Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1808-03-18


render amendments necessary. Gentlemen
in opposition, conscious of the right, hy tn
alarm and dress all their fears in phalans,
against the experiment. Look at the group
of terrors.
"Approach not the constitution tits the
holy of holies Hinc procul 0 profani
enter not into the vale of this temple The
annointed high priests of the law are the
ministers who alone should draw near TO it
and deliver you the oraclcs. Come not
near The mountain /; for il re touch if, yr
dc. The fieohte The mob { ignorance and
imbecility, the s7uinish niuifirude !; Shall
they attempt, through an indugent avenue
OF the constitution, to enter the sacred hall
OF justice and bind imperial majesty to res
possibility to themselves 1t is monstrnus
We have no ofiinion Of heetie. They
are caprIcious Z; they are impetuous--imna-
tent OF conirol dangerous IN influence and
fatal IN power. Bring the Judiciary to their
responsibility Anarchy will overwhelm us,
and chaos come againi"
| Such OF late has been the general clamor
against all popular measures, and such is
the tenor OF the language of certain class
OF American citizens in 1903
Let us contrast this language with that
of their fathers of 1875
"All men are born free-The heohIe
have the sole and SASiuslvc right of GOV
erning themselves.
Al power is vested originally in the
people, and being derived from them, the
several magistrates and officers of govern
ment vested with authority, whether leris-
lative, executive or judicial, are their SUI,
stItutes and agents, and are at all times ac-
countable to them.''
Is not the contrast very striking And
has the lapse of thirtv-two years produced
IN us so astonishing depraviiy Are their
sons thus fallen from the dignified station
which our fathers asserted ! And has this
retrogradation from sublimity TO baseness
happened within a succession of years when
the World acknowledge we have been pro-
crossing in improvement
Who are the people What is this Hy-
tira OF trightiul aspect! Why Sir, il is our
selves! And IN this mass are comprised the
very gentlemen who affect so much alarm
lest we should betray ourselves, and exhi-
bit proof to the world that we are orr o7un
zvo1st enemies Dare we not, indeed. con-
fide in ourselves Or has fatal experience
so soon taught US that We need frrcspons
bic oversccrs Not so soon. The sover-
eighty OF this nation is still vested in the
feofte. Any portion of it which we dele
gate rs tor purposes of general safety. Our
laws are the guarantees of this safety and
he who interprets or administers these laws,
whether as judge or an executor, is as
much orr agent as the legislator who enacts
them; and is intended, by the constitution.
to be held equally responsible This pr,-
viiege, indeed, though a right of nature. is.
at present, peculiar TO the people of the L.
is. 1t is our inheritance 1t is guaranteed
to US by the last will and testament of our
! fathers and We will preserve il. But were
this otherwise, and we, unfortunately, stood
on level with the common mass of the peo-
pie or less happy countries still should we
find some general maxims tested by the ex-
iperience of Ceniuries-by the rise, progress,
decline and dissolution of nations, Kingdoms
and empires, which would remove the re-
preach from the character of the people
which sequestered individuals and priviie-
ged orders labor to fix upon them Yes, sir,
the history OF all ages, and of all stages of
human society, prove to us thai where the
laws are simple lenieDt and just, and fairly
and equitably administered, the people are
obedient, contented, loyal and happy |!
Can the best read man in this house point
to me an instance Of a popular revolution
which did not originate in abuse of power
No, Sir, corruption begins at court. Let
| rulers be just, and there is no danger of sc
dition. 1t is oppression in monarchical go.
vernments, and it is political fraud in re.
publican which brings down the torrent of
popular resentment on the invaders of their
rights.-When this torrent breaks loose it
overwhelms, like deluge, all before it
and IN vain shall tyranny and duplicity call
TO the rocks and to the mountains to hide
them from the dreadful avenger.
But from this range ofgeneral observati-
on let us return Co our own story and to our
own experience.
ii We have national existence-if we
have any thing of a national character-if
we have national ndependence-and if we
reallEe national happiness at this moment,
it is because the fe0hie Of this country have
had, on all occasions, the stubborn honesty
ct supporting their rights and Causing JUS
tice to be rendered to themselves. IL in
short, we are not at this moment, involved
in the bloody horrors of civil war, we NAV,
and justly, ascribe IL to the intrinsic virtue
of the people Of very remote section Of
our union
Aaron Burr found no difficulty in drawing
to his standard choice Shirifs-men 4ueary
Of the dull nHrsuffs of civil ie-accom-
plished and ready to marshal his divisions
command his regiments, and lead his pla-
toons to deeds of reasonable war. But his
rank and tile must be formed Of the heohie.
These equally despised the tinsel of his sc.
ductives, and the blackness of his heart;
and hence his ezecrable project persisted
IN embryo. We owe, therefore the preser-
walton Of cur union 70 the loyalty of the heo-