Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-01-11
rTODERN DEMOCRACY.

MODERN DEMOCRACY.
Resolved That the right of the people of
each particular State or Territory to estab-
lish their own Constitution or form of Gov
ernment, to choose and regulate their own
domestic institutions of every kind, and to
legislate for themselves, is a fundamental
: principle Of all Governments; that It is the
selfsame right, to secure which our anees-
tors waged the war of the Revolutions
right laying at the very foundation of our
free institutions, recognized in tho Declare
ton of Independence, and established and
secured in the Constitution of the United
States, and we now re-afirm and endorse
this now disputed principle as it is embod-
led in the acts for the organization of Utah
and New Mexico in 1850 and of Kansas
and Nebraska in 1854.
The above resolution was passed at the
Democratic County Convention, held at the
Court House, on Saturday Dec. 29th.-
Translated out of the political tongue into
plain English, the resolution means that
any State or Territory has the right to intro
duce and sustain the domestic institution
called SZavery. This was what the devils
ers and passers of the resolution meant, but
had not the courage to say in piain words.
With an audaeious courage, which is abso-
lutely sublime, they faunt before the peo-
pie of Sandusky County the fundamental
principle of modern democracy, the right of
a State or Territory to establish and main
tain Slavery, Our readers viii bear with
us if we proceed little further with the
dissection of this doctrine.
Let us say at once that we assent fully to
the doctrine that "the people of State or
Territory have the right to establish their
own constitution or form of government, to
choose and regulate their own domestic in
stitutions of every kind, and to legislate for
themselves propided, that in doing this
they do not invade the natural rights of
men, or contravene higher obligation un-
der which they already lie to government
human or divine. For instance, no people
have the right to establish a constitution or
form of government which takes away lib
erty from one part of their number unless it
be for crime; nor have any people the right
to pass laws which legalize theft, licentious-
ness or other offenses against morality; nor
have the people of any territory belonging
to the United States, the right to establish
monarchy as their form of government.
But the trainers of the above resolution tell
US that the right to establish and maintain
slavery, if the people of State or Territory
choose, ''lies at the foundation of our free in
stitutions. To he sure, they cover the black
abomination under the smooth, and appar-
emily harmless words, @domestic iastit,,-
tiOns;" but they mean SLAvERY-no more,
no less, nor will they deny it. This IS the
question now at issue before the American
people,-shall SLAVERY be permitted to
enter the new territories? The democracy
of Sandusky County declarc-mark it well
the right to establish Slapery lies at the
foundation of our free institutions. What
wicked absurdity is this What an insult
to the common sense and common honesty
of the people of the county.
But farther, this right to choose and regu-
late their own domestic institutions,-that
is to establish Szarery, dis recognized in the
Declaration of Independence Where =
Is it in these words?
'We hold these truths to be self-evident
that all men are created equal, and arc en-
dowed by their Creator with certain ,11alisn-
able rights; that among these arc life, li5-
erty and the pursuit of happiness; that to
secure these rights, governments are inSti-
tuted among men, deriving their Just pow
ers from the consent of the governed"
The logic of this resolution Is anti-study-
ing, Gall men are created equal there
fore the people of Kansas and Nebraska
have the right to establish slavery therein if
they will. GAIL men are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable rights,
among which are life, liberty, DC, tEsrefore,
the whites of the new territories have the |
right to take away the liberty of black men.
And yet again, governments derive their
Just powers from the consent of the govern
ed" therefore, one part of the people of a
State or Territory have the right to enslaye
another part a0ithout their consent.
But we are sick and weary of this absurd
and wicked attempt to cover up a great VII
lainy, with high sounding phrases, and to
find an endorsement for it in the great char
ter of American liberty. Mark these defn-
ers and defenders of modern democracy, if
the people of the new territories have the
right to establish slavery, who shall be the
enslauers and who shall be the enslGved1t