Jenks's Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland [Me.]) 1799-1802, 1799-12-23
VOLUME II.

courts and by defending their own rights, lib.
critics properties and privileges, they have been
obliged, 10 fome degre, TO defend thofe of the
people. But there were ieveral efential defects
| in this policy: one was that the people took
no rational meafures to defend themielyes, Ell
| rher aganft theie great families or the courts.
They had no adequate approximation of them
ielves in the iovereigniy. Another was that
| it never was determined where the iovereignty
reGded-generaly il was claimed by kingss
but not admitted ny the mobiles. Sometimes
every baroa pretended to be fovereign in bis
own territory; at other times the fovereigntv
was claimed by an afiernbly of the mobiles, un-
der the names of States or Coites. Sometimes
the n nited authority of the King and the
States was called the fovreignty. The COM
mon people had no adequate and independent
flare in the legiaatures, and found themfelves
Narrated 10 diieoger who was tie fovrei and
whom they nsht to obsy, as much as they eyer
had been or could be to determine who had the
moi merit "A houiand years of Baron'. wars,
caping universal darknef., ignorance and bar
bari:y, ended at laa in firnpe monarchy, not by
express Reputation, but by tacit acquiefcence, in
almoa all Europe; the people preftrring GER
tain foveieignty in Jingle perfon, to end.eis
diputes about merit and fovereignty, which
never did and never viii produce anything bur
ariaocratical anarchy; and the noble content
ing themfelves With fecurity of their property
and privileges, by government of fixed laws,
regia:red and interpreted by judicial power,
wllicl. they called toveregn tribunals, though
the legination and execution were in Jingle
perion. In this iyaem cootroul the MOBILES,
the Church Joined the Kings and common
people.
The progrefs OF reafon, letters and fcence.
has weakened the church and Rrengthed the
common people; who, il they are honenly and
.prudently conducted by thoie who have their
conf iencc, will moi inf4lIibly obtain fhare
in every leeilatule. But if the common PEG.
pie are adviled to aim at coil, cling the whole
lovereignty 10 Engle national ademblies, as they
are BY he Dpke dc la Rochefouc anlt and the
Marquis Of Csndoree, or at the abolition Of
the Regal executive authority or al A diviion
ct the executive power, as they are BY poithu.
NOUS publication of tn, Abby de Mahly, they
will fail of their deiiled liberty as certainly as
emulation and rivalry are founded in human
nature and igicpaIabls from cisi, affairs. lis
not to haitsr the pai6oas of The people to be
lure. nor is it the way to- obtain pfefsnt en-.
thuGd'tic popularity 10 tell them that in a Jingle
aiIembly, they will ACT as arbitr arily and tyran-
nically as any deipo, bur it is fAcred truth,
and as demonrable as any proportion what
ever, that ioseregnty ia a inge aGernbly
mutt necedariiy, and will certainly 5e exsreiied
by majority as tyr4nncally as any losereignty
was ever ex.rciied by Kings or Mobiles. And
if balance of pailions and ngcrelt is not feien-
ti6cay concerted, the prsfent itruggle in Eu-
rope will be little beneficial to mankind, and
Droduce nothing but another thoufsnd wears of
icudal fanaticifni under new and orange names.