Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-12

then TO run the 1V1Olng l1le dAOu
the boundary Of these. The funda-
mental distinction of a republic is that
the people rule, that all legitimate
authority emanates from them. There
can be no republic without the consent
of the governed. The consent of the
governed is the will of the majority.
The Will Of the majority is ex
pressed by the ballot. The consent Of
at least the majority Of the people OF a
State to their laws, and especially their
lawmakers and law-executors, is essen
tial to republican government. With
out it there is no republic. The con-
sent of the governed both to the gov
ernors and the laws is the touch-stone
by which to try governments, which
claim to be republican the world over
Who could wish a more liberal
authority than Alexander Hamilton9
In the FederdIist he says: without a
guaranty, the assistance TO be derived
from Union in repelling those domestic
dangers, which may sometimes threaten
| the existence of the State Constitu-
lions, must be renowned. Usurpation
may rear its crest in each State, and
trample upon the liberties of the people;
while the National Government could
legally do nothing more than to behold
its encroachments with indignationand
regret. A successful faction may erect
a tyranny ON the ruins of order and
law, while no succor could constitution
ally be afforded by the Union to the
friends and supporters OF the Govern
ment. = = = The guaranty could
only operate against changes to be eff
fected by violence = A guar
anty by the national authority would
be as much directed against the usur-
patton of rulers as against the ferments
and outrages of faction and sedltion IN
the community These observations
of the great defeated eonsolidationist
follow naturally upon the reasoning
which we have placed before them.
There is no question that the United
States may overthrowan usurping gov
ernment-a government not elected-a
oovernmentnotrest upon the consent
of the majority-a government con-
demned and secuted by the people. 1t
is the part of Congress to inquire
whether it be made to appear to that
body-and it is bound to hsten-that
the Kellogg government is such. 1t Is
plainly its duty to declare 1t SO, and
take the necessary and proper meas
ures to overthrow it, and to allow the
rightfully elected government to as
sumo its offices. The only question Is,
is it a usurpation? Is it ga successful
faction erecting a tyranny on the ruins
of order and law ?" Was it "a change
effected by vIolence?" If so, the guar
antee operates against it. The i'm
preston has got abroad thatit is and
was all of those things and more. To
violence was added fraud. For the
fraud Kellogg and his confederates are
responsible; for the v~iolence-the Pres
IL IL T,,Eol G+ofac
The complaint in South Carolina Is
that Of the tax-payers-a minority.
The charge which they make against
their government is ~extortion. May
not a republican government extort:
It seems to us that it can, and still be
a republic. No limit for taxation IS
fixed by the constitution. or is practi-
cable. The limit must be left to the
wisdom and honesty Of the government
which the people choose. If it abuse
the discretion. as We believe 1t has
grossly done in South Carolina, the
federal guarantee cannot operate
against it. "The natural cure, says
Hamilton. "for an ill-admin-
istration, is a change Of men."
The impression has got abroad that the
Carolinians have IAN ill-administra-
ton" But the prospect of 'a change
of men" in the regular method is rath-
er slender. The property-holders of that
State. we believe, have the sympathy of
the majority of the American people,
but for ~extortion there is no remedy
lodged in the Federal Government, o
the disposition in the present Admins
tration to apply it if there were.