The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1842-10-25
MIDDLEBURY vi. OCTOBER %, 1912

u x tiN utiouSh
to infict the penalties for treason, are no
sufficiently provided against the exigrncie.
ofrebellion. Unless, therefore, the genera
Govt promptly interfercs, under its constitu
tional power, to suppress 1t rebellion agains
our state governments is the most probable
cause which exists Of a general civil war.
After escaping from danger, it is nalura
to look back, that we may see how it occur
red, and how it can be avoided for the iu'
lure. When the colonies, which now ioru
the Oldest thirteen states of the Union, sepa.
rated from the mother country, they gener-
ally adop'ed written constitutions OF govern
ment, with the right of suffrage mofc or less
restricted, but IN zone of them universal,
and in several, col"nial inequalities of rep
resrntation were preserved. When written
constitutions were adopted, they, in most in
stances, provided modes for their own a
mendtnenf.
Rhode Island, however, satisfied with the
existing furm of government, dId not adopt
a written constitution. On our separation
from Great Britain, therefore, the laws ot
the legislature of that state became the SUI
preme law, and the power 81 government
c"uId not be changed without an act of The
legislature, or by revolution. Any change
which should be made, however peacenbly,
unless Ivy law, would, of Course, he 4 revo-
luii"n, as II would be putting down the eAis-
ting g"veI nment, without its own consent,
aud substituting another in ITS place.
In all the states, inequalities in The right
of suffrage aud representation continued Ia
exist unaltered, till within twenty years past,
-.l.l L., - -l..t ,nA a.r-
lainly without the thought of rrvolutinn.-
About that time, in some few of The states,
public opinion demanded u change, and u
change Was accordingly male wi h0ut diff
Guilty or violence. In other states, where
peaceable modes of altering are provided,
inequalities, nearly "r quite as great as th"se
cor1plainrd Of in Rhode Island, have been
ed To exist Ia this day. In our own
stale even, un>hackled by colonial restraints
we %vulunia lily formed, and have continued a
government, whose inequalities Of represent
iation are probably equal To those, which, IN
Rhode Island, uerc thought To justify d rev
.oluiion, and that, too, by the s~"td. But
such a revolution ran only he justified when
the evils of gov, rnment have become OPP
pre- ssIve and inlulcrable, and When all mild
er remedies aIe l. 81. Su,h was not the state
things in our sister stale, at the time n
portion of her citizens thought proper u"
the standard of civil war. We heard
no complaints OF msignvernment, nor Of the
of any portion of her people
They were in full possession of the
same free government they had always
enjoyed, and of the civil rights which are
in the country. IL is true their po-
privileges were not equal. Sotne
had a greater proportion of represent
alton than others, and there were propert.
qualifications for voters Those were TIE
evils, and all the evils complained of.
Ifit is to be granted, that for reasons like
these, government may, at any time, be o.
vcrturned by violence, we shall never in
this country, he without fruitful causes of CT
vii war. There are inequalities in the right
Of suffrage and representation in every state;
in none, can greater inequality Of rep
resentation be found, than at present EXISTS,
under our national government, in the SEN
ate Of the United States. There, two mil
lions and a half ofthe citizens of New York
are no more numerously represented than n
thousand citizens of Rhode Island.
Considerations like these should satisfy
us, that mere theories about government and
rights, unaccompanied by oppres-
sion and IA privation of civil Iights,can never
in this country, Justify a resort To the sword.
npinion is the safe, proper, and Ger
tain corrective of all evils oithis description.
Its operaiion is gradual! but il is surely better
10 wait long and patiently for IFS ultimate CT
fects, than rashly to engage in a savage
-f - III ,..h ofbar IrhppI i'm Rhnda
Island, public opinion had already produced
effect, and left those, whose iret were :"
swift to shed blood, without The slightest ex-
ruse. Befnre they raised the standard oil
reb. Hon, the legislature had caused Il con-
stitution Ia be submitted To the people, "hich
il was fully in their power Ia adopt. II VIII
he deemed a sufficient answer I" this,
To saw, that II was not such III ell ie-
specis as a portion of The people reqnir-
ed. Ii went almost the whole extent al
demands. II j. mt desirable that chan
pes i'm Government nj should be abrupt, IN mat
Ter. about wlirh there Is nearly an equal
division of opininn. In all well regulated
communities. such changes are ALWAYS graz
dual. and there CANNED be the slightest d"uit
bu, final. in Rhode Island, surrounded by
Tree republics, anu he'sei W. ~"
sisters, every thing which could he justly.
demanded, would, in due lime, have been
And. under all The circumstances,
The attempt, which WIS made by a Poril'n "l
her people, To plunge the stale IN cIviI war,
deserves, in NV Judgment, the srvrrr>t rep
rehen-ion of every human ci'Izen, and eve
~ lnver of ris country. And | cann"t Ind
To express my sense ofthe conduct OF
hose. who, unconcerned IN the affairs OF
That state and remote from the dangers and
horrors of the .renc, urged ON and >IImnlai-
ed her deludrd %ciiizrns Ia the enactment ut
he tragedy which they were 50 eager TO
witness. :.
have thought it my duly 10 express these
views. because it is a subject OF im'nrdia'e
interest To ns all, and because a Su'ao'e
preston of opinion, "a to the cna.ar'F.