Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1850-06-24

ALEX. II. II. STUART. !
To JAMES BELL, Sc
TO TUE VOTERS or AUGUSTA, ROCK
BRIDGE Il HIGHLAND COUNTIES.
Fellou-C Citizens The solicitations of partial
friends have induced me 10 become candidate
for seat in the Convention which the people
have decreed shall assemble to alter and amend
the Constitution of Virginia.
The Office of delegate to such Convention is
high and honorable, but Il most tcarfully res
ponsbe trust. Ga each member will eevove,
in part, the duty of preserving inviolate to his
country, the ines,imable legacy of Liberty,
which was purchased by the blood OF the reyo-
luton, and which, once lost, no nation has ever
regained.
lfany one could allow personal considerations,
or motives of private ambition, 10 enter into
such canvass, he is unworthy the name of
Virgnaal. HgA and honorable as the station
is, do not aspire to it with any other purpose
than that ofrendering some humble service 10
nay country, Whosel am, aud 10 whose service
teel 1t "a sacred duty to devote my all Infn
enced by such motives it is right that should
make, before that people whose suflrages ask,
a full, frank and candid avewal of my views up
on those subjects that wall claim the considera-
ton of the Convention. In doing this my aim
shall not he to catch the popular breeze, but TO
preserve OUT free institutions, though in the effort
may sacrifice myself. He who loves the peo-
Pile truly, would rather administer to them coun-
sci than flattery---drstasteful medicilfe ,alan
sweet poison.
My first cardinal principles of government are
that all power is vested III the people, as a sa-
cred trust for the protection oil The citizens of The
cormunity-ihat the object OF good govern
ment is to secure to the community the largest
amount OF happl"eaa atl4 pefity, by securing
10 each and every citmen the full en- loyn4e,h ot
all his riehts--that ii is the inalienabe rigi9 of
the people to frame their government in their
own way, and that any effort, from any quarter,
to wresl this right from them ca to impair it. is
dangerous usurpation. They are the only yar-
ties 10 be Injured Or benefited, ard therefore the
sole proper Judge what sort of a government they
choose to live under. Having decided, no one
has any more right TO gainsay their sovereign
pleasure thar a stranger would have to control
me al the management OF my private affairs or
TO take upon himself the control tiny houseiee,d
on the plea that ill his Judgment Was improvi-
dent and unwise.
The only question is, rot what the people
have d right 10 do, but hoac, i'll wisdom, and tor
virtuous purposes, they will exercise those rights
admitted to be perfect. The protection OF each
and every citizen in the full enjoyment Of his
life; liberty and property, against foreign and do
mestIc violence, is The great ground Tor the dis
play OF the power OF government; and the only
reason why power Is given to ii. What an err
ror, then, to suppose that popular governments
should possess less power than monarchies,
which Is the same 10 say that rnonarclies
should be made capable Of extending surer pro-
lection to the citizen than republics Such how
ever are the crudities which we now hear pro-
nu!agated by self styled acknowledgements OF
yosierday-who srrr,nly III zeal what they want
IN age. Beware OF sneh decisions, least they
steal away your liberty, under promises OF free
dom from restraint. Remember that the mpas-
sable gull between slavery and rational liberty
consists not in license or the feebleness OF gov
ernment, but simply in the fact that the re-
straints OF freedom are voluntarily imposed by
treemen upon themselves, for the wise and yir-
luous purpose OF protecting the citizen while
the restraints OF slavery are imposed by tyrant
on the sUblec-not TO protect the subject bat to
benefit himself. Restraints there must be-else
there IS Ito government but Wild anarchy
worse than tyranny-such as wretched France
once knew, and under which she groaned. Did
not Our own fathers select Tor us q popular gov
eraments because they believed that under its
auspices the rights OF every citizen would be
more sure than any other? lfas some contend,
public opinion is the great safe guard of private
flShls, why bOrden the people Win the taxes,
or paraphenalia,of. government The ne
cesslty, which all admit, for the enactment Of
laws, proves that public sentiment ID an INSULT
Client guarantee OF private right The fact ami
versaliy conceded, that anarchy is worse than
tyranny-lhat socialism dethrones virtue and
civil lberty-shoulds satisfy us that those laws
ought 10 be strong and binding. In truth, popu-
lar government Is a compact between the whole
people III their sovereign capacity, on the one
side, and each individual OF The community on
the other, by which each individual consents to
surrender a portion OF his natural rights to the
whole community, IN trust tc enable the COM
munlty, or whole people, to protect and defend
the rest OF his rights. And by that social com
pact, the sovereign people solemnly bind them.
selves to make such regulations as will best Sc
cure the trust, andto use the power surrendered
IN no other way than for the purpose proposed.
the foregoing truths are self evident--if the
people have perfect right 10 frame their GOV
ernment ~ their own way-if its ONLY leaititnate
object Is the protection Of each and every ,cit-
zen in the perfect enjoyment of all his nsi rights
lift Is bound by theVefy nature of Inc social
compact to perform this Office, and becomes
burden and nuisance whenever il fails to do so
If to enable it to perform the object of its ere
alton, ii must be invested with ample power
for protections at follows that there can be mo
controversy about the right of the people ito a.
dept any form of government, but the sole oues-
ton is how, in the exercise of an admitted right,
they will frame it, so as best to secure the OBJ
ject of its creation the protection and happi-
ness of the citizen.