American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1856-04-19

iiSh Colonies were founded at q time when
IN, Engand they were struggling against the
Sluarts, and endeavoring to prevent the es.
tablishment OF absolute monarchy. II was
the party that held To the old rights, liber.
ties, and franchises OF the middle ages that
escaped from England, and came, through
the providence of God, 10 found Republic
here. Cloud applause: They brought with
them the elements of liberty, as they bromsh,
with them all those principles of freedom,
OF individual right, which both Christianity
and the northern barbarans had introduced
into Europe after the downfall of the Roman
Empire. They brought them winnowed
aud sited from much Of what was chafl' that
had bsen mingled with them in the old
world, and purer, stronger, and more living
perhaps than they were ever found in any
people prior to the colonization of this coun-
try. We have thus far preserved those
principles Of individual freedom, while on
the other hand, we have borrowed from the
GI@co- Roman Republic all that il had that
was good, and we have organized these
| principles in the most admirable manner that
IT Is possible for the human mind to con.
ceive. We do not recognize The absolu,isn,
| Of the State. We have our Constitution, the
design ofwhich is TO rcs;ric, power, to limit
the action OF society, and 10 grant to minor
n'es and individuals their natural rights,and
| biuh hCSuOlu NUiCU IL necessary lOE lnR fnll
growth and development Of their manhood.
Cloud applause.1 r,ss4u-
| THE DEFECT OF AMERICAN REPUBLlcANIsM.
But we see, however wisely we have or.
ganized our Republic-howevo nicely we
I have adjusted the balance between these two
elements we have not vet secured the
end that we wanted. Whoever observes
what is going on in the country knows there
are two dangerous tendencies here. There
Is on the one hand tendency 10 the absolu-
tlsm oil The State; on the other, to the abso.
iuiism OF the lndividual--a tendency 10 So
cial Desrotisms and tendency to Intlividu-
alism. We watch our pol;tica, movements
and we SEQ they all tend to destroy the FUN.
damental Character OF our Republican insti.
tntions, and substitute for That genuine CON
stituliona, legal American Republicamism
| the Jacobinism of the French Republic or
/ the Red Repub.icanism Of certain European
reroiutionisls. There is broad difference
between The iwo Kinds of Democracy. We
are Democrats in this sense that I'VE hold
that the People are the source, under God.
OF all the power OF the Government, but we
are no, Democrats in The Jacobinical sense,
winch IS, ihet The people are always free to
/ 90 Whatever tl'ey please, aud tho, their viii
IS always the measure Of right.
| THE TRUE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.
The American system holds, that the poo
pie III their collective capacity are as much
bound by the law OF God-as much bound
10 observe natural justice, as the people in
their individual capacity that mGioriy
hasn more right 10 lyrannize than minor
Iity; and it teaches also, tha, the paople may
have their moments OF vertigo, of caprce in
winch they may do great injustice, although
mere Is, no doubt, as general thing, more
safety III the absolute will OF the people,
than there is in the absolute will Of one man,
or o. few men, when once you can get
mat will fairly expressed. The true Amer.
ican theory is that government is limited .
1t is limited by the rights Of the individual,
by The natural rights Of man /; and we have
prescribed TO 1t the sphere in which il NAV
act, and beyond which il has no righ; to 90.
| UsURPATIoNs OF THE sTATE-mAIHE LAW.
Yet it is constantly attempted 10 90 be-
Iond u. II is seduced into despotic ten.
uehcies by plausible preteXts, often by sen.
timents which in themselves are good and
honorable. We see this in our various pllj.
ianthroPic movements. Philanthropy is a
good sentiment. Ii is not Christian charity.
nor equal to II, but it rs natural sentiment,
anu one oi the highest and noblesl natural
sentiments oi The human heart. People are
actua!ed ~ this sentiment. They see an e.
VII existing -in'empernnce, perhops-a great
EVIL, as every man must adni, who has the
proper feelings of a man. or any jus, sense
| OF the weiI-being Of society or the individ
ua na'. we must remove that intemperance.
lInney form an association fOr The purpose -
ihey appoint committees aud begin 10 agi
tate. These form new associations and ex.
tend their ogitalion until by and by they
mink by the noise they have made, the agi.
talon they have kept up, and the appeals
t9ey nave addressed TO The better sentiments
OF me people, that they can now appeal to
'no Legislature, and get Maine Liquor Law
passed. All this, thus for, seems Just and
good but while carried away in pursuit of
this end, we forget that we have no right 10
accomplish. by the Legislature, moral ends.
z. 'ne expense of natural Justice or Of indi.
ylIQoi right. cloud a2plausc.) 1t is seldom
u, Ils own person, with his cioyen foot, and
OIL his hideous deformi,y. that Satan comes
aamong us when he has an object to gain
| re Knows better. lie comes os an angel OF
llght always proposing something good in
i'seli considered, bat TO be accomplished by
means which are bad, or under inopportunc
circumstances.
sLAygRY.
Thus every human heart revols al slavery.
There is no word which is greater for tho
human heart than Liberty, no word that can
fetch more distant echo from the human
soul than that wort, Freedom, and nothn,
against which oil that is true and Just and
noble in The human heart more Indignantly
cries out than against slavery. (Watm ap.
pIausc.) Well, we have slavery in our coui,.
try--in portion Of our country, rather. IL
is there. in my view, an evil, bot lhai,is not
the question. Tire question is, how shall il
be removed The peopIe here soc and look
al II only os an evil they think nothing Of
what they may tt9mple down in their efforts
10 remove it. but they say, 'thero is slave
IN chains; let him be emoncipatedD But
Il is necessary for tho security OF freedom
in this country. for the freedom Of the
whites, as well as Of the blacks, that we
maintain The Constitution and preserve vest.
cd tights, that wc keep our engagements and