Southern pioneer, and Carroll, Choctaw and Tallahatchie Counties advertiser., 1841-03-27
LJV.aUGUR.aL ADDRESS.

great ana Tree Nation, appear before you,
fellow-citizens, to take the oaths which the
Constitution prescribes, as necessary quail
hcation for the performance of its duties
And in obedience to a custom coeval with our
government. and what believe to be your
expectations, | proceed TO present to you a
summary of the principles which will govern
me in the discharge of the duties shall be
called upon to perform.
1t was the remark of Roman Consul, in
an early period of that celebrated Republic,
that most striking contrast was observable
in the conduct of candidates for Offices of pow
er and trust, before and after obtaining them;
they seldom carry out, in the latter case, the
pledges and promises made in the former
However much the world may have improved
in many respects, in the lapse of upwards of
two thousand years, since the remark was
made by the virtuous and indignant Roman,
! | fear that strict examination Of the annals
of some of the modern elective governments,
would develope similar instances of violated
confidence.
Although the fiat of the people has gone
forth, proclaming me the Chief Magistrate of
this glorious Union, nothing on their part re-
naming to be done, it may be thought that
motive may exist to keep up the deusion un-
der which they may be supposed to have acted
in relation to my principles and opinions; and
perhaps there may be some in this assembly
who have come here either prepared to con-
denim those shall now deliver, or approving
them, to doubt the sincerity with which they
are uttered. But the lapse of few months
will confirm or dispel their fears. The out
line of principles to govern, and measures to
be adopted, by an Administration not yet be-
gun, will soon be exchanged for immutable
history, and stand, either exonerated by my
countrymen, or classed with the mass Of those
who promised that they might deceive, and
fattered with the intention to betray. How
ever strong may be my present purpose to
realize the expectation of magnanimous and
confiding people, l too well understand the
dangerous temptations to which shall be ex-
posed, from the magnitude of the power which
it has been the pleasure of the people to COM
NIT to my hands, not to place my chief conf
dence upon the aid of that Almighty power
which has hitherto protected me, and enabled
me to bring to favorable issues other impor-
tant but still greatly inferior trusts, hereto
fore cnnfdad n hy my nnnntr5'-@
The broad foundation on which our Consti-
tuition rests being the People-a breath of
theirs having made, as breath can unmake,
change or modify it-can be assigned to none
of the great divisions of Government, but
that of Democracy. If such is its theory,
those who are called to administer it must re-
cognize, as its leading principle, the duty OF
shaping their measures so as to produce the
greatest good to the greatest number. But,
with these broad admissions, if we would COM
pare the sovereignty acknowledged to exist in
the mass of our people, with the power
claimed by other sovereignties, even by those
which have been considered most purely DEM
ocratic, we shall find most essential differ
ence. All others lay claims to power limited
only by their own will. The majority of our
citizens, on the contrary, possess sovereignty
with an amount of power precisely equal to
that which has been granted them by the par
ties to the national compact, and nothing be-
yond. We admit of no Government by di-
vine right Believing that so far as power is
concerned, the Benifcent Creator has made
no distinction among men, that all are upon
an equality, and that the only legitimate right
to govern is an express grant OF power tron
the governed. The Constitution OF the Uni
ted States is the instrument containing thl:
grant of power to the several department:
Composing the Government On an examin
ton of that instrument it will be found to con
tain declarations of power granted and o
power withheld. The latter is also suscepti
BILE of division, into power which the majorit,
had right to grant, but which they did no
think proper to entrust to their agents, ant
that which they could not have granted, no
being possessed by themselves. In other word
there are certain rights possessed by each in
dividuai American citizen, which, in his com
pact with the others, he has never surrender
ed. Some of them, indeed, he is unable t.
surrender, being, in the language of our sys
tenn, unalienable. The boasted privilege of
Roman citizen was to him shield only agains
petty provincial ruler, whilst the proud dem
ocrat of Athens could console himself under
sentence of death, for supposed violation O
t, the national faith, which no one understood
and which at times was the stbject of tn
;. mockery of all, or the banishment from hi
: home, his family and his country, with o
: without an alleged cause; thatit was the act