Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-05-19

v,
ever will be, civilized society without an aristocracy
His endeavor was to keep il as much as possible from
| doing mischief"
/ Again page 1925, upon motion that the Executive
should hold his office during good behaviour, : he eS-
pressed great pleasure in hearing it, This was the way
| to get good Government ale was indifferent no"
the Executive should be chosen, provided ne held ms
place by this tenure
! Adams and Hamilton, though personally inmlcal,
represented truly the principles and feelings OF the en-
tire Federal partythe influence of the latter predomI-
mating The speeches and writings OF that time ana
occasion inerspersed with abundant evidences tat
there was then party, powerful III talents II not III
numbers which viewed n Government purely popular
with the utmost distrus and looked forward to the
Enlistment of the BRITISH SYSTEM OF Kings, LORDS
ASp Commons, as the ultimate resort Of their country
Democratic Principles of MIR. Jefferson and his
] associates.
In beautiful contrast with these principles, are those
! avowed by another set of the same occasion
Eand at the same period. Thomas Jefferson the
author of the Declaration of independence, and IFS
sentiments may Justly be considered peculiarly his
| Here are the principles Of true Democracy, VIZ
"That all men are created equal; that they are en-
lowed BY their Creator with certain nalenahc rights;
that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit OF
happiness; that to secure these rights, Governments
are instituted among men, deriving their Just powers
from the consent of the governed; that whenever any
form of government becomes destructive of these ends,
il is the right of the people TO alter or TO abolish II, and
to institute government, laying ITS foundation on
such principles, and organizing ITS powers in such
form, 10 them shall seem most likely 10 eheCt leir
| safety and happiness.
These princp pies were upheld by the true Republi-
| cans in the Convention.
George Mason OF Virginia, page 75l-5 Of the
| Madison Papers) "argued strongly for an election OF
the larger branch [of the Legislaurel by the people
It was TO be the grand depository Of the Democratic
| principle Of the govcrnmcnt'-"Wc ought 10 attend
TO the rights of every class Of the people every
selfish motive every family attachment, ought 10 re.
IL.
less carefully for the rights and happiness Of the lowest,
Than Of the highest order of citizens
/ Again page 9li, ale took this occasion to repeat,
that, notwithstanding his socllude to establish ma
ona government he never would agree TO abolish the
State Governments, or render them absolutely nsgniii.
cant They were as necessary rs the Genera! Govern
ment, and lie would be equally careful 10 preserve
them.
Again page 1909, "Ilaving Tor his primary Object
for the polar star of his political conductthc preser
WALTON othe rights Of the people, he held il
srntal point, the very palladium oil cvi liberty that
the great officers Of Stale, and particularly the eNecu-
tive, should al fixed periods return to that mass from
which they al first taken, III order that they may
feel and respect those rights and interests which are
again 10 be personally valuable to them
! Mr.. Madison p 40, C"nsdrred the popular cleo
ofone branch Of the national legislature essential 10
every plan of free government.
/ Mr.. Wilson OF prnnsy wanna, page SUI sad: "lir
/ wished for vlror in the Gnpernment bat he wished
that vigorous authority to flow Immediately from the
legitimate source OF all authority. The Government
onght possess, NJ, only first, the force, h" second
the mind ScnSr, Of the people al large Tie lrgrsa-
ture u to he the most exact transcript oi ih" whole
society Representation * made necessary only be-
cause it impossible for the peop 10 act collectively
John Dickinson Of Delaware, page l2i", SAID . lie
doubted the policy OF Interviewing into Republican
Constitution Il vcncratIon for wealth lie had always
understood that veneralIon for poverty and virtue
were the objects Of republican encouragement
Il Perhaps il unfortunate, that Thomas Jefferson,
the purest Democrat Of the Revolutionary period and
the first great leader Of the Republican party, no,
in the Convention. Ills published works. however,
exhibit in numberless passages the principles OF the
party which lie belonged few extracts will show
how dificrcn, the principles OF that party from
those protested 10y Adams and Hamilton.
In letter III, vol. Of his Correspondence Inc says:
al would say that the people being the only depository
of power, should exercise person every function
which their qualifications enable them 10 exercise con-
sistently with the order and security %: society that
we now find them equal to the election OF those who
shall he invested with their executive and Legislative
powers and To act themselves the judiciary, as Judges
in questions Of fact that the range Of their powers
ought 10 he enlarged, &c.
gain letter l3l, 'On this view Of the import Of the
term Repubfic, instead of saying, as has been SAID,
shat it may mean any thing nothing, we may say,
with truth and meanings that governments are more or
less Republican, they have more or less OF the ee-
menl of popular election and control in their compost
ton: and believing do, that the mass of the cItl-
zens is the safest depository of their own rights, and
espccially that the evils flowing from the dupcrles OF
the people, are less injurious than those from the egot-
ism of their agents. am friend to that composition
of government which has in ii the most OF this lngrc-
dent.
Again letter 1872: "Our Legislators not sufficient
" appraised Of the rightiu limits of their powers: that
their office is 10 declare and enforce only our naiu-
raj rirhs and duties take none Of them from us
No man has a natural right 10 commit aggression on
the equal rights OF another; and this is all from which
the laws ought to restrain him: Every man IS under
the natural duty of contributing TO the necessities
of the society, and this is all the laws should en-
force on HIM And man having natural right to
be the iudge between himself and another, it IS his
natural duty to submit to the umpiragc of an impartial
third When tie laws have declared and enforced all
this they have fulfilled their functions, and the idea
is quite nniounded that entering into society we
give up any natural right
II Arain letter 49, AT the birth Of our Republic,
we committed that opinion to the world, in The draft
of Constitution annexed to the Notes Virginia, in
which provision was inserted Tor a representation per-
manently equal. The infancy Of the subject at that mo
rn mt and our Experience government, OCCASION
ed gross departures in that draft from genuine Repub
can in truth, the abuses Of monarchy had 50
much filed all the space Of political plation, that
we imagined every thing Republican that was not Mo-
narchy We had yet penetrated to the other princ:-
pie that governments Republican only IN proportion
as they cbody the will Their people, and execute H.
aThe true foundation of the Republican, government
is the equal right of every citizen IN his person and
property, and in their management Try by this,
tally every provision of our Constitution and see II
hangs directly the will Of the people. Reduce your
Legislature 10 convenient number for full, but order
" discussion Let every who fights or pays, ex-
ercise his just and equal right in their selection Sub
nit them 10 appreciation rejection at short intervals
Let the Executive be chosen in the way, and Tor
the same term by those whose agent he IS to be- and
leave no screen Of council behind which to skulk
from responsibility.
Again, letter l49 at should be remembered, as an
axiom of eternal truth in politics, that whatever power
in any government is independent, is absolute ALSO in
theory only at FIRST while the spirit Of the people up,
but in practice, fast that relaxes independence
can be trusted no where but with the people in mass
They are inherently independent Of all but moral law.
Again. letter IT, "Ours, uhe object of the Rcpubll.
can pary) the contrary, was TO maintain the Will OF
the majority of the convention and of the people them
selves We believed, with them, that man was a "a.
nntll and