Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-05-11

the stronger might appeal to the great bar of public
opinion, where probably under the Influences of truth,
reason and just feeling, judgment would be- pro-
nouncod by the supreme authority i'll the state, a
Judgment which would always command respect nnh'
in most instances, carry along with 1t convection a1
Without tho practices corresponding with These Pi"
visions in the constitution rcpreser ativo sovern.
would become impossible and Justice Il ihinS ~
longer to bo expected. To satisfy ourselves O, NV
truth Of these conclusions, lot suppose lor az J
stnnt that the American Congress deioeraa".
acted in secrecy. How loug would It's r'prcss,''"IJ
character endure and for how long attci war Us
it probably he reckoned amongst tho lieo S;,;,i,y
ments of the EARTH All individual RESP r,ar,hsr
would he gone. No man could tell nov @ co., nmnnnn
voted. Accordingly as the act was PnPu'" " ,hs ,ir
lar i'll his district, he would be est, The rem.
sumption of having voted for. or aSnihs' ~ 1 b.
sons upon which u measure passed '""',i 'i,i ~
given; the propositions made ana r'l''ttu' "" ;,I
unknown, and thus power inr i''"io dr drnr
than auy ever exercised by either IMZar VI rH"''
would DO welded by this many-healed monster
But tho old fathers of our State e'' us SUI, ,"o
conclusive evidence OF their estliate .! NV i'n" ~,
tancc of publicity in political pr"rccniiss' ines
not contomt with exactlng II rom 'io
tatve, but enforced tho principle ON mo constituent
body also They required each elector 10 Votc' io
by the dead letter of tho secret ballot out VITA me
free and manly ulterancuo ot the 'llNlnG voice. Anu
thus il s by wiso and ancient prescriptions thht the
Vuriniun has ever given his vote in the light ot day,
aud before the world. Preserving tho "o' SgbI.mt,'
and presenting brow as open To tho inspection ~ ms
neichbor his heart is clear Ia the search ot HIM
who made il, he stands at tho polls proudly con-
sciuus that he is there aS tn" mister, not the man;
and Willing himself meet all his fair responsibilities
20 public opinion for that act of power, hc Justly tN-
poets return of the same generous confidence from
his fellow citizens.
But, gentlemen. have shown you the proha-
bio fcct of this secrecy upon the representa-
tive. Should We mend matters much by tras
f.rrng it to the constituent body. or rather to the
portion which seeks to rule III Popular government
TO DO good, must be the result of public opinion,
formed with nil the aids of n free interchange o!
thourbt and son,iment but this interchange becomes
impossible, when Il portion ot the people sccindc
themselves from their fellows and conceal from Them
their thoughts and purposes.
Popular government IL be Just must command
the assent of majority, or, some lave Thought "l
even more than majority; but here is scheme "i Il
secret political organization, by which minority
NAV rule majority, without the least rcSp"h"i"i'S
to public opinion. In the first place. their very N.Y.
terry riyrs them power and CONVEYS m exaggerated
idea OF strength to tha public mind for ii il the way
| OF the world, To take "OmW 'Sn"tum pro m"Y"fe0.
Next their organization and discipline may make a
minority IN over match for the undiscpnod nalori-
ty who net from individual impulse. Lastly, their
rules of proceeding designed to secure this pro-
dominance OF the minority. Whatever may have been
the individual differences ofopinlon within the lodge,
outside of il thoy act as one man, sofar as The orucr
itself is concerned there arc before tho publo eye
Mother maiorites nor mnorites. The minority must
give mp their opinions and thus the Order acts by tho
force OF its whole numbers. \ measure may have
been adopted within the Order by II small mhjorfv,
but before the public it carries with 1t the woight ot
the whole m,ss. The Order itself rs compared WIN
the great body of the people, may no in the minority
but by ts superior organization 1t may dirinc ana
rule them; aud thus measure may be passed al
though larg. majority OF the people nre reaiy "p-
posed To it, il its enemies within and without the Or-
dor are estimated together. Ii Ia no matter theh
where YOU establish this secrecy with regard tn poll
teal action, the effect is the samc; you destroy the
Just influences of public opinion nay, You mako tn"
existence of public opinion impossible, ana thuo
popular government itself, becomes imprGcrahlc.
| F,low-ci,izens, we have heretofore tchcltatcd
ourselves upon tho idea, that the power "i
public opinion i'll this country was becoming
so much greater aud more enlightened as
To relieve our form oi government Of some "l
the subjects Of its hitherto necessary .lnrl'dlc-
tion, and to increase s capacity tor eXtehh- over
greater of territory and larger misses o pc"-
pie But il that nre to renounco these I"i2
cherished ideas, and a retroScude march is fast be-
coming the order of tho day. In the name u Heaven
from whence do these new lights spring, which are
so TO uproot the fixed opinions OF centuries lie who
seeks to destroy the influence of pubic npinion or Ia
deprive il of Jurisdiction, strikes the moving prE
ciplo of human progress .ef and rn;ees iIn;rcida
hand against the best hopes ot his Ii Is this III
hucncc, which ha. given the greatest np.lsc To me
march of human Improvement; Rnd II the mighty
sphere of lis Jurisdiction cnlurses with the growth ~
time, the governments aud Institutions NJ man ar:
called up, by one, to answer at that great hhr
where rcQs u Is una Nhc''
vened, prouuuuces lis lrrcvcrsbls doCrers.
