Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-01-31
Oh e Doilp 9pp.
MONDAY. JANUARY 81. ss58.
The CONSTITUTIONS convention.

The Constitutional Convention.
On the 18th of November last, we stated that
the wings entertained designs of revoking the call
for the Convention to revise the Constitution al
though the people had voted for that Convention.
The Atlas accused US of a deliberate design to de-
fame the wings, and to create false impression
in relation TO this matter, without having any
foundation for so doing The people themselves
can now indge whether we were correct in our
statements regarding the wings, or whether the
Atlas was honest or manly in its defence of them,
The question Of the Constitutional Convention,
at issue between US and the wings, is now mar
rowed down to the single point of ''whether the
people have the right and power 10 call that Con-
venlion or not" Such question seems proper
for the hemisphere of Prussia or France, but it
seems to be rather queer question to propound
in Massachusetts What is the Constitution
Who made il? What was it made for? Now
we look upon the Constitution as The embodiment
and modification of certain political principles
which were established as the basis of free gov
ernment. by the people The Constitution is the
regularly ordained and solemnly expressed will of
the people, Immediately to their servants in the
legislature, and also TO their servants in the ju-
dietary and executive. The people, in their SOW
ereign capacity, made the Constitution, and pre-.
scented il TO those who were to make the enact
ment and execution of the laws their business,
thereby expressly instructing them within what
limits and upon what principles they were to pro-
coed. The judiciary was instituted to adjudcate
between the citizen, accused of breach of the
laws, and the government entrusted with their ex-
ecutlon The Constitution is superior 10 the Lee
gisature, to the government, and to the judiciary,
not from any intrinsic power in that instrument,
but because it is the expressed will of the people
themselves, and the people stand behind it
What Legitimate power is there in this Common
wealth, to prevent the people from modifying or
completely remodelling this instrument, if they
please? Does any one pretend that the parch-
ment on which the Constitution is written, and
the red tape with which it is tied, possess any
power? Is it pretended that the propositions of
the Constitution are mmutable, because they
were ''the will of our fathers?" If so, it is pre-
tended that this Commonwealth should be gov
erned by dead men, who are done with life, and
all It's interests; and that who are interested,
and who know our own wants better than any
other men, living or dead must be content to be
ruled by the past.
1t is not prescribed in the Constitution, that
Convention shall not be held in order TO revise it
there is therefore nothing revolutionary in the
people doing so. The present and former consti-
tutlons were prepared by conventions, therefore
we act in strict accordance with established pre-
ceden, in holding the proposed one The wings
are afraid of the people, arisocralic factions are,
therefore they wish to prevent the people, if they
can, from exercising their sovereign rights
lithere was not a majority of at least Ii 600
in the Stete against the Wings, there would not
be word heard from that faction about the un
consiitutionaty ofthc Convention.