Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1849-01-18
Speech of Mr. Springer.

Inc COmmlttee Oh tue WnOle senate having unuef
consideration Gan act to amend an act entitled an
act for the organization Of Pottawatomle and 9TH
counties,' approved Feb. oath, lS47, Mr. SPRING
er having moved to strike out all alter the enact
ing clause, addressed the committee in substance
as follows:
This bill proposes, Mr.. Chairman, to
destroy the organization Of one Of the
counties Of the State, which has been es-
tablished by law, organized in conformity
with law, and which contains a. population
Of some four or five thousand souls. We
are met at the threshold by the stern ques-
ton, Have we the right TO do it !? II so
whence derived, where to be found? Is
the right TO reduce whole community to
anarchy, to take from them the common
rights OF protection and citizenship, to con-
denim them to exile, Punishment and out
lawry, to be found in any Of the great
charters Of American liberty-in the dec
laration Of independence-in the constitu-
ton of the United States, or in our own
organic law Or have we power indie
pendent of these to do this thing? Is our
power unlimited, is it omnipo.ent? Or is
it circumscribed within fixed limits? If
/ so, let us see what those limits are. and
whether an act so despotic and fagitious,
so revolving TO the principles Of justice,
and repugnant to the genius Of our institu-
tions, te not expressly prohibited in that
instrument which we have sworn to sup
port, from which we derive our powers,
and without which we have none.
| The trainers of our constitution not
knowing TO what extremities parties might
go, or seek to go, have wisely provided a
bill Of rights for the protection of all with
| in the boundaries Of the State. Let us
test this measure by the bill Of rights, and
1 see what will become of it. Before doing
this, however, let us recur to first princi-
| Piles let lis refresh ourselves for mo-
ment, with the sentiments Of some Of the
greatest lights Of the world. On the 9TH
Of July 1916, convention Of the champi-
ons Of liberty, band of the purest and
noblest men ever assembled, proclaimed
to the world their views of the rights oil
man, and the causes which impelled the
, separation of the American colonies from
the British crown. trust the principles
Of the Declaration Of independence have
not become ssobsolete IDEAS" and that |
shall not be deemed out Of order if refer
to them.
What are some Of the great truths con-
tanned in that immortal instrument p
'sThat all men are created equal; that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights; that among these are
life, liberty and the pursuit Of happiness i:
that to secure these rights governments
are instituted among men, deriving their
just powers from the consent OF the gov
erned."
Let us also see, what were some Of the
charges preferred by the patriots oithe Re-
volution against the British crown, involv-
ing violation ofthese truths. 1t was cIarg-
ed against him. that s.He had refused 10
pass laws for the accommodation Of large
districts Of people, unless those people
would relinquish the right Of represen-
tation in the legislature-a right inesti-
mable 10 them and formidable to tyrants
only" Another charge was for "obstruc-
ting laws for the naturalization Of foreign
s''-another for constructing the admin
istration Of justice, by refusing laws for
the establishment OF judiciary powers
another, for "depriving the colonists of
the benefits Of trial by jury" and another,
for ssdeclaring them out Of his protection
and waging war against them These
are some Of the charges preferred against
the British crown, and which led the au-
thors Of the declaration Of independence to
declare, that "a prince whose character is
thus marked by every act which may de-
fine tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler OF a
free people"
In view of these truths and charges,
how can we justify ourselves before the
world if we pass this bill? Here is an
integral section Of the State entitled to
rights and privileges, equal to those en-
joyed by any other portion OF the State
"large district Of people" for whose
accommodation we ''refuse to pass
laws" There are foreigners among them
we aobstruct their naturalization" by
denying them courts without which they
cannot become naturalized. We obstruct
the administration Of justice BY denying
them the benefits Of the judiciary. We