The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1852-02-05

Personal Independence /.


Personal Independence.
There is no baser servility, than that which re-
suits from ieo great desire for popularity. A
demagogue, is a cringing spaniel, with thousand
masters. He has a. many owners as stray cur
He ticks the hand Of every voter that is extended
to him. He has no more Independence than
clam. He sees everything, smells, tastes, hears
everything; but says nsthios, and il he has any
opinions Of his own. fears nothing so much as that
THY may be discovered. He tries to keep a
smooth, calm surface, 50 that whoever attempts
to look int him, win see reflections of the lsok-
er's own opinions. rather than through The sur
face, into the inner nan and, his internal ma
cAinsry. Thiscrnsins servili,y is moro ercusable
in the poor wretch, who is chattsl, and belongs
to his master by bill ofsaie, a. If he were horse
or sheep; but in men, in freensn, who are
masters Of their persons, who have yoli,ion
TO think and power to act independently, it Is ut
,erly contemplate. II is shocking to live where
society is perpetual masquerade; where men
carefully mask all their opinions, all their AMI
mosities, all that rebu.e Of wrong. Of violence.
of vice, Of injustice, which every honest man
ought to ,vear lake helmet upon his bro0. De-
cet. falsehood and hollow hypocrisy, charsc,srizs
society, too much. Men who have in their hearts
deadly hestilities toward each ether, who secretly
desire the ruin Of each other, actu.tsd by this
love Of popularity, become contemplate towards.
fearing each other, and meeting together, ex-
change the civilities Of words and professions,
and smile upon each other. while the malice Of
hell is ranking in their boson.. By this wan, of
frankness and caador. instead Of meeting together
and calmly and freely comparing opinions and ad-
justing differences, men smothe; and conceal and
cover up their snimssisiss. until they break ont in
violent quarrels and fatal street fights.
Why should any free. upright man, be afraid to
svow his opinioas' If he sees society rotting
down piece-meal around him. through the prsvs-
lsncs Of one vice or another, why net asaounes
that vice, and exert all his personal influence
against it, Must a man be braced up by socie-
y, to enable him to oppose intemPeranee! II has
occurred to Us, that good, old fashioned, personal
Influence, and individual effort, to suppress wrong
doing, has found but poor, feeble substitute, in
the efforts Of societies and associations; and that
the plan Of forming associations for reforms. is
only a cowardly way Of shrinking from the re-
spsnsbiny Of individual, personal exsr,ion, to ef-
feet reform. The tendency Of such associations,
is always to weaken personal independence. A
long as the oppositioa TO intempersncs. locks it,
self up in the Division room, operating only
through selfish principle Of association, i, will
be powerless and imperative. We want to see
more men and fewer societies. We wan, to see
more manly independence. We want to see the
time, when if a measure is proposed, which j, is
thought may be popular, men will netaI flock az
ter it like flock Of sheep following bsl-wsath-
er. without inquirns if the measure is expedisns,
and above all, il 1t is just. We want to see the
time come, when clamsr cannot be suddenly
raised against an independent press, which fear
lsssly states the Truth and canvasses public men
the courage to sllay and to combat with o,nnipo-
tent moral eourage;--when if subscription pa
per is started, for one purpose or another, every
man will weigh and consider well and decide
whether it is right and proper for him to subscribe
or not; and when ne man will subscribe through
a base fear Of losing popularity if he refuse.
We want to see men 30 independent, that
if they have signed the Recommendation Of
one young man fer Cadetship, they will not,
to secure favor from the friends Of another appli-
cant for the same Office, sign his Recommendation
also. We want to see members Of the Lexsla-
ture, who have the manliness to say yes or no;
without any hemming or shutting or dodxing. If
people believe it is sxpsdent and right to try the
experiment in Minnesota. Of liqusr law, like
that in Maine, which is yet only an experiment,
even there. Of course they can petition the Leg
islature to enact such law, and the Legislature,
we hope, upon due deIiberation will do just wha,
they think right and proper about it. Has,y Leg
islation always brings after it train Of regrets
So much are we in favor Of the free, Independent
judgment Of every member Of the Legislature, on
this question. being faly protected and freely ex
ereised, independent Of all outside influences and
all fears Of loss Or gain Of popularity, that we
are ready AID willing to defend, now and forsves,
as Gar as the iaaaence Of shis press may 70, the
course and the conduct Of any member. who in
our Judgment acts independently in voting on the
passage Of the Maine law. Bst if, upon fairly
canvsssing the subject, it shall appear to be the
evident conviction Of tbs public mind, that the
enforcement Of sach law, however just its pro-
visions. Is wholly impractcable in Minnesota
il be palpabls that through fear Of losing popuari-
~. the Legislature proceeds to enact this law,
with the deliberate fore-knowledge and inten.
shst it will be dead letter upon the statute book,
we shall not hesitate TO denouncs those who vsts
for il, a. time serving sycophan,s, unworthy Of
legislative trust. a
!. To EVERY CourrRr NEwspAPEs IN THE
UsrrEpsrATEs.---Bs hren fthe press; maay
of you Sand your Journals. cut into the world, 4
without the name Of the town and State printed
under the title Of year papers, signhyng in what
State Teryiforv ~rkt..l II