Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-04-26
F01hEiCA

ESLaEfC&E.
a Reriec Gfhe Proclamation Of President Jackson of
the 10th Of Decen'6er 1882 in series of numbers oy
SmdHy published an The .NOrf0ik and Porfsponh ne
raid, under bssignatIre of' II Virginan No III
VINO constitute tina, great Corporation and body polc
have called Thc People, which all in these now United
States concur in freely acknowledging their ege Lord
ava only earthly sovereign by whose fiat all our govern.
ments have been created and cndow and at whose viii
they may at any time he rgh'uly dissolved and annih
iaed This IS the question: which in my last number
promised to examine in this and NOW will proceed o
redeem my pledge.
No American is ignorant of the history Of his own
country as not to know, that prior TO the
oil our Revolutions there did not exist where on hi,
vast continent, such body polite az The People -
ihen, Whoever dweii IN America, either a savage
ndan or he heEe subject OF some European Sovereign
None of the various savage Tribes who oyer
surface OF much OF this continent had then ever regarded
themselves, been regarded by any others as cousi
tuilng fixed Society aClnow lodging allegiance 10 anv
Sovereign or as constituting that moral and accountable
being called State. Had any cvilze. man Or sci r mon
presumed at that time, 10 assert his their sovcreipnv
here, the assertion would have been considered, Inv ali ne
scdIoh' and the attempt TO maintain it by force as an
overt act OF treason against his European master for ali
w'c men IN America then claimed to he the loyal sub
jects Of some such Lord
1t is true, that in British America there existed sundrv
tracts oil country deineacd upon the geographical charts
as British Colonies the inhabitants of each of which re-
gons were formed into separate and fixed Societies. whose
affairs were regulated by long established governments
the power OF each OF which governments was limited bv
the particular boundaries OF its Colony their acts hav
ing no obligation or force beyond the local limits of such
territory. None OF these governments, however ex
mbited any such body polite The People; for thew all
derived heir powers, either mcdiaely or Immediately
from the British Kings whose gents they ever had
oeen' ana Then were Nor were these Societies them
selves known by any common OF distinction hut ON
~ as the Colony OF Virginia the Colony Massachusetts
Bay, OF Canada, Of Nova Scotia the like; for each If
these communities then separate and distinct i'm all
things, from every other the COlonists being NV
no other social political tie, that of the alepiance
which all acknow edged not to any People but to the
Crown OF Great Britain.
British msrue converted of these subjects whose
gal U had hoo ti.atr tf.l,,..,
surgens against the authority they had fore ed 10
acknow ledge; and in triumphant victory they achieved
mat glorious Revolution, which, under different aus
Pces might have been branded trditorous Rebellion
Ibis Revolution, however, in dssoivng the former govern.
nen's did not dissolve the former Societies and wears he
fore II was perfected, the Revolt had taken place No
hope could I've entertained of ultimate success to this Rc
VOLT unless government should be established
IN the stead OF that which had heen dissolved order and
direct proceedings, TO sanction acts sneak and 10 de
crmne Tor all its members. Butby whom and for whom
was or could such an institution government be then
ordNined and established here?
The general TO this question is obvous As all
government upposes the pre- existence some establish
ed Society," whose affairs it designed 10 regulate and
Tie rules Tor The civil conduct OF whose members il il re-
quired 10 prescribe therefore, by none other than Some
pre-eXisng and established Society can anu government
be created ordained Even when foregn force il tho
foundation OF government las is too often the CASEY sill
as such force only he exered by some established
Society over he will of other Society," or of some
part OF II, when this force is employed with success
the victor Society, while dssoIvng the former bonds
OF association of its vanquished antagonists
theln as part ITSELF whatever
please TO prescribe and and ordains govern
men Tor them But when the foundation of government
IS not orce, but consent it would be paradox TO suppose
the Of any others than of those who had TN gt
TO consents that is TO say Of the members of that parc-
lar pre- xistng and established Society for the regulation
OF whose affairs snch government is designed. None
Then Dut the eeXisng established Societies in British
America, could ordain government for such Societies
except by orce and the government ordained bv any one
Of these Societies. deriving all its powers from it, could
nave had no authority, except that Society itself
when we apply this obvious general conclusion TO the
facts OF The particular must all he at once con-
Vnced mat all the primitive governments of the differ
ent rcyocd colonies of Great Britain must have been Or
daned and established by the SeUerdl Societies Then ex
isng in the revoted Colonies respectively, and their
special and particular benefit. Therefore that none
OF these governments could have had any other auhor.
ty than 10 regulate The affairs Of their own creators and
OF none others. Fsay at these governments must have
been go established and endowed, because at that time
there did not eSi ever had existed any such society
or community The People Of America or of the Pri
hsh Colonies IN America OF the reVOlted British Colo.
mics ia America or under any other nine or form save
that OF the Colony Of Georgia, of South Carolina &c &c
Therefore, by these scyera and distinct communities aone
an our primitive governments must have been and in point
OF Tact were ordained and established; and governments
being 50 eH'-hcd these several communities their re.
specve authors thereby assumed be- and so far az they
"ero seyer"y concerned became, hat great moral and
accountable being Sovereign Stale which having chosen
the Democratic form Tor its gov, rnmen was known and
styled The Commonwealth
Doubtless The different revolted Colonies might il thew
hal thought roper, have consented to agsmate aud
blend Memseves together into one sin rIe Societv and
then have established any sort Of government which ,be
Chose, Tor this new community Had hcy h4ye done 50
We should nc ~ have heard Of he State OF Pennsyv
co.. The Commonwealth Of Virginia ln iliat event none
OF These former communities would have Sover.
tEniy uic essential attribute Of State tor all would have
sunk an" "WnneH i~o mere municipalities, bodies corpo.
rate but not polite, created permitted to exist not by
their own will bu at The will and pleasure of ibis other
more august being "the nation" by whatever name that
'halioh might have been pleased to baptse itself But
The pdifio sagcs oi ifat day did choose so 10 do
Nor was this decision i.s resun OF any "Sts1e prde
designed "o Gud advocates in any preindice" al
though uat prejudice might be "hones'' No it was
dictated by dat profound and sagscious wisdom which
can see The future in The past These patriot saees had
read and well knew, that communities occupying dine.
rent territories of vide extent, situated under different eli.
mates protesting different religions, long governed by dl.
efeh Laws having different manners habits. customs or.
cupaton' and OF many dhr rent and conflicting in
forests, could mover be melted down single Society
aud kept together as SUCH but by much stronger power
Than any which they thought either safe or prudent 10
create such communities. while separate and distinct
might be we'll 'pl easily cpnfedcrded nay even united
Tor many PuPo'ss useful 10 AL and essential some aud