"
We have two reasons for noticing
this article: One is that it has acquired
a sort of pria'aa .tacie dignity by occu-
pying the first pages of that popular
magazine, the Old and NeaO; and the
other is, that we fancy it viii place our
readers on a new standpoint, and give
them a novel view Of the relation of the
Southern States to the Union, as those
relations are comprehended by
some of the Northern thinkers.
Otherwise it would pass like the idle
stuff that it is. We do not propose to
combat the convictions that evidently
underlie the opinions advanced. That
would be a useless task. Argument
on this subject has always been rejoin-
ed to by assertion; fact has always
been answered with theory. Observe
the touching air of sympathy and anx-
iety that pervades the whole extract.
The weak and tender republics"
newborn trust that they viii sue
coed" SIRE are among those who both
hope and believed" Here we are patted
and petted. It is getting popular in
the North to side up to the South in
this semi-respectful manner. We deem
it but right and proper
to take some sort Of attitude, when
Northern men are every day going
through with this supercilious maneu-
vre. And we viii do this by giving ex-
preston to sentiment, which is not at
all new to US, but one which we have
never for moment suspected to be
groundless. To thosewho havewatched |
the progressive development of our sys-
TEN of government from its infancy TO
the present, we make no startling an
nouncement when We say that our pro-
gress, thus far, has consisted of a gradu-
al enlargement Of the Federal authority
at the expense of that of the State.
Where the general government has
gained, the local has lost; in short, our
historyhas been an unceasing encroach-
ment of the Federal honor upon
the State dignity. This is
an evil that not only the South but the |
greatest statesmen of the North at this |
day regard with alarm. 1t is an evil |
which, if let alone, Will drive out the
last particle Of virtue that our once |
matchless system contained. 1t is an
evil, and We lay it wholly and Withhold
re servation at the feet of the North. If |
the South has claimed too much for the
State, the North has claimed for it
comparatively nothing. Thesentiment
alluded to above is this: IF our great
system Of republics is to be at last
saved from the impending danger which
we have indicated-the danger which
now alarms the frmest statesmen North
and Soulful will be due mainly to the
grand conception of State and Union,
which has ever distinguished the South
ern mind. Let the South remember
this and ever remain her former self.
If the life of the weak and tender" re-
publcs is the chief concern to the Old
and NelU, the preservation of our entire
system, now VIGOROUSLY precarious, is
the most significant theme to us. But
there is one important idea brought out
in this same article, in answer to the
question, what are the conditions of
permanency OF republics. 1t is not a
new one by any means, but one which
carries with it considerable weight. 1t
is that republican success depends
largely upon the training of the people
in local assemblies and town meetings,
wherein the people not only vote,
but debate questions and other
wise act in the capacity of legislators.
It is not the mere right to vote that
makes a government free, or that
yields success. The people must show
themselves capable of legislating in all
cases where it is practicable. In other
words, they should never delegate to
any authority which !
they themselves can conveniently exer-
else. By following this course the peo-
pie not only carry out the idea of a !