The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-06-19
Letter fr@nI "a Friend in VI n.
SOmery County.

. EDS. CLARIoN-It is with pain that n
ne 80 much IN the columns Of yonr = AZ
S paper against Mr.. Lamar. or any othe
friend of Mississippi. who. from their oyy
well formed opinions nav .ranJ on ~
question which embodies tins. right of
stslaTure 10 instruct a senator in IN
Chited States Congress II surely cauuo
oe good policy. for our leading pannrS ?
~. Ii';!idIy attack the leading men % gu
party Ia spirit OF n ut blood. ;.f.d il 2 MAJ
nef calculated to i'm press our people y III
the ldea that our purest and best men caIt,o
any more be trusted with position an,
PoMGF IMAM the carp t-baggers aud polltica
FdSabonds OF The South. or tile yinIfctiv4
oi0ody shirt radicals of the North.
=, SEE to-day that you have not even spare,
NJ pay ara In Il whole column of you
paper you let into hirn with hot sho. baCaus
he, from the Durest and best motives wror
d private letter 10 a member OF the Mtss5s
slppt Legislature, in which he announce,
some reasons, hurriedly written, auafns
me proposition then pending 10 instruct NJ
Lamar TO vote for the silver bin. which " A.
tIso under discussion IN III Congress f he
| Chite1 States. Mr.. BIyarl did Mt in ia Al
IeIIef discuss the ques ion involving til.
TISHt OF the Legislature to instruct but vou
say Jhat because o the fac. thaths wrote the
letter Ito dIssuade the legislature from pas
sing resolutions of instruction without r. L.
ing he ground that it would be an ASSUME
tion OF undue authority BY that body to do &
| Is virtually declaration that it possessed th,
| fiGnt. The position is not, we tank Iog.
really Drawn; on he contrary. as Mr.. B ~
| ard did not discuss that point in any man
ner we might, with equally as good logic
arrive at the conclusion that he believed
tnAt tney Gid not have the right From
what l gather from his letter | concludt
| mat, at this particular crises in the finaucia
history OF our country. his purpose was t
dIssuade the Legislature rom even attempt
| ing to gag their Senator in Congress upon =
| question which was deemed t. b OF the very
| greatest interest and Importance to the wei.
| fare Of the gOvernme at aud to the rosperitS
OF all Its cltizens. IL Is by means of debat,
| that bad res Its from the passage of laws
are often defeated. Destroy debate in che
| laW-making body and 10 bill will receive
that deliberatiOn which * necessary to it
perfection. And hence Mr.. Bayard askel
| Jhat tue Legislature do not shackle MOI
cripple great mind like Mr. Lamlrs pend
! ing tn consideration of question of &
mOmentous Importance
Now, with your permission, 1 viii myseI
say few things, upon my on responsibility
about this question of the right OF instruc
| JiOI.
In the beginning, l premise, by saying
! that it had had vote on the silver bill
| would IN pst assuredIy have voted for the
| bill, not because. however, | might have
| been Instructed, at the same tim | would
doubtless have been strengthened in IN 7
! disposition to so vote by the instructions
| l will also freely say, as Mr.. l. imar himself
well knows, that | used my utmost en-
| deavors to nominate Gen. George in his
stead, before the Legislative caucus had as
-embled, though have always been IA per-
| sOnal friend TO him
My position then Is, that a legislature
| should not be recOgniZed to have unlimited
power and control over Senator in the
United States Congress, why p: Because II
cannot possibly understand the full scope
and nature OF bills of general nature intro
| duced in Congress; it is not the duty, nor Is
| a member of a State Legislature expected &c
know in his official capacity, but little about
what is done in Congress And shall we be
made TO admit the absurd idea, that men
who thus occupy, and who are more II less
! ignorant of such matters, shall be bound tC
i teach, instruct, and command Senator u
! do thing which he knows Is wrong, aud
against the interest of his people: occupy
! ing too, position which makes it his duty
| to inform himself, sworn under a solemn
oath by which his actions are TO be govern
! ell and secondly. because to instruct IN
! the sense which seems to be popular, Is &c
| cut off debate and deliberatiOn.
