The true Democrat., 1856-05-27
No. II.

Mo- IT,
 Political liberty is enjoyed 6y tlose who con- troi the affairs of the government, aud 1t is i,a his that political liberty consists; it is, in every country enjoyed, by one or by few, or by many, or by al; and in nation, where one citizen, rany class of citizens is clothed with TO gTeater political privileges than another-the political rights of all being equal-t4eye the greatest political liberty is en owed by all the people To achieve this political equality among the people of a country, and to perpet- ute It, after 1t Is achieved, is the peculiar pro- vince or mission of the democracy, and to conn., tcract this work, of "leveling" political rights is the natural avocatlon of ntidemocracv or con- Servatism These twoopposing principles exist at the basis of society everyUhere. Where de- mocracy has made but little prog,ess-where political power has been wrenched from the hands of one only to be shared Jy die fe,o, it has most of its great work yet to accomplish.
 Tue history of the struggle between those two great principles, under the direction of we'll de- fined organized political parties, and by virtue of which the people of the United States en- joy their llbertles-may be easily traced-al- though it was as early as the year l2l5 that the "Great Charter was obtained, and not more than one hundred years afterwards. the first house of representatives was convened- yet 1t was not until about the year sixteen hun. dred and forty that the pioneers of democracy and their antagonists formed themselves into two distinct political parties, under the names of aolig and tory; and the political life of that man John Hampden, whose original portrait we hear has been brought to the United States by Mir. Buchanan-forms memorable period of the hrSt few years in the history of the great contest for liberty under the whig and tory ban ners. In that memorable few years the pro- gress democracy had made towards political freedom was ferociously attacked by its unscru- pulous foe-prisons, scaffolds and battle fields were put in requsition to crush out the prow. ing democratic spirit Hampden fell defepd- ing the same rights, the violation of which led to our revolution of 1776-that which makes the consent of the people necessary in order to levy taxes--and the right of safety from Gar btrary imprisonment" measure which was again contended for, much later here, by the same party with different name however, under the lead of the elder Adams, in what was known as the "alen and sedition law"
 The historian says of Hampden, "the com. mons denied the right of the King to lew taxes without their consent. On this occasion it was that Hampden made his first stand for the fundamental principles of the English con. stitution He positively refused to give fartb. ing He was required to give his reasons. He could be content to contribute as we'll as others. but feared to draw upon himself that curse in the constitution which should be read twice year against those who may violate it. For this answer the Kings council sent him to pri- son. Some time after he was brought to answer but he still persisted in his refusal, when he was sent to prison in distant county. The lower people who showed any signs of insub.