The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 184?-1851, 1844-05-15
SPEECH
MR.. DUNCAN, OF OHIO.

In the House or HepreSentdtlceS,I ,IndTCh ., 1874
On the bill introduced by him to regulate
the election of electors for President and Vice
President and members of Congress throughout
the United States.
Mr. DUNCAN spoke as follows:
There is no higher dnty we owe to ourselves,
to each other, and to our country, in whatever
situation we may be placed, or whatever sphere
in life we may fill, than TO understand the nature
of our government, and the civil Institutions by
which our rights are to be maintained as citizens,
and by which our civil duties and obligations to-
ward each other are to be regulated. This duty
is not more binding upon us in a civil than in a
political sense. 1t is indispensable to a faithful
discharge of our duties as private citizens that
we should understand the duties of citizen.
Those duties involve a knowledge of the legal
and political restraints which civil government
throws upon us and brings us under. These ci-
vii duties and obligations are common to, and
binding upon, all men in state Of organized So
ciety, whatever the form of government may be;
but we, as American citizens, in addition, to these
duties, owe some of a higher character which
may more properly, be denominated political du-
ties, which contradisinguish from civil duties
for the purpose Of illustration. Civil duties, and
knowledge olthe obligations which civil duties
impose, appertain to the subjects Of monarchy
or an aristocracy. The same civil duties, in pro-
portion to the acquisitions oflaw apperain to the
citizens of a republican government; but owing
to the fact that each individual here is not only
citizen, but also member Of the republic, and
part of the law making power, he owes some
higher duties than a mere citizen. Those high
er duties call political duties. Obedience is the
duty Of the humble subject ofthe monarchical
government, while command, is the prerogatlve
of the monach; but in republican government
the dulles of obedience and submission are united
with the prerogative TO command in the same
person. Such is the nature of our government
With us, no man can be so low as to shake off the
duties of legal and constitutional submission; nc
man can be so high as 10 be exempt from them. No
man can be so low Gin crime oxcepted) as to ex-
cuse himself from participation in the duties Of
governing Mo man can be so high as to trans
cend exemption from the Obligations and duties OF
the most humble citizen, or 10 exercise powers
in the establishment of rules Of civil conduct not
common to each and every citizen, only as that
power is delegated to him by the suffrage Of those
he represents, in whatever official position he
may occupy And this leads me to an expose of
the character Of our government. That do, not
only in conformity with a high duty which owe
as a citizen in common but as representative
| do it not only because we cannot too frequently
refer 10 first principles whether in prvate or in
an official capacity; but because the bill under
consideration, in its defence and advancement,
requires such an expose, in order TO illustrate the
absolute necessity of this bill becoming law.
Sir, our government is government Of the
people. 1t was created by the people; it is sus-
tanned by the people; and the people are the gov
eminent, 10 every political purpose and intent.
And in these consist the great and fundamental
difference between republican (or dcmocratic)
form of government and all others. believe
there are but three distinct forms ofgovernment
regarded as fundamental, viz: monarchica, an
aristocratical, and republican form; all others
are modification or mixtures of those. All gov
ernmenta were republican in their origin; no peo-
pie ever were so blind to their own interests,
and so regardless of their individual privileges
and natural rights, as to surrender them into the
hands of any one man or set of men, to dispense
them at his orthelr pleasure or caprice. lmake
another assertion that is, that man possesses all
the requisites for selfgovenment and to deny
those requisites is a SANDER on the human fami-
ly, and base imputation on the Almighty. | al
so assert, that no government ever fell by the cor
ruptons of the people. Why, then (t has been
and will be asked) have all republics fallen?
Why have all government which depended up
on the aggregate wisdom and stability of the peo-
pie, failed? 1t ispart of my purpose, in my sup
port of the present BILL to answer these interog-
atories At present, wish to define and illus
trate the character of our government; and, for
that purpose, to illustrate the principles of other
governments, and to expose the difference to the
end that ours may be better understood,
A monarchica government is that which con-
centrates all power legislative, judicial, and min
isterial, in the hands Of single individual. An
aristocracy is that form of government which pla-
ces the Same powers, and the same amount of
power, in the hands of few individuals. Such
governments are called absolute monarchies, or
absolute aristocracies, as the case may be--abso-
Lutte, because the mass Of the people have no par
tcipation in making, udjudicating upon, or exc
cutting the laws by which they are governed,
Their civil duties consist in submission and obe-
dience; prerogative duties, in commanding sub
missive obedience to the laws which they have
no hand in making, and submission and obedi-
ence to the adjudication OF laws, withoutany part
in the adjudication and submission, and obedience
TO the execution the laws, without any share in
the execution, only as the subjects of execution
In such governments the people are kind Of po-
litcal automatons, without political will or vol-
ton, which move merely as they are moved by
the will of the laws which govern them, or the
will of him or them who make the laws. Such
people may bear, in their external form, the
image of their maker for time, but have the
soul Of Balaam's ass; and in time will become
asses both in soul and body. A monarchy and
an aristocracy may both assume representative
character, by delegation of the prerogatives or
law wmaking, law adjudication, and law execution,