Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-04-08

possibility of any lawful change until
that periOd?'. Suppose the constitution
had no provision at all on the sui .ct of
an amendment at any time; suppose it
was perfectly silent, as many of the
constitutions of the original States were
for cur good, honest, republican an
cestors. in the days of, the Revolution,
proceeded on the idea that, there were
some principles which it was not neces-
sary to declare, which every man of or
dinary comprehension, bued with the
4 prineiPles4o 4of civil libery, would at once
acknowledge. Among these was. the
principle that any power which could
do an act could undo it; that, inas UGH
as the cons tuition Of State was form.
ed by a convention of delegates, author
lied to be elected and assembled by
the Legislature and that convention
of delegates SO elected and assem-
bled had made institution, an
other convention, elected in the same
manner and assembled in the same
manner, by like authority, could undo it
in whole or in part. This is the ground
on which the earliest constitutions of
the States. or many of them, were form
ed. Nothing was said about the right
of amendment; it was considered mat
ter of course. 'a
x *a X 81
What is the object of government?
I come back to that again and again
1t is to protect and secure the liberties
of those who live under it; and when it
fails of that object, the people have u
right to another government. If they
cannot obtain it peaceably, our fathers
said they had right to take it by force
of arms but the essence ofa republican
government is that they can get it peace
ably and in regular form; that they
need not resort to what Senators call
u revolution but in pursuance of the
great idea of all government, of the very
authority which they conferred on their
delegates at first, they may assume to
themselves at any time, in a due legal
and orderly manner prescribed by law,
the power of amendment. Blessed
said Lord Coke, "be the amending hand"
Let me guard against lpisconstruction
here. do not say Il constitution may
not provide the manner of its amend
ment. do not say that it may not in
terpose provisions calculated to require
moro thorough deliberation. do not
say that it may not require majority
of each House of the Legislature, or two
thirds, or three ffths, because, after all,
the Legislature is elected by the people,
and what the people want they Will CON.
pei the Legislature to sraut. l do not
Isay that the people may not require, TO
prevent hasty or improper action, that
the question shall be submitted to them
twice, or thrice, if you please; or that it
shall remain so many months for con-
sideration; or that notice Of the intend
ed amendment shall he published in this
or that manner. l do not even complain
of such provisions; but say that when
| Il constitution declares, as the Topeka
constitution did, that in no manner,
neither by convention nor by the pco-
pie, not by the unanimous vote OF all
those who live under it, and all those
who exercise authority under it, whcth-
er Us lcgislat, rs or executive officers, can
it be chang 4 Institution
declares that, the declaration is melely
void; it ne cds no abrogation it never Lad
any life.
it has been suggested that the people,
unless restrained, will too frequently OF
too rashiy change their government.---
To VII t does all that amount? To an
! Impeachment OF the wisdom of the peo-
plc-noihing else; an assertion that it
! is necessary to provide some guardian
! lor the people, to prevent them from CO.
! ing an injury to themselves. and as there
is no such guardian alive, that it shall
be written down in same hQdy's last will
and testament. No sir; the danger is
exactly the opposite. The danger is,
and always has been, that the leople
will tolerate oppression and abuses from
! ,f,,-,t 70,
ton, rather than interrupt the ordinary
course Of public affairs by an appeal to
their original, inalienable. and iudeiea-.
sible lisht to form and reform their con-
stituiion and government. That, sir,
was the opinion of Thomas Jefferson,
and of all cur illustrious ancestors who,
with him, on the 4th July 1776, declar-
ed the causes which impelled them to
separate from the dominIor-of the Brit
ish Crown. prudence, INDEED will die
tate you see it is mere question Of
prudence. How prudent are the peo-
pie? Ii they are not prudent, Who Is
any more prudent? " here shall we
find the appointed class which monopo-
Lies all the wisdom Of the world? ''Pru-
dcnce, indeed, will dictate that govern:
mcLts long established should not be
changed for light and transient causes ;.
aud accordingly all experience hath
shown that mankind are more disposed
to suffer while evils ale sufferablc, than
to right themselves by atoiishipg the
forms to which they are accustomed"
And now, sir. DO the apostles of pop
ular sovereignty come hlther at last to
declare that some ninety thousand peo-
pie for the present inhabitiuS new
State of this Union, or . new State
about to be admitted, may chain the peo-
pie of that State when they shall have
grown to lie two millions, when all the
purposes which they had in view have
b>en acce mplishcd, aud new schemes Of
ambition or views of life are opened to
the popular apprehcnsion-that these
two mi!liens OF trecmen, whose rights
and whose liberties are as sacred as those
Il (tso'rc'~3c.7 oo foTr'h pngr.l