Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-12-04

| full in the lace OF The very basis OF Chris
tanity.
During the last session Of Congress, one
! of the most gifted, if not the most gifted
man the South has produced, said in his
speech when dying, in reference to the in
stitu,ion of slavery, that the "equih6rium'
of our government was destroyed. Anolh-
er mosl iudlcious and sensible man, from
the same section, said in his speech, that all
governments in their primitive formation
were purest. This is truth; and he might
have added, they become corrupt in pro-
| portion to the length Of time they run. lie
/ further remarked that the only mode by
which TO restore the just integrity Of our
government, was to return to the pTincl-
pies of it. plantation. This is truth.
| am a, loss to know why the prin-
ciples of government are not as capable OF
demonstration as the principles Of mathe-
mates. !, is something surprising tha, we
should have adopted the government of the
majority as perfect, when it is as old as the
| fall of man. II has obtained and been acted
upon for almost six thousand years, and
with us ii is but the repetition Of univer-
sal failure. All the governments, both 70
antiquity and of modern times, have been
constructed upon the inorganic principle Of
the ma ority. OF the thousands and tens Of
thousands that have lived, do not know an
exception. If could call to mind one,
would refer to it; but in all my reading Of
the histories of all the nations that have
lived, know not single example of the
construction of a government upon the or
ganic principle Of unanimity. What then
is the course which we pursue-hug death
visibly and fatally to onr bosoms. We have
seen millions Of our fellow beings take poi
son and die certainly, with full knowledge
on our part of the fact, and with the disas-
trous consequences Of universal national
destruction, and yet we deliberately receive
the same dose and call it perfection.
have said that all the nations of anti
putty adopted the inorganic law of the gov
universal rule of action among those ma
tions? Why, solely tha, '"mght is right"
This was not only the rule in their militia
ry, but in their civil action. Such truth
is the necessary and legitimate result Of
the action Of a majority. If two men con-
tend, the stronger prevails, and so in the ac-
ton of government. By force OF the ma
jority, the stronger power, not right, pre-
walls. If an internal contest arises, which
ever is the stronger interest prevails, be-
cause it is the major interest, and for that
reason in the majority. If the weaker in
lerest. which is the minority, should resort
to a combination with foreign aid. and there
by succeed, it thence becomes the stronger
interest, and consequently the maj ority; and
! assert, upon the faith Of all history, that
in one of these two modes all the govern
men,s of the earth have been destroyed :;
and thus the majority has been a universal
destroyer. How then can it be a salutafy
principle and right. All history lies, or
death itself has not been more universal
destroyer than majority, and in my vision
have sometimes fancied the latter to be
The legitimate and most efectual instrument
Of the former for all destruction. The gov.
ernment Of The ma oriiy is the prevalence of
the stronger interest instead Of the WHOLE
interest.
come now to the demonstration of the
truth Of the principle from the early histo-
rcal process of our government The his
torical caption to the Declaration of lnde-
pendence is in these words ''The unani-
nous declaration of the thirteen United
Safes Of America" This is the first time
in The progress Of nations where the prin-
ciple of unanimiiy evolved freedom for an
enslaved world. That act was the origin.
the foundation of our government, equal y
with our freedom. 1t created coniedera-
lion of free and independent States This
is shown by the concluding part, where the
Congress describes itself as the "Represen-
tatves of the United States of America" and
that these United Colonies are, and of righl
ought to be, free and independent States.
and that as free and independent States,
they have full POWER TO LEVY WAR, CON-
CLUDE PEACE, CONTRACT ALLIANCES, Es-
TABLIsH COMMERCE., AND TO DO ALL 9TH
ERACTs AND THINGS WHICH INDEPENDENT
STATES MAY OF RIGHT DO" For the sup
port of this sovereign and independent CON
federation, thus created. the States, through
the representatives of the United States
Of America" PLEDGED their lives, their
fortunes and their sacred honor. Under
this union, the bond of which was the
PLEDGE, the States UNITED, did all the
acts which free and independent States can
do. They levied war, raised armies, ap-
pointed officers, levied taxes and collected
money, appointed ministers, concluded
treaties, and that which is the highest and
most conclusive, they enacted laws.
Although the bond of union thus far
rested on pledge, yet it was, by its Ian
guage, Of force equal to our State Consi-
tuition, for the latter guarantees the protec-
tion of "lIfe, liberty and property" while the
bond created by the pledge in the declara-
ration, imposed the obligation Of ''life, for
tune and sacred honor" What is the diff
ference between life: liberty aad property,