Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-29
The Union and the Constitution.

. insisting on straight-laced constitutional
construction" The other day Col. Nc
Clure, OF the Philadelphia Times, was in
Nashville, and conceded with the views
Of the Union IN this matter. The Phla-
delphia editor seems to have taken loose
construction OF the constitution as his
text, and to have dilated on the short
sighted, as he believed, policy OF the
Southern leaders in such an entertaining
and seductive manner as thoroughly to
confirm Editor Colyar in his error. for he
is very much like the Georgia militiaman
during the war who swore he had the
step and that every other member Of his
company was wrong.
The Union admits that it is a beautiful
theory on its face to reverence the wis
dom and patriotism OF the fathers who
framed the constitution, and TO maintain
that liberty would soon take It's flight
from our fair land. if we should not rigid
ly adhere TO the letter as we'll as the spirit
of that great American magma charta,
and it seems to think it rather funny that
our southern orators have, in the grand
and glorious past, taken the lead in ''start-
ling the world with rhapsodical grafton
and profound disquisitIon upon the deep
LAID scheme OF human liberty involved
in its sacred sentences" But the Union
really believes that the way we construe
the constitution is a hindrance to APP
preparations and improvements aud pro-
gress, while the North takes it as Ii
cense for such things, and never neglects
an opportunity to use it as a permit to
blow out harbOrs, build railroads, dig
canals, clean out rivers, ETC."
Our esteemed contemporary does not
cite any instances in which the North has
been benefited by a broad, or rather
loose, construction Of the constitution, or
in which strict construction of that in
strument, as all statesmen North and
South who have risen above par
tisan and sectional interests and
prejudices have construed it, has
hindered Southern progress. Perhaps
it may be able to cite such instances.
There are no doubt many of them. Many
individuals, as well as nations aud sec
tiOns, have prospered because they were
grasping and interruptions, and many
individuals. as we'll as nations and Sec
tions, have suffered at the hands of spOils-
men while attempting to do right and to
obey the injunctiOns "Thou shalt not
steaP and 'ThOu shalt not covet." But
it will not do to argue from this that the
great moral law of the Creator must be
loosely construed or made subservient to
expediency and personal ends.
1t is to be regretted that the Union
seems disposed to fully indorse the Re-
publican principle Of loose construction,
or misconstruchon or disregard of the
constitution whenever it becomes an OBJ
stacle in the way Of party measures or of
the accom- lishment of the schemes Of
favored classes. 1t has let its zeal for
protection and subsidy legislation lead it
beyond, or rather below the great funda-
mental principle of the Democratic party.
1t is on dangerous ground, and it is time
for it to carefully consider its position.
Perhaps the fathers who laid the fOunda-
lions OF the government in the instrument
which every citizen is pledged to main
tain in its integrity were wiser, il more
scrupulOus, than the time-serving, money
getting patriots who assembled into power
with the froth of the great revolution of a
quarter of century ago.
''rhe blood of the martyrs was the seed
of the church," but where would the
church have been to-day, had the martyrs
have yielded to personal requirements OF
expediency, and denied the faith they be-
Iieyed they had received as the gift of
God2 They might have lived little while
longer, but the church would have died
forever.
The unselfsh patriotism and wisdom of
our Southern statesmen has during the
past few years come TO be recognized and
hOnOred in every part OF the Union, if not
of the world. The seeds of constitutional
liberty are again beginning to bear
the buds of promiee, and while special
interests and favored sections may not
rejoice at the prospect, they will soon
witness the triumph of those principles
that they have tried so desperately to de-
stroy.
1t IS to be feared that if his Satanic
Majesty, clothed as an apostle Of protec-
tion, should take our friend of the Union
up into great high mountain, or even a
range no higher than that on which the
Sewanee mines are located, and offer him
the world, he would almost be tempted
to fall down and worship.
Don't let US go back on the
South altogether because it has
suffered while the North has prospered.
The North got the start of us on army
and navy contracts during the war, ana
we have since the war been heavily taxed
for its benefit, but we are beginning to be
ourselves again. and IL we can get rid Of
the pressure of the unconstitutional war
tariff, open TO our products the markets
of the world, and have the privilege Of
buying what we consume where we can
get it cheapest-in other words take from
our shoulders the burden of taxation for
: the sole benefit Of the nabobs of
. loose construction-it will not
be many years before we will be prosper
GUS, and possess our riches with a good
conscience too, feeling that We have fair
~ earned them, aud have not, like the
Scribes and Pharisees OF old, laid griev-
Gus burdens on our brethren which we
would not deign TO touch even with the
tips OF our lily fingers.
Il Editor Colyar is correct the error Of
our southern statesmen consists in their
beng Democrats.
,ararr ffar,awin aNa,da so, Il,