Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1853-07-05
SPIRIT OF THE TIMES.
Tuesday, July 5, 1858
n, LEFsfE AND u. r. CORY. EpIross.
Fourth Of Jnly I77e, Then aud Now.

n, LEEfE AND u. =. CORY EpIroRs.
Fourth Of July I77e, Then aud Now.
Upon the return Of the anniversary Of
tho sublimest civil event in the record
ofhnmsn history, that Of subject peo.
pie rising In rebellion. and rallying
around the standard Of democratic lib.
erty, @as
We ore at once transported seventy.
seven years back, to the period when
that small band Of Statesmen, compo.
sing the representatives in general
congress" Of The old thirteen colonies,
separately chartered by succession Of
British Kings, published to the world
that exposition ofhuman rights, os their
"Declaration Of American independence.
pledging to each other their lives, their
fortunes, and their most snclcd honor
in support Of the principles it proclaim.
cd. They appealed to the supreme
Judge Of TIE world for their justification,
and to the primal rights Of human ma
ture, bestowed by tho Creator upon all
mankind, before the want ofhuman gov.
srnments had ever, been fell Or known
They appealed to their own rights ns
men, and they affirmed those rights 10 be
"sel(.evident truths" that they held
them in common with all mankind, be.
cause all men were created equal in re.
spect to their rights. That unless for
fcitcJ by his own wrong, every member
Of our race comes into tho world inves
ted with those rights, and that all human
power, concentrated in single arm
would be impotcnt TO take away, though
it might ravish and PROSTATE those
rights, personi6ed in the lowest and wea
kest individual on the face Of the globe
clad in the garb ofhumanity.
The statesmen Of that day hal true
conception Of the the sublime character
Of man, whom they regarded as possess'
ing rights which he could forfeit by hi.
own wrong, but otherwise, high above
the reach Of hnman power.
| Before this period governments had
been founded either on the arJitrars
aciN Of Of military conquerors, or upon
the mere conventional regulations of the
majority Of property holders. In the re
publics Of former times the majority or
the most frivolous pretences had power
to expcl the most vrtuous man from
hisnative soil, as they did "Aristides thu
just" from Athens. Tho majority hot
power over human life, and thus put ,e
death Socrates, one Of the brightcs
characters that has ever adorned human
nature. Under the military system.
there never has been, neither is there
now any security for person and life.
John Locke regarded the true end
of government as being the protec
ton Of property, but the declaration o.
our independence acknowledges no des
potism. either monarchial or democratic
1t declares every person bo,n with right.
Of which while blamelsssly possessed
no huna" power can deprive him. l
regards man as being "endowel by hi'
Creator with certain inalienable rights,
aud "that TO secure those rights govern
ments are instituted among men, deri
wing their just powers from the consen,
OF the governed; that when any form oil
government becomes destructive Of these
ends it is the right Of the people to alter
or abolish it, and 10 instate q new gov.
crnment, laying its foundations on such
principles. and organizing its powers in
such form as to them shall seem mos,
likely TO effect their safety and happi
ncss."
Then indeed, there were not wanting
pale counsellors 10 (ear-"conserva
tives"-who would have withheld the
delegates Of the general congress" from
the course they were pursuing because
it tended in a direction then untrodden
Blu, the Legislators Of l77e were not ter
ri6cd by the timid suggestions of tbs
conservatives Of that day, nor by the ap
pcaIs Of monied classes, which so often
stiles the voice Of justice. They knew
that they were right, and trusted in Goo
and the people tor consequences. /,
To Jefferson belongs exclusively anl
forever the high renown Of having con
ceived words TO express with the indig
nan, energy Of prophet Of the Mos
High, those great fundamental truths, OF
which the fabric Of human government
should alone be reared. To his memo
ry the 7bcnedictions Of this, and Of al
succeeding ages are due for reducing tht
theory Of Democratic Liberty to its sim
| nlest elements. and in few Iucid mr.