The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-27
NEW DOCTRINES.
A Comparison Of the Constitutional
Debates Of 1889 and 1879.
What tie Republican Leaders are Trying
TO Do-Make Radical Change in
Our Form of Government.
Especial Correspondence Of the Demecratl

Especial Correspondence OF the Democratl
WASHINGTON, May 81, 1879.
whatever may be the future work Or this
session and whether Its duration be brief or
protracted, 1t is evident that Its
DAYS or GREAT DEBATE
upon fundamental theories cf governmcntare
over. 1t is therefore proper TO review In the
light ot contribution to history the discus
sion which has absorbed the resources of the
House and Senate and occupied the attention
Of the people and the press for the past two
months. / have taken the trouble to examine
the files of
THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
since the beginning OF this session and find
that over 12or pages Of II are taken up ex-
clusively with the debates on the employment
.of the standing army as an eiectionearing
agent and the use of the civil power of the
Executive, through supervisors and deputy
marshals to warp the will of the people.
These 1900 pages Of the Record, reduced to
the ordinary forms of book-making would
Hll about four royal octave volumes of 300
pages each. think am quite Justified IN
calling this remarkable contribution to the
political history of the country, viewed as to
is bulk alone; but when we come TO consider
the time the circumstances and the nature Of
the subject, IL occurs TO me that 1t is the
strangest and most startling contribution
ever made TO our annals. ..m-
Let ls for a moment imagine some pfonhet
or seer, rising ninety years ago In the con-
vention that framed the Federal constitution
md rad fb.t -
\ Union, to predict before a century should
elapse the members of the Congress they had
devised would be gravely discu ssing the
question whether or not the American people
were capable Of exercising the elective fran
chise without the assistance of regular sol
dlers and without the surveillance of official
msuchadsf Suppose that some member of
that convention had risen 10 make the speech
that Robeson made III the House three weeks
ago, or declaim
In the Senate week later: arguing, If they
argued anything. that tht@merican people
could not safely be trusted with ballot boxes
nngarded by infantry, or with an elective
franchise unrestrained by government sur
velllance. Does anybody suppose such n
man would have been allowed TO live among
the people who populated this country at that
timeS Is it not more than probable that he
would have been sent to exc out his days with
Arnold in England or with the Tory johnson
In Canada2 But in order to fully realize the
significance of the analogy we must imagine
that men not only advocating these strange
doctrines, but actually representing in such
advocacy the views. preferences and aspira-
tons Of q body of the people comprising much
ol the culture and nearly all the wealth and
social prominence of by far the largest half
the Union; u numerically pitiful minority
indeed, but In all other respects of power,
prestige and influence over the destinies Gf
the country and of mankind formidable, Ii
notaltogether dominant.
vi course such supposition, dated ninety
Years ago, would have been almost criminally
aosurd. But yet 1t is the'gospel truth Of to-
day.
Those four royal octave
VOLUMES OF HISTORY
tnal lie buried tn the pages Of the Congress
stoaul Record between the dates of April
an ahd May 70, 1879, will probably not be read in
Ms Meif lfle light and Significance In our time.
ne snail do what those who make history
nave been doing since the world began-buld
nvuses ior those who come after us to live In /:
a1iH saah1iHR little thought of our handiwosk ana |
Thus ''''' - W. 'u'Au't@
THE FATHERS !
ninety years ago bnilt according to the
i0hts OF thelr time, a composite structure of |
government, the sole design of which was
~ combine tie idea of the absolute domestic
a..
nlale s Tor the concerns ot internal adsninistra-
uon, With the idea of a federal union for The
purposes of defense against external foes
nut generations OF triumph over external
sst aes and many years of security from inva-
aon M and spoliation have expelled from
ae ne minds of the people all thought Of
as ms actual considerations which induced
s W fathers to sign the compact of
aalon, and we have at last turn ed
sr ear wits to the devising OF ways and mea. is
aS tne aggrandzement Of ourselves at the
staapense OF one another. Menaced no more by
" : possibility Of subiugation to the yoke Of
~ ashaorelgn oppressor, we have become at heart
w sIr oppressors of each other. We have ag-
sIsgated our seltishness in cooperative asso-
asselons, which we call political parties and
aa.s Aass forgotten our patriotism in war of sec
esms aas Threatened no longer by the designs
" o,s ais arlstoeracy of the mother country upon '
~ ~. Individual rights, we have raised up an g
aa.aiEstocraey amongst ourselves infinitely more q
ant. satt'es+iSe' more grasping ana more intoler-
fu auu now we have met in extra session to |
sluuiate the new theories and eXpound the q
NEW DOCTRINES. .
M M voice the new aspirations that have taken {
sas w place of the simple theories doctrines I
ros- ra aspirations which We're cherished ninety /
asaas ena ago. The craftsmanship of patriots has
snen sna " way to the pettifoggery of partisans Z
ia iaslIla lae philosophy Of sageS has been swal- i
ensa M up in the sophistry of attorneys. =
hi. course the average reader pronounces !
nae s sort Of talk nonsense and folly. Or course i
-s0od! Will take the trouble to read ii
DEBATES OF 1899 AND THE DEBATES OF 6
1879 Z
aparatiyely or automatically. Nobody will E