The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-06-29

rights ero liable 70 be deeply anectcd Dy tne
prepondcnncc In the public councils Of such
q power, have no right to associate and or
ganiss with the intent 10 guard against is
had ehoctsf Such q notion was not enter
tanned when the case Of q comparatively tri.
fling moncycd corporation was In question,
nor when Che supposed ascendency OF insig-
ni6cant manufacturing interests was thought
to bc alarming. How, then, can II be ad-
yanced In the face Of combination Of wealth
and political power in comparison with
which the bank and tho tariff were but as
atoms In the creation?
But now go ono step further, and declare
that this proceeding Is not only justiiiabiens o
prcoAstion against the possibility OF an abuse
Of pows, but that Il is sindispensably ncces-
sary 10 - actual salvation Of our free insti-
tutions. Nobody 10 yot hardy saough 70 de-
nv that the idea OF liberty, On -ths guardian
and protectress Of tho individual citizen
against oil assaults OF mere arbitrary power,
has been, since the days of the Revolution,
the darling idol in the American mind
"Resistance TO tyrants Is obedience to God, y
was maxim which, nowhere moro than in
the Ancient Dominion, ncrycd tho arms oi
the fathers to the struggle that placed us
here In this Hall, the Representatives OF q
free people. Il found its expression In the
celebrated Act ofUnion for the common do.
fence, proclaimed to the world in Language
too familiar TO need quotation. Nobo oIy ut
the time misunderstood Its meaning. No
body undcryalued the heroism which made
the cause of tho oppressed colonist the cause
ofall mankind. Halfa century passed away.
and not one of tho countless number of
statesmen and orators who, each in his turn,
joincd to swell the note of exultation in the
proud position attained by his country as
the champion Of that cause, ever thought to
cast doubt upon the universality of the
grand doctrine which the Declaration ot In.
dependence had enunciatcd. 1t was reserved
to the men of the present day to discover
! new version which, In limiting its applica-
tion to q special and favored class, at one
stroke dwarfs the stature of the reyolutiona-
ry PATRIOTS, and sinks the noblest contest in
history down to the level Of the late cncount-
or of pugilism, for the possession Ola belt,
on the other side of the water. IF their view
of it be the right one. then was the whole OF
the great controversy deliberate fraud
then has the world been cheated by false pre-
tcnces; then were our fathers rogues who
deserved to suffer the penalties OF the law Tor
rebellion against the constituted authorities
of tho mother country, instead Of earning
the glorious need Of the patriots crown.
The cardinal principle Of the Revolution,
that which marksa real advance in the prog
ress of political institutions, is that the indi.
yidual man, whether in or out Of the social
organization, whilst doing no wrong, has GER
tain rights which his fellow-man oil over the
globe il bound to respect. The general es.
tablishment of this maxim in the practice OF
the nations Of the world Is, or ought to be,
the mission Of America during thu present
century OF her growth. In l776 there was
a bright prospect of its speedy accomplish
ment. For some years 1t spread both ut
home and abroad; for It Is not to be denied
that the effect Of her instruction has been
and is still felt, not here alone, but In every
quarter Of tho world. Nobody can have fail
cd to observe tho progress that has been
made in the recognition Of popular rights
In every civilized country down to the pros
cnt time. II wonld doubtless have been still
more rapid but for the astonishing fact that
the very people which was the FIRST to enun-
ciate the great truth has been slowly but
steadily withdrawing itself from all sympa-
thy with the prosecution Of It. Imperccpti.
bly, at first, bat very distinctly within ashort
time, this reaction has gone on, until In the
term of this Administration the respective
representatives before the world Of this great
nation have united in ono grand counter
declaration, and that Is, that there are men
all over the world whose rights no white man
Is bound to respect.
1t does indeed appear rs if this grave and
solemn decree of Judges, Of Presidents, OF
Senators, and Representa- tives, in free coun-
try, did ny in tho face Of the Declaration oil
Independence, long acknowledged among us
rs undoubted authority for political doctrine.
But VIC are now given to understand, In the
same high quarters, that there is nodilhculty
in reconciling this apparent contradiction Il
The way is this. The language Of the Dec
laration is well known:
"We hold thcso truths to be sclf-evident;
that all men arc created equal; that they
arc endowed BY their Creator with certain
inalicnable rights; that among these arelifc,
liberty, and the pursuit Of happiness"
Tho new version is, that Mr.. Jefferson,
when he wrote the words, "aH men, clear.
" intended only all phiie men! But here is
an obstacle mt the threshold. or course, u
this be tho construction, the necessary i'm
tlication is, that the rcst Of mankind are
moi endowed with tho same inalicnable rights
which the Creator bestowed on the whites.
IIcnce the latter arc Justified in regarding
the former M inferior. creatures, whom they
may subject to their will IL they can. ] un.
ders,and this consequence 10 he distinctly
admitted by the friends Of the new view
Now, the fact il we'll known that MIR. Jeiier-
son owed his position rs the draughtsman OF
that celebrated paper mainly to his rrputa-
ton ns q writer capable OF expressing his
meaning with distinctness and force. But II
this construction of the passage bs true,
what are We 10 think Of his skill, when he
said that .an men arc created equal" !" in
stead Of declaring what the new version
means, and that n, that "all men are net
created equal !" aud hence that the rights
which he pronounccs inalicnablc in all, are
in fact alienablc in great majority of the
human race, at the will and pleasure OF q
minority who happen to bc created with pale
faces? Surely Il is pretty hard to believe
that 80 lucid writer could. with his ey~
open, have fallen into such delusion a.
mean, In public paper which hc resa
as the crowning merit Of his LIE, tns 80
reverse of what he actually said. or :. T ill.,.
difficult Is Il To imagine that, thoush % -,
al far half n csutury afterwards ~ ',I s
of discussions and Disputes I'.;' Inl.;sh
cnI,,sd to keep alive bis recol'ecuon u,' i. VIE"
ssu se did should .,s, have rn,ps Ts
Cd to any living .os either h. bsr;ns so op
Jingle doubt lie e S we'll inss he" he se.
rely ; Ria his contemporaries universally attached
wiz" ~. words. II he had any other In his
mind. ~ Why did hc not di-close Il!
Fortunately for tho reputation Of the dis
tipruished Ison Of Virginia, whose noblest
work !, q son Of Massachusetts, am proud TO
defend against the cruel assaults vf citizens
of his own State, there is other evidence in |