The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1849-04-07

" The promise Of the Assembly to con,
tlnue q, preserve such odious .institu.
! lions, like promise 10 engage in the
slave trade, ort'' commit any other i'm
morality, would be absolutely void like
the promise Of an agentrwithout author
ltsyy fron hia, principaL il would possess
no binding obligation. II is moi The in
teres.s of The. public, creditors which
gentlemen promote, when they CON
nect them lg q the popular mind with
these mIschievous and ilI.omened insii.
tutions.. Are, we, to be compelled to
consult foreigners whether we, may
abolish Institutions which insult and
degrade. US as much as they injure' US:
| What right have foreigners to dictate
10 US in our merely internal and politi-
cal concernsa Cannot Senators per.
ceive the humility Of our situation, il,
as they contend, we are not at liberty
to, reform the most manifes. and fla.
grant abuses without, leave asked and
obtained Of foreigners? Is there a
| right minded citizen in Ohio, who does
not feel his degradation in being called
on to submit TO the diclatorial and I'M
perial authority Of single man, whose
power is not only ilegitimate and un
warrantable, but susceptible Of the
grossest abuses? Is there a right mind
ed citizen, who does not blush at the
bare idea Of the citizens ofolher States
becoming acquainted with our revenue
regulations as they truly are in all their
disgusting deformity9 Is there such
man who. does not blush to, have II
kno wn in Europe, that we have erect
ed money despotism Of the most de-
grading and iIiberable character? As
Lii conscious Of the incapacity Of the
people to manage their own affairs
through the instrumen,ality Of their
General Assembly, we delegate the
most important branch Of the revenue
power to a sing lie man, whose UNITY
OF WILL, as it is contended, can, in GER
tain emergencies, act more efficiently
than popular Assembly. Another
branch. of the same power, scarcely
less important, is, for reasons, equally
| plausible, bestowed, on ttiumviraie.
whose unity ofdeslgn makes them for
midable 20 the treasury! Oh, il we
cannot reform such Institutions as
these, let US, in candor, announce that
popular government is failure IN
Ohio! ~ t1',."'' '9i '"' ."1
We warn the public creditorsto keep
their claims out of this controversy.
Nothing but their infatuation in join.
ing the ranks of the peoples enemies
under the banner Of the autoerat, can
endanger the payment Of their debts,
or even occasion temporary suspen-
sion o., interest. But if they are so
out of love with their own interests, as
to determine to aid in fastening upon
US the burthen of these most mischev-
Gus and impolitic institutions, if they
will receive their dues only at the hands
Of the money monarch, then BELT
KNOWN, THEY CANNOT BAvE THEIR DUES!
We make this declaration, not thai we
"hate reputation less, but that we hate
despolism more.n ...,... =, .s;..
1t is not forfthis committee to specu-
late as to what course the sovereign
people will take, in case this bill should
unhappiIy fail in the Senate, by our
partisan divisions occasioning an equal
ity ofvoles for and againstthe measure.
r. Perhaps (and we speak this with
diffidence) they will wait brief inter.
val until the next General Assem- bIylI
shall have opportunitya,o 10 remedy the
errors Of this. That they will not per-
'maneniy submit TO- illegal and arbitra-
ry power, we regard as certain as any
of the great laws Of nature. snThis Ian.
guage reaches us in athunder tones by
means of our correspondence with
nearly all parts of the State a The ipeo.
pile Of Ohio IRE a law abiding people,
they neverowill countenance any irreg.
tllar opposition to the laws, but these
pretended enactments, delegating away
The most limportahtpowers ofslegisla.
.tion dtoi q single individual and a close
cabal, are not laws, but miserable abof.
-.ions eohentitled either tor respect orI
Q ssaiisgi la ssiiub bnn s4s
Our opponents argue that these EN-.
actments have received a kind OF tacit
assent from the People, the Assembly
and the Courts of law, from which
they argue their constitutional validity.
We GO further. We admit that they
originally received the express consent,
Of the Assembly, or they could moi have
been placed on our statute DO ok. . Butl
we challenge our opponents TO produce a
a simple ilstance In which the fuestionll