Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-12-25
For the Times.


For the Times.
A BRIEF TREATISE ON GOVERNMENT
AND THE CONSTITUTION.
BY s'MosEs.
(Continued from paper of the 4th inst.l
But before pass from this historical and
constitutional notice Of the subject, will
refer to passage in our own Stale Consti-
tuition. ! think it conclusive Of The view !
have presented of this subject, or it involves
the authors Of that instrument in a strange
contradiction. In the Bill OF Rights it is said
that all government sorIgina,es from the
people. and is instituted for the good of
the WHOLE" | have always regarded
this as the fruit of inspiration; and not
withs,anding it is thus declared lha, govern
ment is created and maintained for the good
Of the "wHoLE," yet in another part Of the
instrument, the law of part is made to
preserve and prosper the aohole !; or, in 9th
er words, The government of the majority,
which is the part, is made capable Of pre-
serving and prospering the whole. If this
be not an mpracticablity | know mol
what is.
How can the majority, which Is part,
preserve and prosper the whole? 1t is an
im2ossibility, because it is opposed to the
law which governs both the animate and
insnimate worlds. tree in its creation
and growth is a aphole, and the law which
is necessary to its creation, growth, preser-
vation and prosperity must be a aUhole, or
there is inevitably partial if not an entire
decay and destruction. The inorganic ac-
ton Of the maj orily, or part, could not
govern and preserve it, for if SO, what be-
comes of the portion which is outside the
controlling influence Of the majority? In
the creation and growth of a tree, if there
was the inorganic action Of a majority for
its government, there would be war, actual
var between The parts-the war OF the ma
jority, the greater part, with the minority,
the lesser part; and this would be an i'm
prac,icabilily. The same result must fol-
low if our government is created for the
good preservation and growth of the whole,
and is to be preserved and executed by the
inimical and inorganic action Of the major
with the minor part. This is crip.uTal
logic.
Those who study and expound the Scrip
lures seem not TO have rightly comprehend
ed the object of their author in his system
of reasoning. 1t is said that he came for
the salvation and redemption of mankind,
and how was this TO be effecteds He taught
that, for the settlement of every controver-
sy among men, there mus, be resort 10
the APPELLATE tribunal which God himself
had ordained and established. The very
object Of his coming was to show that ap-
pela,e tribunal as the means Of salvation.
The world was, at his appearance, vast,
unbounded and magnificent chaos Of error,
deusion and strife and it all had grown
out of the reliance upon the opinions and
example Of each other. The blind could
not lead the blind neither nationally nor in
dividually, and man had always been lalli-
be How then were universal and indi-
vdual error to be corrected? All men were
in state Of enmIly with each other. Wars
had been universal and continual. Blu! be-
hold the sun, it is in state of perpetual
peace with the jus. and the Unjust, and dis
penses It's benefcence TO all equally and
alike. The rains of heaven fall with the
same comprehensive benefoence upon all
alike; and here is taught the will Of The
Creator the appellate sribunal-,he final ar
bitter in all cases of doubt, delusion and
error. Thus in every case Of doubt or DIFF
fcul,y, the will Of the Creator, as evnced
through the action of his laws, was 10 be
resor,ed to as The only rule of conduct.
But there is another mode of reasoning
adopted by him, which will be found appli-
cable to my view of the subject. Iii this,
that the mental and material worlds are
subject to the same law. This is illustrat-
ed by the passage which represents man as
bringing forth fruit as tree, and is known
by it. The mind of man must be his guide,
and by it he is directed, and brings forth
the legitimate fruit of his conduct. IF it
were otherwise, there would be conhlc,
between the two worlds which would be
disastrous in its coRsequences-the one
striving against the other. 1t follows from
this that if the body Of man be subject 10
The law Of gravilalion the mind must be
equally so.
There IS another principle recognized as
true by his reasoning, and is shown to be
so by the physical organization Of man.
Il is, that The human mind is unit, and
capable of executing but one thing at q
time. This is ,he dree. and necessary re-