Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1852-07-24
For the Southern Standard.
Leaves from my NGte- Book.
mo. I. I

This justly celebrated paper astonished the
world not more by its boldness than by the new
theory of government which it advocated. Eu-
ropean Politicians regarded it as hasty, il-timed
measure, and predicted that in few months It's
authors would suffer the punishment which they
so richly merited. Philosophers, men like Pitt
and Voltaire, who thought, and who could foresee
the future predicted that although England might
possibly subdue her revolted colonies, still the ef-
fects of their Declaration would be unprecedented
in the annals of the euorId. In it that theory
which at first appears plausible and will ever
catch the masses--the class of society which new
thinks, but aetsfound, for the first time, brave
and eloquent advocates ne allude to the theory
of Equality and the tInalienable right of all
men to liberty" The wise said that if the Amer
leans were successful, the masses in Europe would
attempt to put their theory into actual practice
if they were subiugated by the mother country,
that they would be regarded as martyrs to the
cause of humanity, and their maxims become the
rallying cry of every insurrection. The Ameri-
cans were eminently successful, and the false doc
trines contained in their Declaration of Independ-
ence were soon carried across the Atlantic while
the true and correct principles remained with the
revolutionary heroes. These erroneous doctrines
of the nature of government in the hands of false
prophets and false apostles of Liberty were the
leading causes of that outbreak, it does not merit
the name of Revolution-which began without
having definite object, and ended, after delu-
ging Europe in blood for twenty years, in a strug-
gle not for freedom, not for progress, not for hu
manity, but to overthrow popular dcspot, and to
riyet again the chains of an hereditary tyrant.-
We believe that the French Revolution of '98
with its mobs, massacres, and unheard of tyran-
nies, was the legitimate result of attempt to
put into practice the theory contained in the Dec
laration-and we believe that those people who
make the attempt--ours never has--will suffer as
France has done--will find, that this theory, like
the Upas tree, which afar seems beautiful and in
viting, but whose very shade brings death and
desolation. The Jefersonian idea of Liberty and
Equality cannot be true, its fruit would be good
for by the fruit we know every tree. We would
not, even if it were in our power, detract from
the fame of jefferson. We look upon him as the
great Corypheus of that party which the des-
tiny of this Republic depends-the Constitutional
Democracy. But we cannot subscribe to many of
his views of the relations which men bear to each
other and to the government. Bacon taught much
that is erroneous, but time has exposed these fall
lacies, and has also revealed the truth and beauty
of his system 1t will do the same for Jefferson
his will be forgotten, and for his discovery
of that grand system of government, by which
several Independent States be united in one
nation-yet each State can retain its own COM
plete sovereignty-he will be regarded among
statesmen as Bacon is among philosophers-as the
star which shall lead men to the knowledge of
their true interest.
We look upon the Declaration of Independence
as the greatest State paper of modern times as
the masterpiece of the human ntelect-but still
we believe that it contains several fallacies, which
are at enmity with true liberty-contrary to the
letter and spirit of the Federal Constituton-and
which, if persisted in, will prove 'The dreful
source of woes unnumbered to our already op-
pressed section. Calhoun long ago taught us that
it was absurd to believe that ' all men are born
free and equal'--that, 50 far from its being true
that it is the very opposite of the truth, for
are born, not free, but in actual dependence, in
(if the term viii be forgiven actual slavery
He has also shown that there are no two things
either animate or inanimate, which are exactly e.
quail inequality is the lord of the universe. We
will not pursue this question further, but will
tent ourselves in believing with Milton, stern re-
publican and devoted patriot, that
Orders and degrees
Jar not with liberty, but well consist
The Declaration boldly advocates the doctrine
that call men have an nalienabe right to liberty
Will any man of common sense pretend to believe
this? We would like to know what the phrase
Inalienabe Right signifies? In our opinion,
if it means anything, an Inalienable Right is one
which is emphatically our own; of which we
cannot be deprived. We may say that man has
an inaenable right to life; for it is thing which
cannot be taken from him without destroying his
existence. We hold that it is the possession of
life that makes the man-hence every man has AN
inalienable right to life, since he cannot be deprived
of it without "a destruction of the very principle
which makes him But is it SO with liber-
| ty? Let US look around and see. We know that
I the people of Asia, of Africa, of the greater part
of Europe and South America are degraded slaves
Now how came they in this condition? What
has become of their "inaenable right to lber-
/ ty? The truth of the question now shows itself
and we see how absurd it is to speak of liberty
the inaenable right of all men. We sincerely
hope our coHntrymen will dismiss all prejudices
and childish notions, and will learn to reason on
the question for themselves.
If, then, liberty is not an inherent and inaliena
BILE right, what is it? We answer that it is an &C
quired privilege, and therefore all men have no
the same right to its enjoyment. But, says some
f body, from whom can we acquire it? from tht
government? No, my dear sir. For, according
; to our theory, government originates from tn,
people, is their creature, and such partakers o
, all their imperfectons. Liberty cannot be &C
quired from the concessions of government 70
man must acquire the privilege of living free from
t himself, and from no other source he must OBJ
tain this IN the same way that he does civilization
l-property--and the capacity of enjoying refined
society-by long, patient, and laborious tol-b.
conquering the evil passions of his nature,-b.
striving to return to his natural state, which is no
as the French Socialists imagined state of savag
a freedom but of the highest civilization and re
6nement Man was not created savage if b
n had been, he would have nothing to- thank his ma