The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1858-08-25
From the Baltimore Patriot.
DOMESTIC GOVERNMENTS UNDER REPUB-
LICAN FORMS.

ItSAAt otNAuSs
1t Is one Of the duties Of statesmen, add of
the press, to watch the course Of the Ship Of
State, 10 note the effect upon her invisible
currents, Or Influences in swerving her. from
her true direction. aud to counteract these,
as far as in them lies the power to do SO; 1t
least to point out the danger, to explain its
source, and show the people the proper rem
edy. As far as we can gather from the histe-
ry Of those republics that have once existed.
there has been tendency 10 them to run to
the opposite extremes, instead Of pursuing
uniform, middle, safe, and conservative course,
namely, to the extreme Of liberty. running
into RIGHTEOUSNESS. aud TO the opposite ex>
IRENE, that Of despotism. The forms OF amy
government, and especially that Of Repub.
lie, may be preserved long alter the spirit
that gave them birth had departed. Forms,
indeed, are the last to give way; they are
chung to by the people accustomed to them
with tenacity the more extraordinary when
we see how readily they give up the sub:
stance they were intended TO embody and
preserve. We may instance, as q proof Of
this. the reign Of Augustus Cesar, Of Rome,
who, though as absolute an Emperor as any
of his successors, took care that the forms Of
Government, as they existed during the palmy
days Of the Republic, should be strictly pre-
served; that Consuls should be elected as
! formerly, that the Senate should continue to
hold its sessions, and, in short, that the Ro-
man people should be deluded BY appear
ances into the belief that there had been no
change in the government, and that Roman
citizens were enjoying all the liberty their
fathers had boasted the possession OF. And
his successors, too, riberius, Galigula, Clau-
dius, and other tyrants and monsters, whose
/ lives were disgrace to mankind, and whose
COOL and malignant cruelties. and innumera-
BILE murders, have blackened the page OF Ro-
man history. each aud all Of them, retained
the forms Of the Republic, with which they
amused the people.
And the Republic Of Venice, too; where
upon earth did there ever exist more DIES.
potic government than that of Venice under
the forms Of Republic Here " the soye.
reignty was vested in grand Council, the
/ legislative power in the Senate, the execu-
tive and judicial authority in various bodies
Of the forty officials each, and the Police in
the Council of Ten"
! "The terrible dcspotism. which for SO ma
ny centuries bro0ded like an evil and malig-
/ -. sr;r;t ovar The I.aoon - snoLen If nv
late pieg,nt wri,er ss forminv !" one of the
most singular problems OF modern history"
! The Council Of Ten and the Council Of Three,
the latter chosen by and out,ot the former,
became The tyrants-the invisible tyrants Of
| the State. The same writer says, " the
| Council of Ten made choce of these inquisi-
tors. but the choice was mystery. One
knew that this terrible magistracy existed
without knowing 10 whom Il was confided,
Dne read ire sentences. but they were signed
only by the secretary. One behold execu-
t;o1s. thew had been ordered by invisible
iustice. (ine knew himself in every relation
m IiEe ernnsed and subject TO secret spies.
There was no Chamber so secret,
oven in the innermost ,ecesses Of The palace
Of The Dove ina, il could not be penetrated
] Inv The ineuisitors a, any moment Of day OF
n;ght - The arrest was arbitrary. the
a17sarrou unuenne'i, the accusers utterly I'M
known, the trial dread ordeal.
But 1t Is not necessary Tor 10 to cite other
instances to show that all Republics which
have heretofnre existed have run into desp't-
ism Of some kind Or other, while perhaps re-.
tanning the original forms Of government. and
we also know tlat there Is a tendency IN such
governments tornn the extreme oi liberty
into anarchy, which Is the desPotIsn Vi an
unbrldled multitude,
And now let Us inquire whether the Re
public OF the United States IS entirely Tree
from all such tendencies whether, while we
retain all the forms Of government Which we're
established by our patriot sres, we still re-
tain oil d the true spirit OF liberty ~llrh they
established these forms to preserve. They
provided that The people should elect Presi-
dent and Wee President every Tour years |;
the same forms prescribed by them are re-
tanned anu observed, oat ~aat y, r"lce nave ne
people really ~ the natter ihey vote Tor
electors, u 70 true as they always din, Out
not untIi lhe Candidates are designated oy
number 81 politicians collected Together from
al parts q The country, who are each and Az