Oroville daily Butte record., 1856-07-14

people. l say want CT patriotism Of the peo.
pie; and in making the assertion / may be
accused of injustice. But the term must
not be construed to apply in an unintended
-euse. The Greeks and Romans, for in
stance, were Invariably prompt and gener-
orally efficient in repellng any invasion of
their territories, yet at the same they were
exceedingly prone to indulge spirit discon-
tented and factionnl in the extreme, aud
which too eventually resulted in the mvst
disastrous consequences The term pat
riotisin IL often misnppliey II does not
ony mean that man shall be ever ready
to repel foreign invasion, and to serve his
country in the tented field but it IL more
comprehensive in its nature; il requires ev.
cry man to render strict obedience to the
avs which have been framed for the COM
mon good and interests OF the people 1t re-
qulres that whenever necessary he shall aid
lhe constituted authorities in queling dis
turbances, and IN vindicating the majesty OF
tha laws; that he will respond with alacrity
to every demand that may be made upon
him. as long as the authority is undisputed
and it is not in derogatiOn Of his rights as n
citizen. lie needs not the stimulus Of pc
cuuiary reward or political promises to i'm
pei him to discharge the obligations under
which he rests to himself and to his fellow
men There are deeper and holier impulses
which prompt his action and direct his pur-
poses. lie knows full well that the relation
Of men politically and socially demand
from each some sacrifices, and therefore it
is wisdom indeed for him to submit with
graceful acquiescence to the absolute re-
quirements of human condition. Therefore
IN referring to this subject we should be
| Ia 4 N
between the principle con;cuded for and the
results, or in other words, We should not
presume to underyalue the principle be-
cause Of the failuve in its application.
The Grecians as far back as the time of
Lycurgus understood the principle Of popn-
lar rights. They did not develop it in the
degree which it has since attained, but they
gave sufficient evidence OF their knowledge
Of 1t, to satisfy the mind OF the enquirer that
such is really the case. The laws which the
eminent Spartan referred to, caused to be-
come II part and parcel Of the national inSti
tutions conclusively proved tina: he too was
thoroughly versed III the science Of politics,
and knew the requisites and necessities OF
good government. lie it was who secured
to the people the benefits of the elective iran
chIse not as it is exercised in these days,
by ballot, but the popular will WAS express
sed by word Of mouth. 1t is related by Plu-
tarch that on an election Of Senators, who
were necessary officers for the proper admin
stration Of the government, the names of
the most worthy citizens were mentioned
| in connection therewith. On day specified
| the people were requ 'sted TO assemble in
the most desirable locality Two or more
persons were then appointed to decide upon
the preference OF the people, that is, they
were conducted into room near the place
Of the assemblage, where they could neither
see nor be seen They had writing tables,
and as the name OF each candidate was an
nounced TO the neighborng multitude, they
would designate the appreciation in which
he was held, by the number and lOudness Of
the shouts, without knowing tor what par.
tlcular individual they were intended lie
that had the most and loudest acclamatons
was declared duly elected Thus it will be
seen, that even Lycurgus, that most frigid of
| philosophers, was willing to accord to the peo-
pc the rights which he believed legit matciy
| belonged TO them, although the power which
| he possessed Mt that time, WINS Of preeml-
| ncnt and most extraordinary character.
| And thus might refer TO instances which
woutd ut least instruct the patient hearer
| in the knowledge that is transmitted to US
| by the most valuable authority, to estab-
| lsh the force and correctness of my position,
but it is foreign to my intention, and there
fore will dispense with it.
The propriety OF acknowledging the right
Of the people to govern, has often been ques-
toned, although we will find that those who
have treated the subject have been biassed
by their rredjudces TO such an extent as to
render fair disquisition impossible. The
argument used is, that in n government
where the will o the people is supreme,
there is more liability TO impulsive haste
aud undue precipitancy in their action. but
this idea is glaringly false and erroneous.
Where, ask. can be found in the whole range
of history. instances of popular tumult equal
to those that occurred under both the mon
archlcal and olgarchical COVE nments Of
Rome There were times when anarchy
reigned supreme throughout the length and
breadth of that vast empire, when officers of
the law were paralysed, and the laws conse-
Quently rendered nugatory and useless. Was
this the result of fmisgovernment by the pro-
pie? apprehend not 1t was occosioned
solely by the arrogance and assumption Of
their rulers, who. transcending the bounds
of constitutional authority, preciPltated the
! condemnatory action Of an enraged p"pulace
Thus it will be perceived that those who
| favor this most erroneous view OF the sub
ject, can find no authority with which to
confront the truth, or that rejecting men
| 1