New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-02-01

rsgaie community, the collected will a the people
sovereign confess hat think Chez Justice Jay spoke
rather paradoxcsly than phos0f hic.iy when be sso
That ts country exhibited the extraordinary spectacle OF
usay gns and 10 sgtscts The people be said are
al soyeregus aud the pe,0sty al the s that they
have suh-cs,excepte few coiOred persons TIN.
- rather fsnciu Tie Aggregate community sosereisn
but fha ~ soFeeignty which scisn tie sy eksr
cse o sovereign power The people cannot oct ds The
people They must essl sh government and nvssti sith
much of the suYereifu power th, requires
ihs sovereign power being delegated and placed 10
the hanos OF he government st government becomes
What popularity called THE STATE ike the of.fash-
toned " stating things az fhey ana the
idea Of ss-e. II organzee government reps-
,enug The CO ecied will 81 The people they sec
tt ~ invest that government with power And IN that
respect 70 "a tine that lhoogh f4 government possesses
sovefegl power II does NOT possess al sovereign power
sHd the Stale government though soyeresn In SOM
fespsetsi are not Do al Nor could be shown that the
.hs misht pc eaNed sovereign power We usually spesk
Of states States. % not object But
never - styfs lem nor does the 1ons- iu-
s1-H % t4r document rif - ne st"rlci vf TIE
tetera. government IL calls them the United and
ne fYNtinnt IT. me Government " the United states
Still the fact unosniabiy leg station Il sOyereien
power and Is exercised By organized government 10 Ger
tain extent and b. The Stdt-s sccodIng the forms
which they have Themselves estsb shed
W ell then, haylns agreed Tat OIL power u originally
rom The people, That they eau confer a. much o. u - they
please the uext principle H. thai the exeIcfe Of es
atve power aud the Other powerOf ~ them
selves Improbable, they must be exercised by RFTRE
sKNTATlvKs or the People snd distinguish tn-
American System rs much anything else from any por
system Of OF modern times thr
felicity Of its rep esenstiye Il mas with ALLOW
10 say, somewhat different gin from the repfesen
ation Of The Co mons 10 Englgnd though that has been
worked up 10 resemblance Of OUf system The
representative system England originated not in any
supposed zhis Of the bot in the neees
stiles and commands Of the Crown. Al frat nights and
Bufaesses were summoned 70 Parliament called BY the
kiug OF en- against their will Macy remon strancss
presented against ding up these representatives the
charge OF paying them felt 10 be buToensoms by The
people But the King wished their counsel and advice
bin 70 make greater hssday against the feuda baron in
tie arsocatc and edtsry branch o. The legislature
L.. a.
snd popular character and became the gusr
dams Of popular rights The people through tnen Oh
tanned protection ag4inst the sucrOachments OF The Crown
ano the arsocEacy m ~ our day they are understood u
the kepTessutsyes " the People, charged with tie
ways just Representation has always been THIS lhe
power Is with the people but they cannot exercise u 20
masses or PEI c9di hey can Ohy exercise II Dy 'nsi
representatives. The whole system with US has been pop
ular from the be ginning
Well the basis Of this representation Is suffrage The
lght 10 choose representative b. every mans part 10 the
exercise OF sovereign p0verto have voice IN ~ n ne
ls the proper qualifications that IS the fundamental eX
eicse Of political power by every eecior That is the
begiunrg Th4t is the MODE ia which power eulanates
from It's source gets into the hands Of Conventions
Legislatures Courts Of Law and the Chair Of the kxecu,
tive IL begins ia Suffrage Suffrage is the delegation Of
the power Of an individual 10 some agent
II this be then follow two other great principles ~
l. The hrst is hat the Right Of Suffrage shall be guarded
protected secured against force and against fraud snd
= The second s that its exercise shall be prescribed BY
previous law; is qualifications shall be prescribed bype
yious law the time and place OF It's exercise shall be
prescribed by previous law the manner Of It's exef.
else, under whose supsIvsion,aweys sworn ohcers OF
the LAWS 10 be prescribed And then again the results
are 10 be certified 10 the central power by certain
rule by known public officers, In some cear and
definite form, 10 the end that two things may be done =
frs that every man. entitled TO vote, may vote, second
that his may be sent forward and counted and 50 be
may exercise bis part Of sove eigaiy In common with ms
In the exercise Of political power through Repre-
seutatises We know nothing, we never have sn9wn AHy
thu ~ such should be carried through
the prescribed forms Of law and when we depart from
that sh, wander az widely from The American track
the pole is from tie track Of the sun
have said that IL is principle Of the American sys
ten, that he people limit their e-uments-Nalionai
State They do 70 butit is another principle equally
true aud certain and according to my oi Ju'ss
equally important, that the people orn ln thent' Is
They set bounds TO their power They haNe CHOSEN
10 secure the institutions they the sudden
impulses OF maoTities All our Institutions TEEN
with instances Of This II was their great CONSERVATIVE
principle in constituting forms Of government, that they
should what they had established against sudden
changes Of msjonres BY the MIN article o. me
Constitution Of the United states, congress t"o-lhtus OF
both Houses eoneans may propose , 10 M
Constitution OF on the application OF tne 20
twOthifos OF The states may can NVnfen oii ~ ~
amendments proposed in either OF these forms must re
ratified by The LegslsturesoI Conventions OF
Of toe States. That NTH article OF me ~
was made topic for those who framed the feopes Con
sttution" Of Rhode Island could only have been made
IQpic Of dsnuuciatOn II gives no counienancs 20 any o.
