Southern telegraph., 1838-07-04
PROSPECTS OF OUR COUNTRY.


anxiety for tho welfare and prosperity Of
his country. He perceiyes much, indeed,
to inspire cheering anticipations of future
greatness and improvement. But hope is
not without some alloy from fearful appre-
tensions. The seeds of evil are found in
every soil. Neither general intelligence
among the people, by means of knowledge
almost everywhere affnrded, nor wise and
excellent forms of civil government, intend
ed TO secure the liberties of the many, and
to control and regulate the power of the
few who are in office, can suppress the
outbreakings of evil passions, of avarice,
ambition, and envy; nor wholly prevent
the abuse of power delegated to public
agents. We frequently have melancholy
proof, that those check are not sufficient
preventives of arbitrary power, or of cor
rupting ambition. The intelligent are
among the most aspiring, and the professed
republican eXerts authority according to
his own will, or that Of a few interested ia
vorites, without regard for the constitution
which limits and defines his official power
1t has been the hopc and The boast of the
people in the United States, that the consti.
tuition was the rule for men in office, and
designed to restrain their public political
conduct. But is this the case? Has il
been the fact for ten years past? Have
not our agents and servants undertaken to
construe the constitution themselves, in or
der to extend their authority' or found an
excuse for transcending the charter, (Which
should guide and control US ALL in the ex-
cited opinions of a bare majority? We
must 60 back to first principles, and fully
recognise the fundamental maxims of our
fathers, when they stood up in defence of
civil liberty, and opposed the mere will of
a king and his ministers, sixty years ago.
"PrincIples, and not men," should be our
motto. The latter often change, the for
mer, never. The people must keep rulers
to the constitution, and within the consiitu-
tion. Arbitrary power must be opposed in
the bud, or precedent will soon control and
contravene the spirit of our political char
ter. We must promptly protest against all
assumption of undelegated authority. Ru
ers have power enough and they must
have rule, or principles to control them,
as much as the humblest citizen; otherwise
repubicanism is but name.
There is reason to fear that the constitu
tion is not we'll understood--or if under
STOOD is not held sacred, as it should be.
The dominant party will excuse their favor
ite rulers in violating its provisions. 1t is
no matter what that party is called, federal
~ dopNonraftC Hhn ta altua x-c
arbitrary. Let the majority then be watch
ed, and their public conduct closely scan
ned. Liberty must be preferred to the tri
umphs of party: the constitution to the views
of any individuals. Men in power will Of
ten use unlawful means to preserve them
selves in place. The people must watch
the vestal fire Of liberty, or the fame will
he smothered by Office holders and their
ambitious opposers. The seninels of the
citadel of the constitution must be found in
the ranks Of the people, who want nothing
but equal rights, and the enjoyment Of civil
liberty for their children.
But is there real danger, that the consti-
tution will be wilfully violated or disre-
garded? are not the evils we anticipate al
together imagnary9 We think not. There
is danger from the ambitions, who seek
chiefly for popularity. One party adopts
the doctrine of consolidation, if their objects
may be attained. Another, that of nullifi-
cation, when dissatisfied with the policy
and measures Of the government. There
is danger on all sides: and the people,
therefore, have occasion to be vigilant in ex-
amining the conduct of public agents, to
learn whether they make the constitution,
or their own capricious disposition, the rule
| of action.
This attention and this watchfulness Of
the cause of public servants, is the price
we must pay for our liberties-and they are
indispensable on the part of the common
people, if they would preserve the political
freedom left us by our fathers, and which it
is our solemn duty to hand down to posteri-
ty. There is no other way to maintain
healthy tone of liberty in the country
Without it, few generations will regret the
loss of that social blessing, for which our
ancestors hazarded every hing, and with
out which, they declared the high rank of
rational beings was scarcely privilege.