Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-03-08
From he Mar York Sum-

Tur Rlcnr on PETITION, ANp ALL OTHER RIGHTS.
There are as have often rcnaiked, fanatics upon
4, Subjects bul these who cause the greatest tEon.
he Al prcscn, are the fanatics npon the right Of Pc
,,:on They gel ~ and present petitions for tic must
,,nstrous ohccis-cvea the destruction oi the Govern
mcnt itself merely for the purpose OF exercising the
r;rht Of petition. This right they say is guaranteed hy
,,. Constitution, and nobody has any right 10 object 10
,L. extent ar the manner III which II IS exercscd-
They as well as al! other political fanatics, wholly
lose SIGHT Of important consde raon, winch, II they
would bear il III ,nd, would cure them Of their mama
ana moderate their conduct They forget that our insii-
,u,ious were framed expressly ior the government OF
peope, who, il was assumed and believed could ENJOY
Their rights without abusing them. No other safeguard
was deemed necessary to. prevent Their abuse thah
the intelligence, the reason The conscience, ana inc
sense of propriety which dwell III the breasts oil all
When The founders of our institutions guaranteed The
liberty Of Tie press they did so because they believed
that these safeguards would lie sufficient barrier
AGAINST lis RIGHTEOUSNESS. When they secured 10 me
neopp the right To bear arms, 1t was because they ei
assured tina; an emil ghtened and yiruous community
would not abuse the right, and that sense OF decehcy
and propriey would prevent them from carrying cut
asses and muskes social parties, or trundng CARO-
nodcs nd morars into the aises oil the churches on Inc
Sabbath And when they determined that the right oil
pctton should be niringed they did not doubt that
pse of nruprclv Justice and humanity would be all The
restriction necessary prevent the right from being
abused as 10 insult the Congress, outrage decency vio
,e the spri, of the national ompac and provoke pas
snnale agaton the tendency OF when 10 rouse ser
vile population Ia Instruction aud murder They I'M
douhedly he ed that men could be found IN the
community So inconsdcrac, ianatca so Infamous
ms la abuse the right of petition thus wantonv slill IN
IN. halls Of station there would BE- no one so destitute
~ every noble feeling and of every sense Of proprety
as 10 second their efforts Had they supposed tnat theIe
was any danger of such abuses OF the rights winch
they scoring 10 The people, they would probably
have inserted provsos TO the effect that men should mol
conduct like savages brules; and certain rules OF
propriety, which left to the reason and con-
science would have been drawn ont aud inserted
N the Constitution. They would have declared
that the press should be free, but they would also
have speciicd The lcentinns things which Il should
no, say-,hc violations OF deccncy III which It should
not indulge. They would have declared that the
people should not he nocsted IN Their right 10 bear
arms provided nevertheless, that they should not use
swords and bayone,s al public tables in room OF
| knives and forks, or pistols and bowie knives at
church instead Of Bibles and Psalm books ihey
would have made the right Of petition sacred on al
the same time would have declared, that inasmnch a.
it would be outragng, trlng with, and insulting the
very Government which thus gruarded that right, 10
peon for its dissolution for gross violation OF the
Constitution, by which il exists, that no such gross and
improper petition should be allowed. but IN these IN
stances and hundred others that we might name, The
virtue intelligence dignity and patriotism of The people
were considered sufficient protection from any such
abuses We and we believe, that through the long
ares of glory ana happiness which our country yet
10 experience, there will be no occasion gwen Tor Sc
rous doubt that this unlimited confidence IN the people
was wise and lust There is in the whole catalogue
of rights which enjoy under our Constitution SIN
Gle one which may not by abstract reasoning be car
RED 10 gross extremes Abuse each one as these tana.
tics attempt to abuse the right Of petition and society
would be resolved INTO lis Original elements; we slouid
be in worse condition then the red men OF the forest
the idea of mankind heing capable Of sclt.sovcTnment
would be set down among the widest visions oil nsa-
nifty.