thelr "a : anythns Ike them On the con
application Of that eat American principle ina, the Son
stiu1on Of Government should be cautiously and prudent
y nterered with aud that changes should not o'ein'nS
But he people limit themselves also in other WAYS
They limit themselves In this first exercise OF their pOt
cal nights They limit themselves by All ther Cons'u
tious important respects-that Is say IN regard
TO qualifications Of electors and in regard to lusha
tion Of the elected In every state and IN ali the states
the people have precuded from voting Tor any
body they may choose they have limited their own rshl
Of choosing They have said, We will elect no man VINO
has not such and such qualifications We VIII not vote
ourselves unless we have such ana such qushhcatohs
hev have also limited themselves certain prescribed
fr ir The CO nduct of elections They must vote az
particular place at particular time ana unef paiucu
lar Ondtons or not al all IL u Ia these ooes lss We
sfa n fisa Affari lean
Constitution and Laws know other MODE we are not
the will Of the people from pubic meetlngs no.
from assemblies from those assemblies OF
the people by which the mid are terrified ~ whch ihe
prudent alarmed, and by which society
These are not American modes OF sgnylns the VIII oi
the people and they II anything In the coun
try not asceaiued By regular vote, by regular Teubs
aud by regular representation, has been es'abished
exception aud not me fule-t Is an shviay
believe cannot be found IL Is true that az ihe evou
ton when all mment was Immediately dissolved thr
people eot together and what ara hey 40 Do lhey eN
ercss sovereign power They began an ineepiye orsan
zaon the Object Of which TO get together represent
aiiVrs OF the people, who should fofm poNe.unetnt
This was the mode Of proceeding IN those States where
their Legislatures were dissolved IL was ueh ~ a
had IN England upon the ahdcation OF ane' 'he .
he ran abaicsfsd lie threw the great sea lnlo
the Thames ann not aware that on TIE 4lh OF niay
any great seal was brown into froNoeIeo nv.
James abdicatrd and King William took the OoNernsh'
and how old he proceed why he al once reg m 81
who had been members OF the DIG fihtuch ~ nnr Tvs"
lar Parliament in the time Of Charles the S-eon3 70 AZ
semble The Peers being standing boay coslu o'
assemble. and all they did TO recommend the osin
of Conv ention be chosen by the same electors anu
composed OF the same numbers. as composer ana
mspt And the Convention assembled, ana, as al snoN'
vas turned into a Parliament. This was case OF heees
sity- revolution Don't we call II 50, Ana Why Not
merely because sovereign thea a'ceuded the throne
Of lie Stuarfs but because there change IN the or
eenzston of the Government The succession Of Jaw Wa
broksn The Convention did not assemble undei suy pre-
ceding law There Hiatus syncoPe IN tne aotvu
of the BODY polite. This reNolutl.n ~ d the az
arnsnts that assembled sterwsId dated tner esa origin
20 that Revolution. -. ,...,,..
N not obvious enough that cannot set togethe
and count themselves and they msny hnaoreas
and 90 many thousands and Judge OF then own usuca
lions and call themselves the people aud sci up OoNei
uents Why another set Of men, iofiy miles on on we
same 1ay with the poPiieiy with A. so3a q.aun
cations sud ia " afse numbers insy meet an, SCI W
C.verrt nent for themselves One may meet a. Ne"P0if
ana another o. Chepachof ana bat1 may call
me people What Is lhls bus anarchy what liberty -
Aefs here hut tumnltaAry. tempesuons violent stormy
hertya sort Of South American liberty, without powell
except IN spasms-a hberty supported ~ Arts '0"aS
crushed by arms tomorrow. Is that cur hbcr'N -.
This ssular action Of popular power on the 0iAel
places upon public liberty The most beautiful lace tnat r
az adorned that angel form All Is regular And haonous
In s features and gentle IN It's operation The stte AN 81
public authority under American liberty running Ia shls
chspnel has the strength Of Missouri while IFS waters se
a. transparent those Of crystal lake IL Is powerful i0i
GOOD Ii produces tumult, no violence snd 20 wroh
Ifis well enOugh described IN those lines Of III thomas
Denman IL is a stream
Though deep yet clear, though gentle yet not duh
-. - fI