Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-12-31
The Duties of a Citizen.

The Duties of q Citizen.
In these days Of widespread ianatical delusiOn
Of insane sympathy for unworthy objects ar
occasional reference to long established prin
cipleS Of morality and the defined obligations
of citizens, may not be altogether out of place
I may cause the thoughtlrsS to pause and re.
fleet The citizen has rights which cannot
he denied him under any inst prctcncc, but
! he owes obligations to his country, to society,
( to his neighbours and t. himself, which he i,
! not at liberty to lay aside or disregard John
Brown thought and acted differently, and he
has suffered the penalty Of his crime. 4 citi-
zen may unrcServcdly give his sympathy, his
love, his treasure, his time and all his worldly
goods, to amancipote his fellow man who may
be in political or spiritual bondage OF dark
ness. This is right which charity accord>
. To him, which few object to, and human laws
do not deny him, but along with the exercise
of this right inScParably goes the obligation
to obey, preserve inviolHtc and protect, by all
his means, the laws Of his country and Of his
Cod, both Of which john Brown violated
I The man who, no matter under what pre-
! tcncc, whether dictated by supposed sense
| Of humanity, of mistaken notions Of liberty,
or Of Christian feeling or duty towards tod,
offers violence To the laws " his country VIC.
latcS his own sacred obligations t. his govern.
mcnt, Violates his sacred duties towards >ocic.
| ~, and establishes n precedent under which
other men may violate laws to his injury and
wrong.
! The man who shot down his fellow man
in the streets of llarprr's Ferry, under the
prctrncc that his victim had violated the laws
Of tod in holding in bondage the negro. aud
who claimed exemption from punishment on
i the ground that he was but defending the in.
alienable natural rights Of the negro, could
not, with any consistency, call On the laws ot
his country to ivIrnd him against Simiar
treatment at the hands Of other persons labor
ing under like dciu>iun. The moment clt'
zen takes upon himself the privilege Of dcc
ding wcthcr law is just. or cxrcdlrut, OF in
accordance with his own views, or no; and
regulates his Obedience to such law a> his
Judgment Of its justice or ,Npclirncv SHALL in.
cline, then that man from that mniuvut ceases
to bc loyal citizen, and places himself in rc.
bclion against the government which wicd>
but the power Of the people. Ii each nan in
the community does the same thing. then thv
principle Of self government becomes a farce,
and the whole theory Of American institutions
is exploded. Let those who Sympath>c with
Brown AMI ctnsure Virginia for not l'ardoaing
him. seriously reflect on tins matter. lie WAS
rebel against SOVrrnmvnt ard as a rebel hc
was punished and deserved his fate.
Bear distinctly in mind that no citizen, ua.
der any prctcNt, except Tat - ubll'o". can
claim to DC recognized as an honest. laiIhlul'
loyal Amrrican. who oilers any violence or in
tcrpoSes any obstacle 10 the proper aud iii
ccnt execution of the laws Of his country. II
he do offer such violence, he must defend him
self on the ground Of being rcvolutiunl>t and
take the hazard of being defeated as such, a.
did Brown. lie was u violent and miserable
enemy ofhiS country's liberties; Of the rights
OF his fellow cuuntrymen, and must forever
hereafter DC held, in the estimation ct all law
abiding, UnionloNing citizens, as u traitor to
his race.