The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-02-26
The Right Of InstrucGIon.--A
Practical Ee-I.

EDITORS CLARION: That a Senator in
Crugres. j. bound 10 obey the instructions
Of tie Legislature al hi ) ate. has un-
dou5redlF been ia opinion ever enJcl tanned
b. majority OF the Democratic party in
tire United States. ere was, however,
always a formidable minority in the party
Id on bF thar gTeate>t OF American ates-
men. John c Calhoun. who always denie
l.. Ia the old Wing parry the proporrio II
perhaps reversed. IN 10 Ity there
den wing. and large minority asserting ii.
f. may be fairly ssii. Therefore. that if,. the
present party called ID moe ratio which
embraces, certainly Ia tie South. nine
teujHs Of the OLD Wings of The oountry. it is
40 open question. TIE present position al
cubic atfur- illustrate, f0rcible the argU-
meut against the doe 5Tinr-
Two weeks from now tue L ) Sc ate for
the lirs- iue IN eighteen yeas VIII have a
a majority Of Dem cratic senators. Among
fhem are many Democratic Sen4sors from
Northern states. but there i at present onl 5
one Northern Lpgi>Ialure (to-Wiu IN In
diauaJ that Is uot arcely Republican. Ga
these Il publican Legislatures command
the Democratic Senators 10 vote against
their conscientious convictions OF duty or
resign their seats, and thus b. new cleo
lions alter rae political CON pexiO1 Of The
Senate? IfPeHtlegOu is Instructed - vote
for the repeal 81 he Sii-er b p, aui Econ,
and Herman aud Ra.stul Pa and Mae her-
son. instructed to VOC iJr tile enactment of
d force bill and the suspension of the hqbsas
corpus in the South, must these Senators
violate the cherished principles Oftheir live.
or by going, make way tor Republican
successors! II this is understood % be the
settled doe riue. | appreheHd that the DEM
ocTatic majority in the Senate viii soon
melt away before Republican legislation
like frost before he sun.
If this is the true theory Of our Govern
M eHt. then the trainers of the constitution
committed 2 capital biuuGcr in giving the
Senators a fixed term OF six years. They
should have made Them removable at the
vii OF the Legislature, or, At least, made
their terms expire with Those of the legis-
latGrs who elected hem. Bat this il not the
tha true theory. The N am bers OF the Leg
stature, and the members of the L, ). Sen
ate perform wholly different duties and act
in wholly different orbits. E1ch discharges
as the dictates of his conscience under his
oath of office, demands, and neither has any
control over the other. Both are rep pom
sible to the end Of their L rms 10 the
people and to the people alone. By
dat wise system OF checks and balau-
c-s which marks every feature OF the Fed
cr,i Government, the STATE Legislatures,
rather thII the people themselves, choose
the Senators but when they have done So
they have exhausted their functions in the
matter aHd nave thereafter 40 further con
Jrui over = Senator than they would have
over "a Governor or a JCdge whom they
III CIR have elecr ed.
The Prc.iden- OF the United States is
chosen by tn Electoral College. but when
once elected Is uo more responsible to them
tn En % any similar number of his fellow
citizens. so stands the ) uator to the Leg
isiature OF his State. It's wishes viii al
ways be heard with respect and attention,
but the Senator who Obeys its demands in
violation OF his own conscientious convic-
tons Of duty, Is false to his oath OF Office.
A. B. G.