Year: 1876

In the debate in Congress on the
Centennial appropriation bill, the Con-
stitutIon OF the United States received
general overhauling. The original
and main object of that old document
was to protect the rights of the minor
ity against the aggressions of the ma
jority. Our Fathers labored long and
hard to produce it, and it answered the
purpose for which it was made admir-
ably, until the late unpleasantness be-
tween the North and South. So long
as this old document was intact, the
minority in the South could defy the
majority. For seventy years it stood
like an impregnable wall around the
Southern people and SO bitter were the
North against it that they pronounced
il Ia covenant with death, and a
league with hell" Itwas to destroy
this old document that the war was
inaugurated, and when the South was
yanquished and laid down her arms
the death knell of the Constitution
was sounded. From that hour ma
jority-rule was instituted. But it is
hard for the old Southern men to real
ize the change and adaptlthemselves to
the situation. In all their speeches in
the House and in the Senate, we see
them clinging to the old document.
While the Southern members still
speak of the old Constitution with all
the veneration that Hebrew would
speak Of the law of Moses, the North
ern men sit back in their seats and
laugh at them. On the Goth of Janu-
airy, NJ. L. TOWNSEND, Republican, of
New York, made speech in the
House on the subject of the Constitu-
ion, which caused much laughter
among the Republicans, and great
modification and ehagrin among the
sober old Democrats. Inasmuch as it
has been turned into cause of ridi-
cule, we would advise our old Demo-
cratic friends to cease their blind ven-
Grafton of the dead old document, and
recognize the fact that we are now
living under a majority rule-mob
law-which is Democracy gone to
seed. The beet thing they can now do
is to recognize this fact and strive to
gain the majority. All their speechs
on this subject Is SO much time vast
ed, "a vain effort at resurrecting the
dead. 1t is not pleasant to be laughed
at under any circumstances, and it is
the keenest source of modification to
Lc ridiculed for acting the simpleton-
for making an effort at the impossible.
Whether we shall ever have consti-
tuition again in this government, with
any vitality,is one of the problems be-
longing to philosophers. 1t is certain
that constitution which does not
protect the rights of the minority
against the aggressions of the major
ity IS not worth the paper on which it
Is written. This was the weak point
in the old Grecian republic. The will
of the majority was the law of the
land. Under this law Socrates was
puf to death. The conspirators raised
clamor against him, and the mob of
Athens held an election and voted to
put him to death. This is what we
mean by Democracy going to see1.
History repeats itself, and we may ex-
pect to see the day when all cases
shall be determined by the majority
without reference to courts. Even
now mans property can be voted
away without his consent, In the
shape of subsidies. This is only the
beginning-the initiatory step. In en-
emf ire the minority are protected
from the will of the mob by the strong
arm of the Emperor, but in Demo-
cratic country, without constitution,
the minority have no protection. We
hope the the American people may
yet see their error in time to save
themselves.