The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-08-28
Co Men for Publle oAIee.
~ nv, nma rRnMAS cLAnKL

PUBLIC MIN
4 We have lo0psd II the question IN as gen.
eral aspect, We have found tha' the only
Indispensable qualification required Ia those
Vito boiil positions of tpst, is hiihfuluess.
I Talent is good, but may be dispsnSrd wiihF
energy Of character IL excellent, hut nslihsf
is that Indispensable gb,d sense seemsFsFt
necessary, bul skill aud ,Iaiaihs may Satessd
without H. But oonseieutiousreSs Ss can
not dispense wlih ln every trade, arr aHd
profession in every employment, Office and
place the one thing nesdful IL conscience.
No work, he il that Of a shoe black, or that
Of chief justice, can bs done well without
conscience. The shoe-blAek will allow him.
self % buy poor blaoking beeadSe Il is eheapI
lhc jddge will let passion and prtjuditv en-
eroaeh on reason.
But, proceeding from these general con
Siderations, which arc universally afblicable
aud will hold true forever, We come 10 some
special views which relate TO our own eoun-
Try. IL i' Of special importSnos In THE eoun-
Try that public men should be Sonstishdous.
The ideAs Of right, justice, truth must be mi.
yeTsally recognized a. paramount 10 all 9TH
ers Our public men must respect Ihsae
ideas, or at least behave as u they respected
! them. Pot conscience IL our only anehaT.
II ia the only thing, which. in this country IL
h'cd and stable. Everything else Is subject
\ 10 the will Of majorities, mAjonties are sub
jret 10 public opinion, and public opinion IL
eontrolledby the changing passions and in.
trrcst, Of the hour. Constitutions may he
interpreted In different ways, judges may de-
eide under party influence, and 40 every land
mark Of justice he swept away by any storm
Of opinion. The great balAnee.whsel In our
machine, which alone can cqualirs the m -
ton and regulate the action. is public feel
ing Of justice
For in this country We are governed by
majoriticH. MNiarities are practically abso-
Lutte According to our theory the majority
has a right to govern, and Il Is the duty Of
minority immediately to submit. No matter
how fierce the struggle, no Histter How great
| the principles or the interests at stake. the
moment the election is over, the minority Ia
bound to acquiesee. lf il openly resists or
] HNNiN'ls N'Hhl'AlNAt iNpuhhNan lhhtituhloHs arc
overthrow. Now the only thing which can
prevent this, is conscience. Thus far. mineri-
| ties in this country have been governed by
this conscientiouaness, and have aequisseed
when they have been defeated. When tho
red republicans in Paris found themselves in
a minority, they took up arms. But when
at the last presidential election. the republi-
can party in New England and New York
were defeated, though they believed them
selves defeated by gross fraudS Antt though
they had an immense sectional majority they
did not think for n moment of resisting.
The difference was owing 20 the fact that the
/ French minority had no ideh'of their duty Aa
q minority. while the Americans had such an
iidrS. let this s-tts- of tIaty tlpsFt fsea, tAs
American mind, and After every election the
majority must compel by force the minority
TO submit.
But minorities have rights a. we'll as du-
ties majorIies have duties as well as rights
Majortics have the right to govern, but must
govern legally and constitutionally. Noma:-
Ter tJ57F Ergs'z ssSEs sS=T Il II 10
vetoed by the executive. or decided TO be un-
constitutional by the judiciary, the Law Ia null
and the majority must submit. Otherwise
the minority is under a despotSm. But what
shall induce a majority thus TO submit? On
| ly public conscience, only the conviction
that it is their duty. This, they usually Feel
and hitherto tho majority in this country has
governed the Ssinorty, not arbitrarily, but ne
cording to Law. And whenever they have
refused to do so, the public conscience OF the
people has become indignant. and has taken
away their power. There are many eEsmplss
in our history, Of triumphant mAjorityabus-
ing its power, aud Immediately losing Il. Lei
me give a angle striking instsnee.
In the year 1917 Kentucky wac violent
democratic state, and the fcdrralists were in
AN insignificant minority. A bank with no,
specie basis was Incorporated by the majority,
which the state courts declare rc'uneonstitution
al. The majority refused TO obey, aud estab-
lished new judiciary. and appointed new
judges. For a time there were two jrdiciaI
systems in the state, side by side, and judi
cal anarchy prevailed. But this proceeding
on the part of the majority was so illegal,
that the public sense of justice was aroused.
In the next legislature there was large ma.
jority in favor Of the old courts the new
courts were abolishedi and the democratic
party was punished for its illegal eoursc by
losing the control of the state, which it has
not recovered down to the present day.
1t is evident that as long as there is this
public conscience in the mind of the people,
which can control nsjOri,ies aud minorities,
compelling both TO obey the law. there is
conservative element in tho nation which
makes the republic safe But let this salt