Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1855-02-03
nIcuT OF PoL1rlc.A SECRECY.

RIGHT OF POLITlCsL SECRECY.
It seems strange thu IN a land of liberty the
riobt of secrecy, :. our individual or corpora
tive capacitie- relative TO our opinions upon
,o,;,;.., ~..atters, should be for a moment ques-
tiora u. 1t is not questioned by impartial and
.nprejudieed minds. Secrecy in our private
affairs is the surest way to effect our personal
ends; ana SO long as we keep within the pale
of the laws, just so long have we the right
thus to accomplish those ends. 1t is the SINE
in public as in private affairs. If a -,an or a
combination of men, deem it exr <dient, for the
prosperity and happiness of me land, TO unite
themselves in a body a.d 90 secretly to work
to make great political reforms, it is their in.
du''taels right, guaranteed by the spirit of the
CONSTITUTIONS, SO long as their acts comport
with tie existing statutes Of the county,
Ara yet this is a grave charge made hy the
enemies of the American Party, which we find
very ably and eloquen,Iy answered in the fol-
lowing extract from a Congressional speech:
AIN ttots & WC COultIIcUt VI w pCOpUSt.
ton which lies at the foundation Of his opin.
ions-thasa a man in the United STATES is bound
to promutgaie his political uiews. take issue
with him on that question. We are a people
occupying an independent section of the earth,
with >. Government Of our own. 1t is q Gov.
eminent which springs from the people, repub.
bean in its nature, in which the interests, rights,
opinions and commands Of the people consti-
tute, not only the guiding but original power,
and no man who discharges his duty as a men,
Der of the social compact, who executes his
will, and, according to the forms Of law, i'm.
presses his convictions upon the political insti.
tutions under which he lives, is accountable for
his actions or opinions to any other man. He
is not even accountable to the Government
He is accountable to God alone. Acting in his
capacity rs an original member of that COM
pact, not as q Representative, mark you, Mr..
Chairman, he is entitled to that degree of pri.
vacy which IL necessary to secure his natural,
indefeasible, and absolute right-the free ex-
preston Of his opinion. How tar he will mo-
dify that opinion and bis action, by communion
with other minds, he has a right to determine
for himself. When a citizen of the United
States is called upon to vote for President, for
a member of the House of Representatives, or
for any other officer Of delegated trusts, or in
framing the organic laws under which he lives,
he is not only entitled to vote, uncontrolled,
unawed BY individual or governmental inf]u.
-ence. but he has the right to give his vote in
profound secrecy. And that Government which
shapes its material influences or statutes, so
as to trammel or control a citizen in the exer-
else of this, his private but absolute right,
which seeks to wiring from him publicity of his
views or action, strikes at the basis of republi-
can Institutions, and ought to be swept from
the face of the earth.
Sir, the right of opinion is the right upon
which we stand. God gave us the power to
form opinions, the Government secures to US
the right to act upen those opinions; and to no
individual, organization, or society, attaches the
TO control Us in the exercise Of these
high prerogatises. So far, then, take issue
the honorable gentleman from Mississippi.
claim the right to form my own opinions.-
Constitutions and Government under which
live, secures me the right to express them,
and privately-or if It please the gentleman
better, secrssly-if it may be convenient or ne.
:essary for me in the exercise of that privilege.
The gentleman from Mississippi asserts it TO
be q duty to pronolgate AID publish opinions
entertained. If so, it must be for the purpose
influencing others, or that the individual
'hall be subject to the influences Of others, or
government. Any influence but that which
egitimately springs from the action Of reason
'pon reason, is wrong--and no wrong can be
duty. If privacy Of opinion be q right, its
oppression must be a voluntary, and not a com.
,ulsory act. , Who will say it is not
ne RICH: Of the THE PEoPLEf Does the gem
'eman from Mississippi complain of their re-
recy! Is it secrecy that makes the ~wrong!--
Sir, secrecy istheir right--it belongs to them