The Church the State and the School all contribute
to the stream OF thought, which swells the mighty
tide Of public opinion, and each profits by the nod-
flying influences Of the Judgments which aro pro-
nouucod on their ideas at that bar, by way OF rourn
Here indeed is the great and conservative tribunal!
before which nll must in turn appenr. IL can elevate
the weak to the level of the strong aud tho nos pow
erfu! is strengthened by its aid Through doors ot
oak and bolts of iron, it penetrates into he closed
Ifhnm mhpr a. II
obeyed is ut least respected, and oarcd IL whisper"
the word of warning into the secret cur o the ruler
and through the long watches ot the night e t"sSc"
in sleepess anxiety ponder upon It's mranIIIg.--
None arc no high IN to he above its influence, auh he
must be poor indeed, who is beneath II. The wcnke-t
and humblest of human beings, If he DC strong enough
to make his moan audible may summon his oppres'or
10 appear at that bar from whose sentence he can
neither appeal, nor escape, no matter Wnat lhhy oe
his power or his place. 1t was to public opni"i'
that Martin Luther appealed when he took issue WIN
the See OF Rome, whose power al that day "es nearly
cocXtrnsive with Chrstendom and, before thai Dar,
the poor monk became the peer Of pontis ana .t-
snrs, and Judgment was pronounced III that CAUSE
which topped down many place OF strcngth,'h Which
human authority had dreamed itself to be secure t"r
centuries vet to come. 1t was 10 public opinion that
John Locke appealed, when, stripped OF his living
and fellowship for opinions sake by the cruel cdict
Of arbitrary prince, he WAS sent forth, wandercr
upon the world, houselcss and homeless man. and,
As was Vainly supposed, crushed alike in fortune and
aspiration. But his proud spirit refused to be down,
1n he spoke the great work i'm his essHy in favor OIL
| religious federation, which could no more be hushed,
or sllenc0i, until the test ac and prosecuting Ordl-
nances of his native land had fal!0n before it, and the
great doctrine of liberty of conscience had been
tablished. wherever his own English was the verna-
cular tongue.
A poor Scotch philosopher, whose views when first
published, would have bUen secuted upon "clange,"
now exercises, through tine force OF public opinion
larger influence over the iuws which regulate tho
trade OF the world than a the merchant princes and
statesmen Of HE day. Dyns>tics which have with
stood tho destroying efforts oi Charles the Great
Turenne, or Marlborough and drticd the arts their
POLITICAL strategic skill have fallen before the breath
Of public opinion, when put into motion by some poor
scholar or unheeded philosopher, who spoke from the
narrow precincts OF his neglected cell, or drcary gar
ret. The ideas Of Luther and Locke and perhaps of
Rousseau have, through the force ot public opinion,
written changes upon the face Of human nsti-
tutiOns md governments than the arts. the arms
of the statesmen and the gcnernls, OF whom have
just spoken. This jurisdiction Of the only earthly
tribunal where the strong and the weak must meet
upon equal terms where rcuson is Tree 10 speak, and
truth alone is powerful, Is that o: all others, which
this uew party, by some strange perverSty of opin-
ion would seek TO destroy. What a sin against hu-
progress, what mn outrage upon the best hopes OF
man for social and political improvement! But why
should this party SO fear public opinion, unless they
believed that it would pronounce against them ! If
they supposed the contrary, would they not seek its
mighty aid by proclaming to the world
There can be but two motives for concealmS their
action upon political affairs which concern the wei
fare; of ul and these are either the fcar of public opn
ion, or n distrust of the people. Is this country
where can afford to encourage apnrty which acts
upon such ideasl But ellowcitizens there is another
reason special to ourselves for regarding secret pot
cal associations, as mischievous and dangerous.
Mr' calhoun used to say, that after all, the politi-
, Suss IN every country grew out ofhe contests OF
s"; "G parties, which belong to all organized human
-, @ the one, he called the "tax consuming par
cnns "uu ,'s other the "ax paying party" The tax
IN. Tr.1'se are those who receive moro money from
coutrh",n y, n IN Tho shape Of patronage than they
lonl, th"rat,r III the payment Of public dues They
no, aI N 10 III" government for the means "f
'mpPT, Gnu v4'e, No" Ms citizens seeking moral hen
ellis, 9ut rs lnlvidunl. in rs;. IS ,,nr.nnnl ini.