Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1858-09-30
From the National Era.
1.-THE Rights of Man.,

Is phrase which. since The era Of tn
American Revolution at least, has hal
no novel sound-nay. there is scarcel,
another. more perfectly stereotypcd il
the minds and hearts Of the American
people. Formerly. it was supposed tc
possess a meaning. and. that one Of NJ
ordinary significance. 1t was believed
to denote something Of value inestima
hle. which psrtsiusd alike to all til;
individuals of the race. no matter o
what complexion. lineage, or geo
graphical location. Parallel phrases
such ss natural rights" "humar
rights" etc., equally significant. are
no less familiar. and-until very
late dste-have been regarded, by the
people of this country at least. as de-
noting an inheritance universal, inval.
liable and unalienable. They are uni
versal. because they pertain to u, in
virtue of our common humanity; inval-
liable, because. when deprived of them,
evsry ether object becomes compare
lively worthless and unalienable, 70,
since by their loss other objects become
worthless, we can receive for them nc
adequate compensation. Need we add,
that to deprive man of his valuable
and lawful possessions without some
adequate compensation-to say moth
ing Of his free consents the very
definition Of injustice. II. then "lu-
man rights" be not an empty name.
"vox. ct preterea nihil" any rights
pertain to men in virtue Of the place
which their Creator has assigned them
in the scale Of being. it will be peril
men; to inquire what sore q. least Of
those rights are.
Some eighty years since. an assem-
bly, of wise and virtuous men, whose
fame it has been at once the pride and
the passion of succeeding ages to cele-
brate. after long and grave deliberation
upon the condition of this then infant
nation, and the opprcssions-as they
were regarded--of the Mother Country,
solemnly enunciated, and, at the haz-
ard Of life, fortune and sacred honor" 4"
boldly recorded their determination to
become free and independent people,
and thus 10 assume and vindicatc their
rank among the nations Of the earth.
They then laid the foundation Of our
country's liberty upon the following
declaration Of Human Rights" as a
corner stone. never doubling that it
was an immovable rock:
1--WE hold these truths to be self
eyident--that all men are created
equal; that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain nnalienable
rights; that among these are life, li5er-
ty and TIL: pursuit of happiness. That
to secure these rights, Governments
arc instituted among men, deriving
their just powers from the consent Of
the governed; that whenever any form
of Government becomes destructive of
these ends, it is the right of the people
to alter or abolish it, and to institute
a new Government, laying its founda-
tion on such principles. and organizing
its powers in such form, as to them
shall seem most likely to effect their
safety and happiness"
This foundation Of our national lib
erty remained not only mistaken. but
unassailed, for more than half a CEN
tury. When the storm Of the Revolu-
ton, sweeping in blood and fire over
the land. had passed by. the sky SEEM
ed clear and the heavens serene. In
the distant Southern horizon was seen.
to be sure, small black cloud, but it
was no bigger than mans hand, and
nobody feared that it was bearing on
ward and upward the elements OF z
destructive tempest. But 1--WE live in
an age of progress" and time and
tide" are not the only things which
tarry not for human bidding. Ii the
banners of Liberty are borne aloft. and
her cohorts are moving forward. we
have sad occasion to remember also
that the rod of oppression is not bro-
ken. nor are her eentinsls asleep.
This foundation rock. on which re-
poses tie Acropolis Of oar coun.-y's
freedom. is at last boldly assailed.
And It's assailants are no contemptible
foe. The politician. the priest. and
the jurist. are oil among the leaders of
the host When the politician first
assured rs that Thomas Jefferson. the
immortal author OF our Declaration of
Independents. pcnned not the noble
sentiments quoted above as sober
truth, but merely as "a fourth OF
rhetoric" we could not but admire the
ingenious device with which he could
so quickly slide round citadel of
Liberty. which no power OF logic
could subduc. But little did we then