The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-08-05
THE uSLAwFuLNEss OF KNOW -NoTHINGlsM.

The celebrated author of The Spirit of Laws distin
gushed for his great love of mankind his desire for their
happiness his sentiments Of liberty and the wisdom of his
counsel for its acquisition and preservation has classified
the crimes against under four divisions Those of the
first species preudical to religion the second to
ais the third to the public tranquility and the fourth to
the security of the subject"
1t has reserved for nation enjoying to fuller
tent than any other of ancient modern times the highest
degree of religious civil, and political freedom to have
fostered in her bosom and exhibit to the world recog
Missed and organized faction imbodying in the principles of
its association and action every division of this classca
ton of crimes
Who deny that its assault upon religious freedom is
preudicial to reigion?n Who will dispute that
necessary consequence preudcal to the public NOR
ais Has not the public tranquility been already dis
turbed the security of the citizen been impered
What has the wise forecast Of fathers, the mmor-
tai founders of the magnificent temple of common
liberty provided security against its overthrow? Its
cornerstone is the inaienable right Freedom to worship
Cod Upon this rock it is founded that failing, the
temple and its worshippcrs sink in indiscriminae ruin
What this right and what the safeguards provided
for this palladium of all other rights? 1t is in the
walton Of this amongst others, inaienabe And why,
how has this reservation been made Hear the Apos
tie of Political Liberty Mr. jefferson, upon this point:
ssIt has become a universal and almost uncontroverted
position in the several States that the purposes of security
do require surrender of all rights to ordinary
that there certain portions of right not
ccssary to enable them to effective government
and which experience has, nevertheless proved that they will
encroachng submitted to them that there also
certain fences which experience has proved equally ecacou
against wrong and rarely obstructive of right gov
ernng powers have shown disposition to weaken and
OF the first kind for instance freedom Of religion
How does he propose to fence this primary indefeasbs
naenabe right? A bill of rights" which he declares lis
what the people entitled against every government
earth, general particular This fence though it does
not hedge round the constitution of the United States
defect which gave rise to the above language Of Jefferson
in setting forth his objections thereto is STILL in de-
gree removed by the subsequent amendments that in
strument the first of which is Congress shall make
law respecting the establishment Of religion Neverthe-
less most if not all the States of this confederacy
fenced about these primary nalienable rights and religion
first of all, by declaration or bin of rights.
TO make purpose clear, it will be necessary to
slider for moment what is the nature of bill of rights
and what its force and authority Their origin given by
Hamilton in his Federalists that bills Of right in their
origin spuatons between kings and their subjects abridg
ments Of prerogative in favor of privilege reservation
rights not surrendered TO the prince Such the Magma
Charta obtained by the barons sword in hand from King
John such the petition Of right assented to by Charles
the first SUCH ALSO the declaration of right presented
by the Lords and Commons the Prince Orange 1858
and afterwards thrown into of Parliament called the
bill of rights These rights have been further declared
and protected by subsequent of Parliament Great
Britain
What do the English commentators say the charao-
ter of these rights reserved to the people? nE
Tho rights themselves thus defined by these several
ues consist in number private mmunics which appear
be other than either the esdum of natural liberty which
is not required by the laws of society be sacrificed to pub
lie convenience else those civil privileges which society
has engaged to provide lieu of the natural liberty given
by individuals These therefore, formerly the rights
Of all mankind. Such the principal absolute rights
which appertan to the subject and the constitution has
provided for the security OF their actual enjoyment by estab
fishing certain other auxiliary subordinate rights, out
works barriers protect and maintain those rights nve
late"
Hence it appears that the constitution of the several
States is but auxiliary and subordinate to the bin of
rights the barriers protect and maintain the rights
therein declared nviolate Consequently, bills of right
stand in relation the constitution the constitution
does to laws, and paramount to both.
To this view OF The superiority of bills Of rights have
the authority of Mr. Jefferson who thought that awher,
the interpreting power was there the sovereignty