The daily Butte record., 1858-04-07
0RoytLLE, March 8, 1858.


al government ignores the principles which
elevated him TO his position-principles
which have been advocated, and held sacred
by his party since the formation of the
general government-and places himself up.
on the iron heeed Federal principles. of the
Capitalization Of power in Congress deem
it right Of the humblest citizen to protest,
against such an act, when resulting in an
archy and despotism. That in the early po-
litical career Of our present chief magistrate
he was Federalist. probably none will de-
ny; and that in the year 1853, his policy
upon the Kansas question sewers strongly Of
the darkest principles of Federalism, none
probably will deny. The remark is too
true, the Whig party have its Tyler, bu,
the Democracy its Buchanan" Elevated to
the highest position within the gift of the
American people, upon the long revered
principles embodied in the Kansas Nebraska
Bill, and reiterated in the Cincinnati plat
form upon which he pretended to stand, he
has stepped from this summit of Democratic
principles, to that opposite summit, the prin
ciplei Of his, former and now, Federal self,
and his Federal ancestors. Thot those who
voted for him, had implicit confidence in his
protestations that the Democratic principles
enunciated in the Cincinnati platform, were
principles upon which, alone. n free govern
ment can safely act, is true and that those
who voted for him in that conf1euce, have
been bitterly disappointed by his acts res.
pecting those principles is equally true.
The doctrine of popular sovereignty, rcdu-
ced to form in the Kansas Nebraska Bill,
and made principle plank in the platform
of the convention which nominated Buchan-
an, was no new doctrine. The same doctrine
was enuncated in Virginia, Immediately af
ter the adoption of the Constitution of the
United States, and has ever been held sa-
cred by the Patriotic Democracy OF the old
dominion. To-day, Henry A. Wise, in his
opposition to the weather cock position of
JGmcs buchanan on the question of the pre-.
tended Lecompton Constitution, stands by
the doctrines advocated by his forefathers.
| know Of none, who will accuse the nursery
of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, of
any tendency towards n culture of Federal
principles. AS early as the year 1893, upon
a constitutional question which arose in the
case of Peter Ramper against Mary Hawk
ins, at the General Court of Virginia, held
at the Capitol in the City of Richmend, at
that (Nov. 10th } five judges presiding, that
high authority held this language:
"A constitution is that by which the pow
or of government are limited. 1t is not on
ly rule Of action to the branches of gov
ernment, but it is that from which their ex.
istence flows, and by which the powers which
may have been committed to them, are pre-
scribed. 1t is their commission, nay, it
is their Creator. II is confcssedly, the as
sent of the people. which gives validity to a
consideration. Who can change it Il an
swer, the PEOPLE alone" Again, sit seems
to me an observation of great Importance
that the Declaration Of Independence by
this State, was first made in that iustru-
ment which establishes our Constitution -
The Declaration of Independence, and the
Constitution as he acts Of the people must
stand or fall together"
The General Court than quote the opinien
of an eminent lawyer, whom they call Judge
Blackstone, respecting the revolution of 1888
in England. in these words:
"The revolution of 1888, was not a defeas-
ance of the succession, and a new limitation
Of the crown by the king, and both houses
of Parliament; it was the act of the nation
alone"
They also quote at some length from the
language of M'lntosh in the events which
led to the change of the Constitution OF
France, in which the author says that all
the sanction which can be hoped from such
events, is tho voice of the people" Again
the court cite as sound authority an extract
from the celebrated Robert T. Paine's Rights
of Man, Part lst, page 80, as follows;--
A constitution is not thing in name
only, but in fact 1t has not an ideal, but a
real existence and wherever it can not be
produced in q visible form, there is none -
A constitution is thing antecedent to gov
ernment, and a government is only a crea-
ture of constitution. II is not the act of
the government, but OF the people, consti-
tuting government" They also quote ex..
tensively from Vattel. page "a. in which
that ancient writer fOrcibly enunciated the
principle that the people of any land have
the right to decide for themselves what shall
be the fundamental law, or constitution of
their State.
should be pleased TO copy more exten-
sively from this ancient opinion of the Gen.
eral Court of Virginia, as the doctrines con.
/ a; al IN hava avar haa, raoorn;.nI M