Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-04-30

order to make Slavery Inconsistent with 1t,
will be found equally Inconsistent with what
the Constitution confessedly permits, name
is. that the States should regulate for them
selves who and how many shall be permitted
10 participate in the Government. Tins be-
ing the case, all such definitions are proved
absurd, logically we mean,) and must be
thrown aside.
II is very easy for Mpssrs. Spooner and
Goodell 10 frame their own definitions OF
words, and then proclaim certain other things
utterly inconsistent with those deGnlIlons.-
But it we recur to the dictionaries, either of
that period or Of our time. we shall find that
Madison was perfectly right in saying that
no strict definition could be given of the
word Republican" We give i few deini-
tons that the reader may see how extremely
indefinite these standard authorities have al
ways held the word 10 be.
Republic A State in which the exercise
Of the sovereign power is lodged in represent
tativcs elected by tho people.--N ebsier,
1915.
Republic "'That form of government in
which the supreme power Is vested In The
people, or in representatives elected by the
people. 4 republic may he either a 5emOc-
racg or an aris'ocr0cy in the former the su-
IltlIlt pONt i - Nv III AhC "hOlc IVY ~
the people or in representatives elected by
the people; in the latter it is vested in a no
6ihty, or a privileged class of a comparatively
small numJer Of persons" Worcester, 1916.
Republican (subs.l: One who thinks a
commonwealth without monarchy, the best
Government.
Republican (adj.) Placing the Govern
ment In the People.
Republic A eal,h-State in
which the power is lodged in more thGn one.
DR.. Samuel Johnston, 1855.
Republic A Commonwealth without a
King.-W Walkers School Dictionary.
Republic A Commonwealth without q
King.-Perry, l775.
Republic a Commonwealth, a free sort
of Government, where many bear rule.-Bai
ley, 1880.
Republic: 4 Commonwealth, 4 free State
bailey. 1882.
Republic A Commemorative State o
Government in which the supreme power il
lod ged in more than one.-Ash, 1875.
The above citations show us how entirely
loose and indefinite the use Of the word hal
always been.
n What then is the meaning Of This clause
! We answer, it is a general guarantee of tn
I State Governments as they then erisfed !
undertakes to secure 10 the States Govern
ments similar TO those they then had. Th
reader will please to recolIect our authoritie;
= for the rule OF constituting the Constitution q
the words were used and understood al M
;ims.-Q. Cranch 40. Spooner, p. l2i.)-
Let us then look at his clause. And first
what is the meaning Of the word q" guarGn
4 IT,"
ITO guaranty republican form Of govern
ment," says Madison. (Frderallst 49, ''sup
= poses a pre-cXIs,ing Government of the tom
which is guaranteed. As long, therefore, a
G the eriSiing republican forms are continueJ
C by tic States. they are guaranteed by III
Constitution"
Again at is sufficient for such a Govern
n mcnt that the persons administering it, b
# appointed either directly or indirectly by tn
i people, &C.; otherwise every Government i
the United States, as well as every othe
popular Government, that has been, or can /
lreN organized or we'll executed. would h
c degraded from the republican eharGcter."-
r (Federalis,, 39.)
We cite these sentences from a source
which Mr.. Spooner's friend Goodell az
T. knowlGdges to be Il competent one, 10 sho'
how the word republican and the wor
- guaranty" were understood in the yeS
1888. The meaning affixed to the latter 1
one will deny. 1t implies that the Cover
n ments Msn criSiing we've republican. w
guaranty a thing in existence, not a thing
"A be afterwards created.
Again; Madison. one Of the hest Of wi
r. neSses. acknowledged to be competent, aft
~ entering at large into the history Of Tie wor
=; and contending that it should have sou
an strict and definite meaning, goes on deIlb
rately to apply the epithet to thirteen State
twelve Of which hen held s!aUes. In the Ia
N of such authority as this, as well as the tat
b., that the mass of men 10 the old republic
~ from whom we copy the word, (Athen
nd Sparta, Romeo We're slaves,-and that
AZ Holland and Italy, their modern imiiatol
not one man in a thousand had AIRY share
y, the Government,--who will undertake
ha say that this word, either in its general sens
w. or as used in our Constitution, has any Il
cessary inconsistency with Slavery! If the
be such a man he must find some other a
-, betttr authority for his meaning than the (
70 neral use and understanding Of IL, and III
has hitherto, at least, been considered I
oro only test of the meaning Of words. lnde
Nv what better evidence could we have of I
~ general use of the word at that time, than I
fact that the delegates of twelve slave &c
,sr ernments deliberately applied it to hemseAp
They surely did not mean to cut their on
t.s threats, or to use words not descriptive
he things. Hencei it must be presumed that
,,e. word republican," in 1888, did not cxclu
to the idea Of Slavery. Any other construct
zen makes the public Of that day absolute foo
,rs w. P
the (To BE c~oNTINUED.)
1er
,us OF The Baltimore Saturday Visiter is