The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-07-17
STARTLING PROPOSITIONS.
PrOphesies Being Fulfilled Affecting
the Life of the Republic.
HEROIC TREATMENT ALONE
CAN SAVE 1T.
Hope Alone Rests With the Peoples
Party-Is 1t Equal to the
Emergency?
(From VIM. Welch's Home Daryl

IHeTe never Will De drop OF OlOOQ
again spilled to preserve the Union; riots
and routs, dangerous to the public peace,
will be put down by the police and the
military, and human life will be sacri-
feed; but when the public discomfort
affects large sections, so that whole COM
munities and States become disaffected
with their government, and redress of
grievances is denied or rendered improb-
able, conventions will troop along in
quick succession, declaring independence
of the central government The conven-
in time, and periodically organized, may
add century to the life Of the Republic
The knife must, however, be heroicall;-
and skilfully applied to the sores on the
body polite, even at the risk of the pa
TENTS dying on our hands, a not improb-
able event; for it is reasonably certain
that Great Britain could throw off her
Monarchy thro' her omnipotent Parlia-
ment, with less of friction and danger to
public order than that which would at
tend the oosening of the grip on the plu-
people.
The Constitution Of the United States
practically took effect in 1888; soon
thereafter, and in the same year, 10
amendments were proposed and ratified
as to all the States on or before 18th Dec,
1871; then came the 18th and 18th
amendments. the last of which uas ~ati-
fed Sept. 25, 1S04,-and from thencefor-
ward, and until Dec. IS, 1865, the instru-
ment was unchanged.-a period of 81
years. Then followed in rapid success
sion Articles Kill. NV. and XV,-the
last ratified March so, 1870: these are
rightly designated "War Amendments, -
and they have honored the name; the
last, the XVIII, has fed national bitter
ness is red with colored blood and dead
enactmeHt-
MODE OF CHANGING THE CONSTI-
TUITION.
This is plain, but hard to get at for
the want of unanimity. Art. V. provides
that whenever two-thirds of both Houses
of Congress shall deem it necessary,
ahey shall propose amendments, or on
application of the Legislatures of two
thirds of the several States,-shall call a
convention for proposing amendments,
which in either case shall be valid as a
part thereof, when ratified by the legisla-
lures of three-fourths Of the States, or
by Conventions in three-fourths thereof,
as the one or the other mode may be
prescribed by Congress. This modus
operandi is the boss cartoon on majority
rule,-it has no parallel in the legislation
of despOtism for two centuries. 1t is a
gross libel on the Declaration of indie
pendence, and a travesty on the vital
principle of self-government and man
hood suffrage. The Constitution is King
and Emperor, with perpetual lease OF
power so long as it can hold in it's grip
a faction OF the states,-One, with the
smallest fraction, out of four; in palmer
terms, Is of the smallest States today,
possess the power to defeat any amend
ment the other may ratify. Rockefel-
Ter, Havemeyer, Gould, Vanderbilt or AS
tor, all or either, could buy the majority
in Is States, and not miss the ducats,--
and this would be done if New Consti-
tuition proposed to re-invest the people
with stolen sovereignty, without which
the document would float in company
with the apples of the Dead Sea.
The term amendments" is used in the
enabling Article; but it will not be'q
toned that the people of the United
States, in their primary capacity, acting
through three-fourths of the States, can
make a new instrument binding upon all
If attempted de nOvo, it might be claimed
that the old Constitution remained in full
force as to all, until amended as therein
provided. Such, in fact, is the compact
and a majority could not violate it with
impunity.
The most common observer will see at
glance that it is no easy task to get rid
of the Objectionable features of our fun
damental law 1t is waited upon by fear
full pitfalls, at the contemplation of
which the heart of the patriot stands
still. But to recede involves greater dan
ger; the Constitution of 'The Fathers"
has outlived it's day; "The Boys have
amended it, and construed it, and violat-
ed it, until it's sacredness has been utter
ly destroyed; it has become the football
of party bummers, and only takes ON
common consideration when some shad-
ow of authority is found to justify pub
lie outrage or to condone crime against
personal liberty. While the foundation
stones of a representative government
will remain intact, it's autocratic feat
ures must be eliminated, and more di-
rect accountability to the people inaugu-
rated. 1t will ook better for the people
to destroy themselves than to allow it to
be done through delegated power, their
agents, who have installed themselves
as masters.
A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
SUPREME
1t must be borne in mind that the peo-
pie of the several States, through such
Convention, can propose any changes in
our form of government, or affecting it's
administration which it may deem prop
er, by a parliamentary majority.-can
destroy vested rights, terminate the ten
IRE Of office of every Federal official from
President down,-create a Monarchy
and decree the succession establish Or
ders of Nobility, create Counts, ETC., for
home consumption,--in fact propose any
thing in the line of governmental con-
Germ which is possible of execution.
Then, too, under the Declaration, which
is an integral part of our compact, the
people can, by forcible and successful
revolution, do all and singular these
things,-and when poss of the Exec
utive, Legislative and Judicial Depart
ments, carrying with them the Army and
Navy, the government SO created is arm
ed and euipped as the law of forcible
revolution directs; and such will be the
outcome when it is finally determined
that there is no relief to be had at the
hands of Congress or of the State, in thd