Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-03-25
E0R TIE E.HQCIRER.
FOR n
tn THE PEOPLE OF yIRGI


your serious attention alike important end interest
ing 10 you all They involve the welfare o.! country
common TO all; country, whose free Insu,ions,
founded in pariosm have been preserved by that DIS
trust Of power which springs from confidence IN the
people which guards the public veal, as a treasure
confded 10 each individual. II is not only tie pryi
ege of free people govern themselves by controlling
their agents. but il s their duty also 10 reflect, to de
berate, under the solemn responsibilities OF sovereign
power The sovereignty of the people is the only pow.
er, which, amidst the wrecks Of misgoverned world,
can claim Iegtimatey to rule by the grace Q! God.
The responsibilities Of civil government he has left
with man; but he has commissioned no one, nor any
few Of his creatures 10 usurp the dominion OF govern
Mt and dispense justice, their preroga!ive, or as
favors TO the many. Justice Is the great end OF Go
vernment Those who, by birth accident artGce,
have claimed the exclusive right to govern, have OF
course denied the capacity Of all others to mpehnd
the mysteries of government Our Institutions rest on
the principle, that man can govern himself. They
cognize civil and political equality in the citizens OF
Republic. Though the citizen may forfeit The dignity
OF freedom, and deprive himself, by crime, OF his right
as peer to rank with his fellow-czen he only illus
trales by his example, the majesty of lave which permit
to rise above sink below the level of their us
tice Power when conferred under the most cautious
prone 10 aggrandize itself, and disturb
that equality with which the blessings of government
like the dews Of Heaven, should descend all Hence
the first duty Of freemcn is vigilance
The forms of representative Democracy, the
exceptions, when the people sumbered, 1t has been ge
nerally administered, indicate the principles by which,
q party, We claim to be distinguished. We CLAN
for the people and the States all power which tie are
not delegated We deny the right OF those tempoTan.
y invested with the authority of Government, usutp
powers not granted, 10 abuse those which have been
granted, for their any other purposes than The
just and equal benefit of Us all We hold, that the 3D.
legations OF justice arise, no, only from The relations
which man stands 10 his fellow man in SOCIETY, bn,
primarily from the relations that exist between te Go.
vernment and ls citizens. We claim for The people,
not only the rights which belong to them, but claim
for them intelligence adequate to the high duties II
Government: an intelligence ~arrantng the confidence
repose in them. We do not fear 10 trns, their intel
lgence. Therefore, disdain those articles and
pedents which others have employed TO excite the;
prejudices and delude their passions !. is easy
promise what cannot be performed 10 excite expec,.
ons that must be disappointed Confden &C thus gam
ed, is soon betrayed tor the selfish purposes with which
it acquired. Favors are granted, indeed, 10 tie
few, but nstice is withheld from the many. As
acknowledge powers in Government but ,hos.
which it holds in trust for all, deny tina,
enrich ennobe any portion fits citizens, except Tie
expense Of The rights the interests Of others Des
potisms may confer titles privileges ndiydua.
classes, but free government has power ~;
means, wealth nor distinction that IL not De-
rived from all and for all. Limitations the powers
Of government, of the essence &C freedom. Their
necessity has been tested by the experience Of h..o
no, only in the examples of ambition, bu. IN the e'es
axiom on which constitutional government 's founded
that there is wisdom, more virtue more energy n
the people, than in their agents; and that
consequently, there many things which ndisdrl:
and W i'll do better for themselves than government
can will do Tor them The practical administration ct
governme nj is necessarily conided 10 few hands "he
these may reflect faithfully the general Interests a11
wishes Of their constituents it is impossible that ie
can either comprehend manage in is complex &C.
tails all the business Of every individual in soclc's.-
The true point Of wisdom aud Of safety linen. lies
discriminating properly between those publc iniee,n
which Government must control and those private T.
tercsts which individuals under the protection OF scte
raj and equal laws, best manage for themeI'e'-
On danger Of free institutions results from The io
sometimes plausible, that Government can safely ::
every thing because il is the agent Of all. TIL, la1a
has proved fatal 10 those democraces which a'emPis
10 govern without written constitutions. The obJec! arr
design Of constitution is TO define the limit heiwet'
the agency OF Government and the agency of infIvce
ais 10 restrain the discretion OF agents to those etC'
which arc specified, and which common 10 all
Monarchy conGdcs every thing 10 the discretion CT 1''
man: Aristocracy to that Of few; while Conu'-' +
tional Republic created by the popular WILL define:
accurately as may be done, the powers which are O.
ferred on Government, and reserves all the rcsio u
people. 1t is competent for the people alone to sia
more, or to rctract what they have granted.
We deny, that the agents of the people in The So.
raj departments Of their Government, wiser, or 9s
lel, OF more patIIctc, man tBS people tHeiHs''i
consequently, deny their right 10 enlarge Their owe
powers, TO retrench those Of The people. The A@s
rican Revolution broke the sceptre Of the G''''
tyran,, and established the right of Tie People 70
vern themselves For the first tine IN the history
the world, an occasion prese n,ed, under ciea.
stances the most favorable for The formation OF ~
Government There were not few, however, NlI
from force Of education and habit, from "ar' :.
confidence in popular institutions, preferred TIE ~.
des of European monarchy to the Republican W.
Of Government, which was adopted There has AVA
been party in the U. s. who, influenced by sun :.
preferences, for strong and splendid Gorefnm'n
by similar dstrus of the people, first sought 10 oo'
in the Constitution sanction for certain prncIF
the British monarchy; and, bafed in this fH'.' ,,
the patriotic forecast of orr fathers have ever ~,
endeayorcd, under numerous pretexs and various
DISCUSSES, to construe the Government 10 De, VIA
had attempted in vain to make it-a Cove nmeh. .! r
vileges for the few and burdens for the many VI
dependence scarcely achieved, before polnca,
ties formed advocating Government Prsie..
one hand, and popular rights on the other nors,
plans for the subversion Of our Republican ne
and thousand predictions of IFS absolute ia'u's al
been made by the ingenuity or despair OF one par"