Fremont weekly freeman. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1850-1853, 1851-07-26

within him-every mans port and bearing
become somewhat more proud and lofty, as
he remembers that seventy-iye years have
rolled away, and thatthe great inheritance of
liberty is still his; his undiminished and un
impaired; his in all its original glory; his to
enjoy, his to protect, and his to transmit to-
future generations.
This inheritancei is not only an inheritance
of liberty, but of our own peculiar American
liberty Liberty has existed in other times, in
other countries, and in other forms. There
has been Grecian liberty, bold and powerful,
full of spirit, eloquence and fire; a liberty
which produced multitudes of great men, and
has transmitted one immortal name the name
of Demosthenes, to proSterity. But still it was
liberty of disconnected States, sometimes
united, indeed, by temporary leagues and con-
lfederacies, but often involved in wars be-
tween themselves The sword of Sparta
turned its sharpest edge against Athens, en-
slaved her and devastated Greece, and, in her
turn Sparta was compelled to bend before
the power of Thebes. And let it ever be re-
membered-esp especially let the truth sink deep
ly into all American minds-that it was the
want of union among the several States, which
finally gave the master of all Greece to Philip
of Macedon. And there has, also been Ro-
man liberty-a proud, ambitious domipeering
spirit, protesting free and popular principles
even in Rome itself; but even in the best
days of the republic, ready to carry slavery
and chains into her provinces, and through
every country, over which her eagles could be
borne. Whoever heard of liberty in Spain or
) Gaul, or Germany, or Britain, in the days Of
A Al
man empire declined, her provinces, not in
structed in The principles of free popular gov
ernment, one after another, declined also; and
when Rome herself fell, in the end, all fell to-
gether 1 had said gentlemen, that our in
heritance is and inheritance of American lib
| erty. That liberty is characteristic, peculiar,
, and altogether our own.
Nothing like it existed in former times;
while with US, its principles have been interwo-
ven into the minds of individual men, connect
ed with our daily opinions and daily habits,
until it is, if 1 may so say, an element of So
f cial as well as political life; and the conse-
E quence is, that to whatever region an Ameri-
can citizen carried himself he takes with him.
fully developed in his own understanding, ouI
: American principles and opinions; and be-
comes ready at once, in cooperation with 9TH
: ers. to apply them to the formation of new
e governments. Of this, wonderful instance
4 may be seen in the history of the State of Cal
1 ifornia. On a former occasion, have ventur
!. ed to remark that Tt is very difficult to estab
: lish free conservative government for tht
It equal advancement of all the interests of soci
o ETY.. What has Germany done-learned Ger
Il many, fuller of ancient lore than all the %orlC
S besides? What has Italy done? What have
/ they done who dwell on the spot where Cice
} ro and Justinia lived? They have not tht
: power of self government. which cotnmoi
5, town meeting with us possesses. Yes, l sal
IS that those persons who have gone from on
Il town meetings, to dig gold in California; ar
more fit to make a republican form Of govern
st ment than any body of men in Germany 3
d Italy, because they have learned this on,
&c great lesson-that there is no security withou
Is law, and that; under the circumstances il
It which they are placed, where there is no mil
= tary authority to cut their tbroats, there is n
y sovereign will but the will of the majority
: that, therefore, if they remain free they mus
it submit to that will And this believe to b
r strictly true
e, Now, fellow citizens, if your patience wi
n hold out, | will venture, before proceeding
IL the more appropriate duties of the day. t
" state, in few werds, what take these Amei
ir lean political principles, in substance; to be-
at They consist, as / think, in the first place, i
le the establishment of popular governments b
10 an equal representation; for it is plain that
pure Democracy like that which existed
lg some of the States of Greece, in which ever
to individual had direct vote in the enactner
Sc of all laws, cannot possibly exis in countr
= of wide extent. This principle of populs
ms representation, prevailing either in all tn
On branches of the Legislative governments, or
US Some of them, has existed in these States a
ey most from the days Of the settlement of Yorl
;e town and Plymoth, borrowed, no doubt froI
ed the example of the popular branch of II
ey British Legislature. The representation
ry the people in the British House of Common
n was originally very unequal. Indeed, it ma
1t; Se doubted, whether the appearance of khigh
les and burgesses assembling on the summons
ay the crown, was not intended at first as an a
I'D sistance and support to the royal prerogativ
la in matters of revenue and taxation, rath
ch than as mode of ascertaining popular OPT
rs on Nevertheless, representation had q po
ms. ular origin, and it savored more ard more
rs the character of that origin, as it acquire
in by slow degrees greater and greater streng
In, in the actual government Of the country.
he 1t was, in fact, form of representatic
di- however unequal; numbers were counted, al
M majorites prevailed; and when our ancesto
acting upon this principal. introduced mo
Ily, equality of representation, the idea assum
ties a more rational and distinct shape. At a
ed rate, this manner for exercising popular pow
sht was familiar to our fathers, when they settl
: on this continent. They adopted it. and &c
md Grafton has risen up after generation; all I
eir knowledging it. .'and becoming acquainted W
md its practice and its forms And the next fl
: damental principle in our system is that
,till will of the majority, fairly expressed throu
net the means of representation, shall have t
de- force of law; and it is Quite evident that il
has country without thrones or aristocracies,
all privileged castles or classes, there can be
au- other foundation for law to stand upon; a
nil as she necessary results for this, the third
we'd meht is that the law is the supreme rule