Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-02-25
Chr d ally SPY.
SEE FIRST PAGE.
The Majority Rules.

1Egls of "Wednesday, in relation TO the proceedings
in the Legislature Of Thursday. i7h inst, and Sat
urday the 10Th. We agree with the 4Egis in reia-
tien to the above proposition, We believe that the
principle enunciated by our neighbor is correct
The majority rules. The minority, in all true re-
pubcs, concede this. Ii they did not. there could
be nc government bat that of dictation and force;
there could be no republic. The nega'ion of this
great 'tbasa elemental principle Of republican gov
eminent, would produce FIRST anarchy, then despot-
ism. The minority and majority would be brought
into collision, and the result would be the abrosaton
of the natural and inaeuabie rights of the former,
by the sword. Physical force would supecede law,
and liberty be exchanged for public hypocrisy.
Having conceded thai the Eggs is correct ia the
principle which ii has proposed, we would like to
ask our neighbor if he accepts that principle ALSO
ltteiy, and lethoat limitation. Have the the MAJORS
ty original, Inherent, and absolute right 10 govern?
Or do they not hold that right by concession and
with limisatonsl Does not the Constitution Of the
the Commonwealth limit the power Of the majority?
The majority is not sovereign, The people alone is
sovereign; and, so the majority transcend
the limits Of constitutional authority, they cease to
represent the sovereignty Of the people, and lose the
right TO be obeyed.
What is true in relation to the people, is true Of
the representatives of he people, also The major
ity in the Legislature have absolute right to gov
ern. They have no ngh to prevent discussion
Freedom of discussion is right belonging to the
minority much as to the majority; and to deprive
them of that right, nothing less than absolute ty
RAINY.
Besides, the modes Of procedure in legislative
assemblies, are fixed by rules, regulations and
precedents, which absolutely binding on
both majority and minority, as the Constitution
of the State. II the majority violates them, they
commit a crime for which they should receive
''condign punishment and public execration."
The principle that the majority rules is cor
rect with these limitations. If it is not SO limit
ed it resolves itself into the principle of absolute
despotism. What is your opinion, Mr.. Egis
Now, in reference to the case which induced our
neighbor to print the foregoing political axiom that
the ''majority rules should like to ask if the
Wings are the majority Everybody knows that
they are not the majority, and yet they rule. How
comes this to be the case, Mr. Egis! This simple
fact shows that the power Of the majority to rule is
limited by certain constitutional regulations. In this
case, those regulations proven; the majority from
ruling. They permit an accident to place the mi.
norlty in power and they sustain that minority; in
fact. they are the only authority by which the mi
norily does rule Now, il minority rules, in spite
of the abstract principle upon which the Egis lays
much Stress Dug not the representatives Of that
minority to be very careful how they act towards
the representatives of the majority, who are acct
dentaiy the minority in the legislature? Ought they
not TO adhere strictly to the rules and regulations
by virtue of which, alone, they have power? We
think they should.
Instead oil dong SO, however, the minority major
ity attempted, Thursday, 18th inst, 10 elect off
GERS to the Constitutional Convention, which was
completely out of their province; and because the
majority minority attempted TO debate the question,
the Wings gagged them by moving the previous
question. The object Of the 'previous question: is
TO end debate, when subject has been exhausted.
1t was never intended to prevent full and reasona.
Bile discussion. 1t was by this outrageous means,
however, that the @Fugitlve Slave Law Was forced,
without debate, through Congress; and the Wings
in our Legislature, emuaImg the yrarnical DISPOSE
ton Of heir Irrational BRETHREN copied also their
style Of legislation.
On Saturday last, the Wings proposed to recon.
sdei the vote assigning Tuesday FIR the discussion
ofthe bill 10 repeal the Secret Ballot Law The as.
signment had been fairly made, Friday, after dis
cussion, in unusually full house. Il was the most
important question Of the session. and as the Legis-
lature is usually thin Saturday and Monday, it is
not customary consider important business on those
days. There great propriety, therefore, in
carrying this question, they did, over TO Tuesday
Yet the Wings undertook to reconsider this assign
ment, without giving single reason for it, hear
lag against, by mere brute force, under the APP
pication Of the previous question. Inspired by lib.
era potations Of the ''boId John Barleycorn," and
by that other venomous spirit, called "Hunkerlsm, -
they essayed 60 gag the representatives of MAORI.
~ Of the people, and deprive them of rights under
parliamentary law never before called in question:
These representatives would have been false to
themselves and their constituents and equally false
to repubiicanism and liberty, had they submitted TO
such despotism, without resisting it by all the
which the parliamentary, law and the rules Of the
House, placed in their hands. In doing SO, they did
no more than the Wings, when in a minority, had
repeatedly done, during the past two years, even
when attempt had been made improperly 10
abridge their right of discussion. They acted in
strict subcrdinaton to the rules; and The Speaker
and his Wing colleagues and directors are alone 10
blame for all the disturbance which took place, for
u grew, not SO much out Of the unwarranable and
arbitrary attempt TO enforce the previous question,
as oet Of the subsequent aagran open and palpable
violations 81 the rules Of the House and Of the rights
Of members, by the Speaker aud the majority-yo.
iations, which, as has been well said by another,
deprived the House Of its legislative character, and
resolved il into mob"
The Wings had determined to put through their
bill that day, for tho purpose Of having enacted be.
fore the warrants should be issued for the town meet
iugs, in hopes Of defeating Of the most important
provisions Of the Act calling the Convention, The
spirt in which the attempt was made, was well ex-
empliGed in the remark Of Lord Of Salem, the Wing
leader that af The rest Of the majority Thought ae