The Kentucky gazette — Lexington [Ky.], 1792-02-18 00:00:00, page 2

general ele£Iia
I conceive that reafon only and
not the tnmts nr Opinions of men
' even of the moil 'exalted character
' Ihoald have weight in the jnvefti
"'gation of a caufe fo that I would
willingly reft the deciflion of this'
cafe on what I have before ad vanc-
- ed did not I think that fomething
- more was neeeflary to gratify the'
expectations ofoeheri Y& therefore
think for the public good and to
? put a negative upon all laws pro-
tni?rht"o'be r It will be' found' that pofed by the other ruling powers
‘ civil freedom' or libeny is fomething t wjll give greater fecuriry for the en
' very finllair '-'A civil Tociety) ifind- 'joyment of civil liberty than any
ing that the obligations' ofeonfei- other device whxh hat yet been inftructions or who are to judge
COice fiuL the-divine law are not discovered But tlie difference be- when the people ought to be called
foffi&m tafeftraan'all its members wcca the object to be fcciicd aud ' together for the purpofe and to pre-
t donfiftent with the general weal of
his fubjects ? 'And are we not as
s free with refpeet to him as' created
dependent and accountable beinss
9
and political freedom— fliould be
r'lfceftained' Slavery is the being
exploit the meanjne and confirm
the propriety of thefe definitions by
taking a view of our condition with
regard to-the fupreme Ruler of the
r'univerfe It is acknowledged that
he created us free agents fo that
' w-e may exercife our natural fscul-
ties as we pleafe but it cannot be
his will nor Jiave we a riiht from
"him to do evil He is opr rightful
and perfect law-giver and his laws
men 1 lie nearer the
laws of a civil government approach --adopted fbrihe fecuriry of liber tv
I find myfelf conftrained to enter to the divine laws which reflect fo- though it mull be confefled that
- freely but with derJncy into a dif- cial duties the hearer ' the govern- the whole are fometimes ineffectual
cuflion of what Mr Burgh has - nwnt approaches to perfection But
aflerted' ' as the cxercife of all fuch govern-
- To underftand the -fuhiect the menu" mail be 'committed to men
true nature of— political ua very— 1 of like paflions and infirmities with
' orher men complete perfection is
not to be expected yet like per
fection in grace though it may
never be attained it fhould be anx-
foully defired ahd fought fur
have chofen to fnme a conftitution
®f government for us j and con
cluded by promifing to give my
thoughts on fubjecting the confti
tution when framed to the infpec
'tionof county committees’ But
finding that one of your correfpon
dents who fubferibes himfeU H S
B M has made aquotatkniroan — ires more liberty-defires to betl
Burgh's political difquifitions in centious to the violation of finite fo-
favour of inftructions which fotne
of your readers may think deferves
notice I (hall defer a compliance
with my prom'ife to another oppor
tunity i and for theprefent deta:n
you with a few obfervations on the
fentiment advanced by Mr Burgh
' Hi words ar t——Ifmmberttfpar‘
liemnt f meaning the parliament of
England where he reftded) art tut
Mged I regard the infirttSiens if
t'Htr C8nflitutetnt the tuple tf this
tountry (hafts m Jet tf defptts every
'whether they prefer ibe duty or for- i frntativesatihort and fixed periods
bid vice ire all juft and good And acquainted with the circumftancrs
is not his government as free a is and having the fame intends with
fvtnyeari and are at perfeitfiavts at we give!-Upnoihingr we Icofe-noth-
Turks exctptik tie months tf a ingf which in the fight of GOD
fubjected to an unjuft arbitrary rr
ufurped power— —And freedom is
only to be fuhject to righteous laws
pretcribed by thofe who are autho-
rired-to-eftablilh-them— I-wontdTlntpeitant purpoic various forms may poflibly operate as a means ef
Mt Pkiktek' “ " from ‘violence and Iniquity are ‘ the means of fecuring It fhould be
a piece which I lately fuh- compelled to cftabifh civil govern-- ’carefully diftinguiflieJ Liberty is
