Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-02


the people not belonging to II are governed by the
laws of Virginia " Certainly not. They have no
Legislative power over the law, therefore they
not make the operation Of the law on themselves
and others different
They have not, and do not claim any power Of
suspending the laws as has already been shown.
IL Mr.. Wise means TO ask whether their rules and
regulations Tor their government a. an organi-
zaton, are not different fromthose OF the statute
law of the State, answer yes; and 80 are those
of the literary societies of the colleges Of Virginia
Il is little remarkable, that every one Of those
provisions in the Virginia Declaration Of Rights,
which were intended to be in favor Of the liberty
of the citizens TO restrain the power Of the consti
tuted authorities and TO leave that power with the
people, Mr.. Wise CONSTITUTES as curtailment Of
popular rights According TO his doctrine, the
Democratic party Of Virginia has for the last TWEEN
ty years been acting In direct violation of all those
provisions of the Declaration Of Rights, 10 which
he has referred. According to his doctrine the
Democrats who meet in secret caucus, and resolve
TO prevent the election Of Wings to Office thereby
claim for the Democratic " set Of men" Ito be
entitled to exclusive privileges nom the community
as against" Wings.
According to his doctrine when the laws say"
that according TO the qualifications for Office Wings
in common with all Others shall be tolerated and
allowed the privileges of citizenship and eligibility
TO Office !" and yet the Democrats resolve, In secret
council, that no Wing shall be elected--they (the
Democrats) thereby g have organized secret
power to suspend these laws and prevent the exc
cution of them" According to his doctrine, when
the Democrats resolve In secret caucus that no
Wing shall be elected, they thereby annul that
part Of the eighth section of the Declaration Of
Rights, which says, :" no man shall be deprived Of
his liberty except by the law of the land or the
judgment Of his peers" If as Mr. Wise says, lib
Al ~ u.xIs
suppose, he will hardly deny, Wings are entitled
to this liberty as well as others This, mind you,
is Mr.. Wise's argument, not mine
Mr.. Wise treats an effort on the part of the peo-
pie to influence the policy Of the government or
to operate on public opinion, through the peace
able and orderly method Of the ballot-box, as Sc
dtious movement on the part of faction TO inter-
ferc with the action of government, or to thwart
the operation of the laws by violent and unconsti-
tutional means. The right Of suffrage is the pri-
vate individual property Of the citizen for the pro-
per exercise of which he is under high moral re-
sponsibilty but for which he Is accountable TO no
human being After the people have made their
organic law, and put the machinery of the govern
ment in motion, II is only through the ballot-box
that they can make their power and influence felt
at ALL But Mr. Wses doctrine, carried out to its
legitimate consequences, would destroy forever the
efficacy of the ballot-box as the great controlling
power over public opinion as the great corrective
Of evil political tendencies. The great and promi
nent fiction of representative republican institu-
tons, Is that the people have right to know the
opinions Of those who aspire to represent them
and to have their views reflected through their
in the administration OF the gov
eminent.
Freedom ofspeech, and freedom Of conscience,
are among the greatest blessings known to land
Of liberty Our constitutions have guarded these
rights against the danger of all pains and penalties
under the law yet, for his thoughts and opinions
no matter how honestly entertained, man is re-
sponsible In his representative character. Even II
the people err, in pronouncing Judgment on
public man, it is their right to erT-I do not mean
their moral, but their constitutional right.
Mr.. Wise says, when our constitutions forbid
the legislators to exercise power, they intend
that no such power shall be exercised by any one.
If Mr. w. means by the term "power," any af-
frmative action, invested with the means Of bind
ing others--any functional exercise of authority
agree with him. But he cannot mean that
From the context, the whole tendency fhis argu-
ment has reference to the motive Of the voter. And
that motive, insist the Constitution has left un
touched.
The constitution proscribes no one for his opin-
IONS All are equal under 1t, no matter how vari-
ant may be their opinions, either political or rei
gous And yet every individual voter has an un-
questioned right to vote against, and to persuade
his friends to vote against and to unite in an or
ganization for having defeated whomsoever may
differ with him in opinion. And what would the
right of suffrage be worth without this free, in
dependent, and unquestioned exercise oft? The
constitution does not forbid any to be elected
for hating southern slavery with all the intensity
Of his soul, and yet that constitution allows
Mr., Wise to vote against such man. and TO concert
with others either in public private, for prevent
ing his election. The constitution, In prescribing
the qualifications for President, forbds" the idea
of his being ineligible on account Of his being
Wing; and yet, does Mr.. Wise think it forbids the
people Of this country from voting against him. on
that grounds
These cases are put by way Of illustration TO
show the fallacy Of Mr. Wise's argument. The
law making power cannot add any disqualification
for Office, other than that mentioned in the funda-
mental law; but, yet, the people, and every one Of
them, may, in the exercise Of an unquestioned
privilege to vote as he chooses, practically impose
u disqualification for mere opinion; whilst at the
same time this freedom Of opinion is secured against
pains and penalties, by the same organic law which
confers on the voter the right to disqualfy for
place on account of it, If this be not so then the
exercise Of the right Of suffrage is idle and
unmeaning ceremony.
Here viii stop for the present i viii resume
my review of Mr.. Wise's manifesto hereafter.
With much regard, yours sincerely,