New-York daily tribune., 1843-07-24
Modern .yacObinisIn.

,th of July, l843, in the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Greene street, by ELY MooRE,' whereof
we are probably expected to take some notice-a
courtesy we rarely refuse TO any work that is sent
us. Passing over, then, that large portion of the
Grafton which is made up of the ordinary mate
rial of such occasional performances, we come at
once TO that portion for which the whole was
wrtte,i-for which tile Mechanics and Workiu~
Men were induced to make Mr.. Moore their
orator. That we may not be accused of misre-
presenting, we quote All entire paragraph
The right of man self government or what is the
thing the right Of the majority institute or establish
and consequently to change abolish government when:
they may deem II expedent or necessary their well
fare as have slrcady u,imat' the great essential and
fundamental principle conalred in the charter of Aneri
liberty Strike from II this principle and vou dives, j,
OF all that is valulbe--cf all that is vital And if your IN
situations and laws conflict with this principle they
allen TO the character and of the government which
was established by the wisdom and patriotism Of evolu
zionsry sire.'
Here it is asserted as the great, essential and
fundamental principle Of our system that tie
majority may change or abolish government ;
at their own good pleasure, yet no clue is given to
the orators definition Of the term majority, or
his mode of ascertaning whether an asserted
majority be really such. He afterward tells us
that he means majority of the people,, but still
leaves the vital problem entirely unsolved. Does
he mean majority of all persons or does he
limit his rcquistion to all adult persons or again
to all male adult persons or still farther to all
aohite male adult persons or, yet again, to all
male adult citizens or lastly to all persons in
whom the existing Constitution vests the Right
of Suffrage? The last we are sure he does not
mean; but Just what he does mean is baden in
a fog of rhetorical bombast and denuaciation
The idea here advanced is that bare numcr-
ea majority in community have natural and
Inalienable right to overturn the Constitution and
laws of that community at the sovereign pleasure
of such majority. Now we do insist that, when
"a claim so important and so novel as this is set
up, it becomes those who make it to set forth
precisely its extent and limitation. If all per-
sons who are old enough to render intelligent ODE
dlence to Government and to be punished for dis.
obaylng It's requirements, are thereby naturally
and lnalienably invested with Political power, let
ut be SO stated If only adults, let us know on
what principle, consistent with Mr. Moorc's fun.
damental one, large class is required to obey
laws which they have no voice in making. If
women are to be excluded while taxed if they
have property and punished if they break laws,
let us know why, or at least let us know the fact
Ii Blacks have this inaenable right, of course no
Constitution can deprive them of it, and the re-
stracton on their Right of Suffrage in our State is
mere waste paper, which MIR. Moore, acting as an
Inspector of Elections, would be bound to disrc
gard. Aliens either do or do not share IN this
natural right; if they do, as Mr.. MS Language
implies, then all Naturalization Laws are a farce
and the ship-oad of iorei gncrs who landed IN oul
City yesterday, have an lndeleeslble righ: to vote
here to-day. In short, Nj. Moore is bound tc
state, consistently and Clearly, who arc the pco
pie OF whom : i majority possess an inalienable
right to oyerturn the existing Government ana
set up such substitute as they may choose. L
ne mean al persons, his proposition is absurd the
1nfants the lunatic, the idiot, can neither inle6
gently WELD nor safely be entrusted with so iea-iu
power; II he mean only those in " hom the Elcc
tive Franchise is Constitutionally vested his prop
oSltion amounts to nothing and If he mean less
than the former and more than the latter of these
II will trouble him to find holding ground Al
any rate, ne is bound, in putting forth so pondc
rous proposition, to state Just how much he
does mean.
Nr. Moore thus proceeds to enlighten the BIND
aS to the point he is driving at:
Within the past vear most dangerous ard monstrous
political hey has Been boldly sudaciousy advanced
an orSan led minority, sister State and eSs: say
10 certain extent countenaced and applauded the
State which claims the honor or; rather niam,
ing originated IT. alude the heerodox aud tressonable
dogmas advanced BY the andhcldSrs party in Rhode Island
sn which tits cont.uded that the sovereignty resides the
government and rot III the peopehat the sorcrnment and
not the people the sole and proper Judge the
and mode in which government may be changed modi-
hedn
The Orator is here as successful in misstating
the position ne combatS as In concealing his own.
No man ever contended that the ultimate Sove-
reignty of Free State is inherent in its Govern
ment. The actual Government is but the embo-
died VIII of those to whom the Constitution en-
trusts power. The Law and Order position on
the point mooted is this, that the Political Power
in a State is vested in those to whom the Consti.
and that change can be legally, peacefully
effected only through an alteration of that Con-
stitution in the manner indicated by its provi-
slons and bya legally determined majority of the
votes OF those whom it recognizes as electors
This Is the manner in which Suffrage has been
extended In thus State, and In every other where
1t mas been extended To adopt contrary prin-
ciple, and maintain that those who are not Legal
Voters may become such by the mere exercise Of
their own volition, is to declare all constitutions
nullity and enthrone universal Anarchy.
But this is not the worst. Mr.. Moore proceeds
IN stste what he declares tn he tho doctr;r.s &c