mitted ‘to public confident ion tnent to detey individuals from act- ' theobjecr and the privilege of vot-"
1 gave my opinion on the propriety ing contrary to juftice and the public ing for representatives is only an ex
- of inftructmg the representatives we 'Weal' Now it is evidentfioin the ' ce Unit means of fecuring ir'Tb -
have a vote is to poflefs a ihare of
"power t but we may have this pow-
and fundamental maxims ibatured
for approximating civil governments
fo perfection i pf wlrch one of
your correfpondents under the fig
nature of: A-11 C has given us a
pretty accurate account in your
Gazette of the 24th of September
- laft Jit is fufficienvfor m purpofei
now particularly toobfi&ye that the1
' general privilege of electing rrpre
would defire that others (hould do
i or nor do to us and the civil fixicty
with which we are combined is the
fum of all juft human law’s as well
i as the divine laws fo far as they re-
late to the duty which we owe to
our fellow men The
(chl right It might be added that
though the choice of rulers and the
form of government are left t’o the
diferetion of a community yet it is
plain from reafi n as well as ferip-
ture that civil government it (elf is
ordained of GOD to be a terror to
evil doers and an encouragement to
thole w ho do well
I am ferfuaded that this is the
mod pteafing as well as the molt
rational view which can be taken of
civil libcity In a juft government
nature of the tafe whatever form
of government this fociety thinks
proper 0 adopt or whatever rulers - ir without pode fling liberty or any
it appqiiflst!hat fo long as righteous certain fecnrjty for liberty Tliis
laws only are 'made and executed
by thefe rulers the fociety w ill con
tinue to enjoy civil liberty in its
fuileft extent t and that he who de
of government have been contrived fecuring libctty
rthe prefix
ing tne fame interefts with ing and returning officers— are aft
the electors who (hall have power particularly directed by the onfti-
to propofie whatever laws they may tation and thereby the repreA-nli-
we ought to retain: to do or not
to Jo all whatfoever if we were
perfect in wifdom aid goodnefs we ‘directed by wifdom whlchjjady be
The better to accomplifti this very fmalLpottioniof pewer-which
apprehend' that there is another
material diftinftion which-ought to
be taken Tlie r:ght of yot ng for
reprefentatives is an‘ efTcntiar part
of the conftitution of every free ftatej
but giving inftruftlons ‘ to reprefen
tatives ’i a privilege which is on
ly permitted to fce exercifrd but not
required' as a duty The jinne
and manner oftnaking elections—
‘the qua'ifications of the electors
and thofe to be electeJ—
may happed from material defects
in the manner of inftituting the ex
ecutivc or judicial departments of
'power s— for 'certainly jnucb de-
1 pend sonHiaving the laws well or
ill applied and enlurced or it may
happen through the default of the
repre-fentatives themfelves when
in the reign of Henry the eighth the
' parliament of England psfird an act
declaring that all proclamations iC
fued by the King Ihould have the
force of laws no ferurity for: the li
berty of the people was left through
the fault of the representative's On
the'reverfe paupers ‘new comm
women and outers who oughrnot
to have a vote may enjoy complete
liberty under a righteous govern-
mem Iris indeed furprifing any
one fhould imagine that liberty
confided in having a vote- a tote
which may be foolifhiy given or if
As it is'manifeft that giring a'vte
forTeprefentatives is not liberty
fo ' neither can ' giving a vote' in
farming inftructions for thofe rep re
fcn:atives be liberty' herein alio a
vote may be foolifhly given orf
directed by wifdomir may fceover
ruled by a foolifh majority To
fjy the mod it is' only excrcifing a
over -The-true ruled by a foolilh majority
ftate'of the cafe fire ms to
be as has fceenhinted that the
privilege of electing reprefcntacives
is only the firft in rank amongft a
variety of other means which have
been difcovredand -ought-to be