Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1854-11-28
But modern rcGnements have introdu.

W" NC" ''iHS'pico ~ tHc ncleHce VI
Government. Our own Government
most especially has assumed and exer.
cised an authority over the people, not
unlike that Of weak and aciIlaing pa.
rents over their children, and with about
the same degree Of impar,iali,y. One
child becomes a favofite because he has
made fortune, and anothcr because he
has failed in the pursuit Of lha, object |;
one because Of its beauty, another be.
cause Of its delomi,y. Our Government,
has thus exercised the right ofdispensing
favor TO one or another class of citizens
at will Of directing its patronage first
here ard then there Of bestowing one
day and taking back the next: Of giving
to the few and denying to the many OF
investing wealth with new and exclusive
privileges, and distributing as it were al
random, and with capricious policy,
in unequal portions, what It ought not to
bes,ow, or what, il given away, should
be equally the portion Of all.
A government administered on such q
system of policy may be called a Gov.
ernment Of Equal Rights, but is in its ma.
ture and essence a disguised dcspo,.
ism. |, is the caprcious dispenser of
good and evil, without any restraint, ex.
cept its own sovereign will. ltholds in
its hands the distribution Of the goods of
this world, and is consequently the un-
controlled master of the people.
Such was not the object Of the Gov.
eminent Of the United States, nor such
the powers delegated TO it by the people.
The object was beyond doubt TO protect
the weak against the strong, by giving
them an equal voice and equal rights in
the state ; not to make one portion stron.
ser, the other weaker at pleasure, by
crippling one or more classes of the
community, or making them tributary TO
one alone. This is 100 great power to
cn,rust to Government. 1t was never
given away by the people, and is not a
right but usurpation.
Experience WILL show that this power
has always been exercised under the
influence and for the exclusive benefit
fof wealth. 1t was never yielded in be.
half of the community. Whenever an
exception is made to the general law o
the land, founded on the principle o
equal rights, it will always be found to
be in favor of wealth. These immuni
ties are never bestowed on hc'poor.--
They have no claim to dispensation o
exclusive benefits, and their only busi.
ness is to-" take care Of the rich that Mt
rich may lake care Of the poor" "
Thus it viii be seen that the sole re-
lance Of the laboling classes, who con
stitutc a vast majority of every people Oh
the earth, is the grea, principle Of EIual
Rights that their orly safeguard asains
oppression is system Of legislation
which leaves all TO the free exercise o
their talents and industry, within the lin
its Of the GENERAL LAW, and which on M
prc,ence of public good, bestows on any
particular body Of nan, rights and priv
ileges not equally enjoyed by the srea
aggregate of the body polite.
Time will remedy the departure whlcl
have already been made from this soun'
republican system, if the people but jeal
ously watch and Indignantly frown OF
any future attempts to invade their equa
f rights, or appropriate to the few wha
belongs TO all alike. To quote, in con
clusfon the language of the great man
with whose admirable sentiment we com
mcncel these remarks, =" it is time t.
pause in our career-if we cannot a
once, in justice to the interests vestee
under improvidcnt legislation, make ou
government what it ought 10 be, we cal
a, least take a stand against all new
grants Of monopolics and exclusive priv
ileges, and against any prostitution 0
our Government to the advancement o
the few at the expense oflhc many. "