Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1850-09-30
Practice vs.. Professions,

1koNtALV VSs xAVAOSSAV0Ss
All parties profess to be in favor Of the
doctrine of Equal Rights, for they know
that without such professions they could
not for a year or day receive the sanction
or support of the people. But it must be
evident to all, that all those who claim to
be the advocates of this doctrine are not its
true friends and supporters. The parties
should not, therefore, be jud ged by their
professions alone. Professions are cheap
and, without corresponding practice, are
utterly worthless. The thief at the bar of
justice and the murderer upon the gallows
may utter the most solemn proteststions of
innocence and profess in all their intercourse
with their fellow men to be actuated by
regard for the principles Of right and JUS
tiee, but it is not by their professions that
they are Judged. The tyrant who seeks to
usurp authority and trample beneath his
feet the sacred rights and interests Of the
people may profess to be actuated by a
high regard for their welfare and happiness,
but it will not answer to confide too impI-
city to his professions. "Faith without
works is dead" is maxim as true in
matters of politics as Of religion. Profess
sions without corresponding practice are
Of no use except to serve the purpose Of
demagogues in practieing their deceptions
upon the public mind for their own political
and pecuniary aggrandizement.
The Whis party has been loud in its
professions of attachment to the doctrine of
Equal Rights, and it has been by means
of their professions alone that they have
been enabled to draw so many of the people
to their support, for their practices are all
in direct opposition to this doctrine. They
have gone in for every species of special
and exclusive privileges and for "vested
rights, giving to combined incorporated
wealth the control of the industry Of the
State and of its productions. They have
created Bank law by which they declare
that only certain amount of capital shall
be employed in the business of banking,
and divided the State into banking districts,
assigning to each district the amount Of
banking capital to be employed therein,
and after the amount shall have been taken
up and the power to commence operations
obtained from the Board os Control, "a body
invested with arbitrary power,) have ma de
it penal offence for private citizen to
issue his notes to circulate as money!
power and privilege which they have grant
ed TO the wealthy few to the xclusion of the
toiling many. They have enacted a Tax
Law by which the farmer, the mechanic,
and professional man are taxed upon all
they may have and often upon more, while
these special privileged bankers are taxed
alone upon their profits after deducting their
losses and expenses, and if they make no
profit they pay no tax! They are in favor
of granting privileges to mammoth monop-
oily companies to construct works of i'm
for their own pecuniary advan-
tage, with power to tread upon the rights
of the people, without providing the same
power of redress against their wrongs that
ono citizen has against another. Thus
have they created and recognized distinc-
tions in society, and established privileg-
ed order in free republican State and a.
mong a republican people. Such is brief
recital of the practices of the whig party,
and how beautifully do they contrast with
their professional! Is this practicing E.
quality? Is this regarding the rights Of
all as alike and equal? Or, is it not rather
base hypocrisy for party praeicing such
outrages upon the rights of the people to
Slain any sympathy for the sacred doc
trine Of equal rights? .9
What would merchant, mechanic, a
aver, doctor, priest or laborsr say if the
Legislature should declare that only Ger
tain amount of capital in their several pur-
suits should be employed within this State,
and after the specified amount had been
taken up, should declare that any man who