| Chancellor Keith whose authority, upon
questions of constitutional law. and upon
| questions involving principles which should
| govern law makers, is at least as good as
/ the authority (JOhn Sherman) you quote to
! sustain YOUR views on this question IN part
and that eminent luriSt makes this POM
which Is SO run OF good sense and reason
| hat | insert it in full. If by this he meant
JIlab IutN may give 10 lItlI &c It>CIldIiN 6
! wholesome advice or Information, it Is q
palpaple truth and quite a harmless article
| but il it be intended 10 declare that town
or county, or district may give binding
| instructions TO their immediate delegates
and to which they must conform without
| any exercise of their own discretion, in like
| manner As an agent or attorney IN private
| business is bound by the directions OF hi,
| principal, It would then render useless dis
| cusSion and elaboration in the legislature.
bf,V ant al
| government, which supposes that the repre-
| sentatives are TO meet together for The com
| mon welfare, and TO nave regard, in the
making of laws, to the greatest general
| good. and to make the local views and inter-
| est of d part OF the community, SuDorullltt
| to the general interest of the whole. The
| principle OF the English common law appli-
| cable to the mem bers of the British House OI
| Commons is deemed to be the true doctrine
| on this subject. Though chosen by par
! ticular county or borough, the member
when elected and returned serves for the
whole realm. "When you chose member,
said Mr.. Burke. to the electors of Bristol in
| IVA he is not member of Bristol, but he
| is a member of Parliament The end OF
| his election is not particular, but for the
| common veal, and he Is not bound TO take
and follow the advice of his constituents up
| on any particular point unless he thinks II
| proper and prudent to do so. Il BIZ Com. la9-)
| The representative Ito use again the lam
-
| 0nly but his iudgm emit and he oetrays ~
stead of serving them, if he sacrifices it to
| their opinion. The people cannot debate IN
| their collective capacity. They can only
! deliberate and make laws by their represen-
| tatives and in the ordinary course of hu-
man affairs, the exercise of their sovereignty
! and the means of their safety, will consist
| in the discreet selection of the rulers who
| are to administer the government OF their
choice. The earliest assertion OF this I'M
portant and undOubted constitutional prin-
ciple that each member eli the House OF
Commons was deputed to serve, not
only for his immediate constituents, but for
the whole kingdom, was. according TO MI.
Hallan made in Parliament in l57l."
Now, then. | submit the above is as good
authority on this point as that OF Mr.
President stealing john sherman, and TO
digress a little, we don't like to quote SICK
fellows much. Recurring to the subject, l
must saw the views of Chancellor Kent
above referred to are sound and full of com :
mon sense. II it Is nos so, or II we admit Tor
the arguments sake. that the Legislature
must control by instructions, let US see into
what we will drift. We find ourselves Oy
wav of suppostion, with black and tan
Legislature, such as we had in 1874, in this
State, with Mr.. Lamar in the I nlted States
Senate (Which he was not the force DllI Is
under discussion, Mr.. Lamar being DEM
ocrat, representing the interest and welfare
of the honest and virtuous people OF Mlssls-
siDpi fighting and cOntendIng for their
rights against a large Radical majority Is
con fronted by resolutions from black and
tan Legislature instrueting him to vote for
the force bill. Shall he do it? OF course
not. Garry the principle into another sup
position: We find ourselves with Radical
Hack and tan Legislature in 1880, and
bill is peuding before the Congress to in
crease the regular army to 100000 strong.
10000 of which are to be sent TO Mississippi
with authority to control the election In
favor of Grant or Blaine, Mr.. Lamar finds
himself again confronted with Instructions
70 vote for the bill. Shall he obey? Ger
tainIy not. Again: If he is to be governed
by the instructions, as an agent Is gov
erned by the instructions of his principle
let us abolish our United States Senator and