The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1858-01-27
"The will Of the Maiority."

1t is really amazing whst an immense
deal OF humbug has been originated upon
this theme. The twill of the majority"
when justly considered, It is the pride and
boast of Our nalion, but it becomes us 10
know what we are talking about, when we
undertake 10 base arguments and draw con-
clusions from this phrase, in iIs abstract
Specification. We are governed by the piR
OF the majority, but we do not thereby mean,
the will of the majority of the gross mass Of
the people. If this was required in all
cases, the government would very often
find'itself at dead stand stii If this abb
surd construction of the twill of the ma
lofiiy" had been enforced, there would have
been numberless instances in the past his
tory of the country, in which our system of
government would have proven a most
magnificent failure. The instances are not
few or singular, where States, and even our
nation, have been governed by rulers, who
were not chosen by majority of the peo.
pie participating in the election, much less
by majority Of the actual voters entitled
to participate in it. A President of the u
States has held his seat for four years, and
shaped our national policy "for veal or
woe," who received the votes of only
minority of the voters at that election A
Virginia paper recently exposed this falla-
cious, red Republican notion of the "will of
the majority" thus:
at is a ridiculous and dangerous heresy
TO MAINTAIN that an abstract majority rules in
this country Ours is not majority gov
eminent, out government of checks and
haIances--a government Of constitution and
laws-where the rights of the minority are
protected no less than the rights of the ma.
jority. A majority of the members Of the
House of Representatives, which is the pop
ular representative branch of the govern
ment, cannot pass law. It requires a
concurrence, also, OF. majority of the
Senate, and then the sanction of the Presi-
dent-all of which together is more than
equal to a ttro thirds vote. A majority of the
people of Virginia is not required TO elect a
Governor or TO adopt Constitution. A mt
nority may do either. Suppose at the next
Guberuatorial election the whole opposition
party in Virginia from any cause, were TO
refuse 10 vote, would that invalidate the
election Suppose only $4,000 votes were
TO be cast, when we have seven times that
many in the State, would that render the
election less valid? The idea is simply RI
dicuous."
At the late New York State election we
believe some one hundred thousand voters
took no part in the choice of State officers,
which would make the persons elected,
minority candidates, though no one dares
question, that they are legally and justly the
incumbents of the respective posts TO which
they were chosen.
1t is quite clear then that there is such a
thing as an incorrect and absurd construc-
ton of this much-talked-of and equally
much abused twill of the majority" 1t is
apparent that men, for time-serving and
selfish purposes, can talk specious nom
sense even about this sacred principle, and
that it becomes us, when they become bla.
tant and vociferous over subject, whose
justice and sanctity no one thinks of ques.
tioning, much less oil resisting, to scan well
their motives! .....
The will of the majority is only of effica.
cy and value when ascertained in the legaI
way, and manifested through legitimate
channels. The man who seeks his just
power in determining the government, un.
der which he is to live, and exercises his
right by expressing his will at the ballot-box
the only mode known to our laws and
governmental system, by which his will
and that Of the majority, is TO. be ascertained
has right to complain if his will has
been disregarded or rendered ineffective by
fraud or wrong. But he, who withholds
his influence, and refuses TO participate in
the government through ~ legal mode,
thereby 10 all intents ana purposes, yields
his rights 10 others, and empowers those
who do exercise their elective rights, to
select such rulers, 10 confer such power up
on them, and to frame such government as
10 them seems best. Whatever may be the
decision OF his fellow. citizens, he cannot
claim that any right of his has been viola
ted, or that his will has been disregarded.
He should have done as others did-ex-
pressed his will by his vote--and must now
submit TO the " will of the majority" as
legally ascerained.
If the public will apply these notoriously
just considerations TO existing Kansas affairs,
we should soon be rid of much of the ella p
trap and absurd nonsense which we are
compelled 10 hear about the twill OF the
majority" There is just and fair ground
for difference of judgment respecting the
matter of the acceptance of the Lecompton
Constitution. Let the discussion be con-
fined to this, and not have the subject bur.
dened with specious and threadbare devices
10 tickle the fancy, and misIead the mind
from the true issues.
FROM KARsAs-THE LEcoMpror CoNsTITu-