Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-01-27
STAND BY THE CONSTITUTION.

I
STAND BY THE CONSTITUTION.
The only danger of civil war arises
from the idea which the corruptionists
are diligently propagating that the
people will submit to be cheated for |
the sake of peace. If this can be |
made conviction in the Radical mind |
there is no doubt whatever that Hayes
will attempt to usurp the Government. |
The whole reliance of the conspirators
is upon the army. The army has already |
allowed itself to be used to upset the |
legally elected governments of the |
States and to install the defeated car
pet baggers in the interest of the cor
ruptionists. Why should it not re-
spond to their call to install the defeat
ed candidate for the Presidency? 1t
is true that the President elected by
the Reformers is a Northern man and
an original free-soil Democrat. But
it is thought that resistance from the
South is disarmed by apprehensions
that it will be regarded as renewal of
the rebellion, and it is supposed that
no organized opposition from the North
where the State governments are in the
hands of the partisans of the usurper
need be feared. But this reasoning
assumes that the people will divide
among themselves in relation to the
usurpation against the lawful authori-
ty of the Government as declared by
the Representatives of the people In
conformity to the uniform usages of
the Government as they divided at the
polls. This is a great error in which
those only who have no respect for
popular intelligence and patriotism
could fall, and if the usurpation sue
ceeds it will be through the treacheIy
or coWardice of Representatives IN
the Senate and House. The people
have never failed to respond to the call
of the lawful authorities, and if their
representatives do not depart from
the well-settled law as formulated in
the twenty-second joint rule, there is
no danger but that the people en- nuasSe
of all parties will stand by the Presi-
dent-elect. Even in the PROSTATE
States the army and a fraudulent re-
turning board could not make Cover
nors of Packard, Stearns, and Cham
berlain. Will the people of the whole
country submit to have the Govern
ment of the Union usurped in virtue
of the same frauds which have already
been repudiated in Florida, and are in
process of being repudiated in Louisi-
ana and South Carolina to the joy of
every honest man in the nation.
The President seems himself to have
become sensible of the justice of this,
and that he ought to forbear and not
be mere partisan at this juncture, and
that he owes something to the nation,
which has not only honored him with
high Office, but with its affections.
But if, instead of standing by the
Constitution, the House should accede
to the compromise scheme said to be
proposed by the Senate committee,
which is wholly unWarranted by the
Constitution, we shall regard the pop
ular cause as lost.
We have already said repeatedly in
these columns that we are utterly OPP
posed to devolving the decision of the
presidential question upon the Supreme
Court. The objection applies equally
to making the judges, or any number
of them, an advisory committee with
regard to the question. On political
questions, on or off the bench, they are
neither better nor worse than other
men. 1t is against the whole philos-
ophy of the Government that irrespon-
sible persons should have the decision
of such a question. The trainers of
the Government refused to allow the
Senate, even as a political body, to have
any share in electing President when
there was a failure to elect by the peo-
pie, because that was an aristocTatic
body not elected by the people, but de-
volved the choice on the House of
Representative as the immediate re-
representatives. of the people. To make
the Supreme Court, whose members
hold office by life tenures, directly or
indirectly the tribunal to make the
President, is therefore at variance with
the spirit of the Constitution. With
the utmost respect for the court and
every member on the bench, we would
have no confidence whatever in their
decision of such a question.
1t is not question, moreover, that
ought to be decided by individuals,
and especially by leading men, whether
off or on the bench. Such men are not
unfrequeDtly themselves aspirauts for
the Presidency, and it is not In human
nature that their judgment should be
unaffected by that relation to the sub
iect. Mr.. Justice Miller and Mr.. JUS
tice Davis have been both spoken of by
their friends as candidates, and as they
are among the ablest men in the coun-
try it is not atall.improbable that they
may both be presented in 1880. Now,
whilst nc one could for a moment
doubt that they could honestly decide
any question submitted to them, as 1t
is plain that the decision of the ques-
ton who is President-elect will great
ly influence that election, it is obvious
that any aspirant will be unconscious
" influenced by that consideration.
No presidential aspirant, however high
his character, can be trusted, or ought
to trust himself, in such a position.
We trust the committee of the House
of Representatives appointed to con-
fer with that of the Senate will pre-
sent the propositions reported by the
committee on the privileges of the
House, which embOdy the twenty
second joint rule substantially, and
adhere to it. The Senate cannot re-
iect that without sitting aside its own
construction of the Constitution