Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-11-02

suficed But its authors not content with this
enunciation. Ascending far above the simple ldea
of national independence they made their declara-
ton an example 10 mankind. in two respects: hrst
as a declaration of human rights and secondly as
an admission that the sovereignty which they estaD-
/ lished was limited by right.
In the first place. they declared that "all men are
created equal that they are endowed by thelr Cte-
/ ator with certain inalienable rights tnat among
these life, liberty, and the pursuit OF happiness
and that to these rights, governments are IN
stituted among men, deriving their just powers rom
| the consent of the governed" MARX Wen tnese
/ words. Here was declaration of natural rights,
the first put forth in history, unless we except
the declaration only few months carrier III virgin
ia. In England there nave bee DIS Oh ilSnts, DC
| ginning with Magma Charter, all declaring SIMPLY
the rights of Englishmen, and all founded on con
/ cession and precedent. But now came declaration
of the rights of man, not founded ON concession or
precedent, but founded ON nature Ana TINS Deciar-
| atiOn though made the basis OF the new govern
ment, universal in its application, so that peo-
pie, wherever struggling for rights, were cheefeu ny
/ its words.
| But there is another enuncation from which tins
| declaration is equally remarkably, atnough TINS
feature has been less noticed. Certainly II mas not
| been noticed by Mr. Thayer, or he would never
have ventured to derive his pretension from dec
laration which positively exclude all such idea
Other governments-eren those OF the colohles-iaa
| been founded force and the sovereignty Which
they claimed unlimited, as to sanction slavery
That may not seem to make this statement hasiliy
| pardon me if adduce two Illustrative authontles L
refer first to Sir VIM. Blackstone the commentator
| on the laws of England, who says, " There Is and
| must be in all forms of government however they
| began or by what eight soever they suDslst' su-
preme, irresistible, absolute, uncontrolled authority
IN which the rights Of sovereignty Iesluei ana inns
| power, which in England is attributed 10 Iarla-
ment he calls in place, " that absolute deSpotie
poioer which must in all governments reslde some
| lCheren | refer also to the famous DR.. johnson,
| who in his tract entitled Taxation no tyranny"
openly says that "Al government is essentially alb
sOlute; that in sovereignty there are no gradauons;
that there mnst in every society be some power from
which there is no appeal; which extends or CON
tract privileges eXemps itself from question or CON
| troll and is bounded only by physical necessity"
In the face of these contemporary authorities, one
from eminent iurist, and the other from an emil
nent moralist, both of which were well known to
our fathers, and i'll the face OF all the traditions OF
government, the Declaration of Independence, dis
| claimed all despouc, absolute, unlimited power,
and voluntarily brought the sovereignty within
| the circumscription of RIGHT Not content with
declaring that the rights to life liberty and the pur
suit of happiness nalienabe, and therefore be-
yond the control ofany sovereignty, the declaration
went further, and, by an abnegaon worthy OF per-
petua1 honor, solemnly restrained the new sover-
eignty-simply claiming 70" it 1.-THE power to do all
acts and things which independent states may OF
| RIGHT do" Even had this express limitation been
omitted, such incident of sovereignty as that as
serted by MI. Thayer could have been derived from
| an instrument containing those words with which
the declaration begns but with these latter words
of special Imitation the pretension becomes abb
| surd.
| Such, fellow citizens, is the popular sovereignty
| of the Declaration of Independence, drawing its
life, first, from the inalienable rights of man. and
then by positive words restrained to what is right.
| And this is the popular sovereignty which, lifting
| the down-trodden, and trampng on tyIants-now
! gentle as charity, and then terrible army with
banners-is destined TO make the tour of the world,
rendering slavery everywhere impossible.
OF this popular sovereignty once spoke as fol-
lows; and repeat these words now, because learn
that they have been twisted from their place i'll order
| to cover the popular tyranny, misnamed popular
sovereignty, which Mr.. Thayer ardenty yindi-
| Gates Here are the words
"A hail to popular sovereignty in its true gIory This
Is that grand principle first announced in the Decllra
tou of Independence, which is destined to regcnerae
! the world. 1t is embodied in those famous words
adopted by the republican convention at Chcagothat
among the nalienabe rights of all men life liberty,
rights governments are instituted among men, deriCing
Their just poverS from ne consent Of the qorerned.
simply national independence was here proclaimed but
seo6 Ie p s r Gi an mankG linen ana there
speaking and acting at once with full-bor strength
breaking letters unoosng bonds and opening prison
doors-always rang on its mighty errand wherever
there are any, matter of what country who
struggle for rights dened-now cheering Garibaldi at
Naples as it had cheered Washington before in the
of Valley Forge-and especially visiting all who
dowi-trodden whispering that there is poor
10 be without lights, which every man is bound to
The aHrghted gods confessed their awful lord,
They DROPPED ne letters, tremble9, and adoted
reach; no man so lofty as to be beyond its restraining
power; while before it Desposm and Oligarchy must
fall their faces like the idols of Baa and the people
the popular sovereignty proclaimed by the Declaration
of Independence
Judge We. if in these words there is any counte-
nance of that tyranny, which, in the name OF popu-
lar sovereignty undertakes to make merchandise
of our fellow men.
The Declaration of Independence gave dignity to
our revolutionary contest, and made it landmark
of human progress. Here at last, the rights of man
were proclaimed, and government was organized
in subsection to the sovereign rule of right. The
people, while lifting themselves to the duties of soy
ereignty bent before that over-ruling sovereignty
whose seat is the bosom of God such an example
became at once guide to mankind. 1t was copied
in France, under the lead of Lafayette; and there
is no people struggling for right in either hemi-
sphere, who have not been insured bV it. And
this declaration, standing foremost among the his
toric glories Of our country, is now assaed and
dishOnored.
It's assaed and dshonored, first by the denial these
natural rights, which it goriousy declares This is
done often with jeer ForGeuul that these rights
divuely established at the very creation when God said
Let us make man in our own image. and then again in
the gospel, when it was said, God hath made of
blood all nations OF men forgetu that these rights
stamped by nature all who the human form:
torgeiu also that they belong TO those sclfevident
truths, sometimes called axioms which universal
their application, tho axiom in arithmetic that two
Straight line shortest distance two points,
torsetfu of the true glory Of our country these primal
"spcndid generaes, and sometimes ''selEevident
lie This assault, though proceeding from various
voices originated with MIR, Calhoun. He is its first
And now secondly, the declaration is assalcd and dis
honOred in the pretenslons that men, in the
sovereignty derived from the declaration, may make
merchandise OF their fellow men, if to them it seems t
and that this powcris am incident of
This pretenson first put forth by Gen Cass in 1915
a presidential candidate, is continued by Mr. Doug
las VINO repeats ii throughout the country, and is also
practically adopted by ME- mayer, part his
fang ed territorial policy. Such petension is hardly
less degrading TO the declaration than the open
ofs primal truths by MIR Calhoun latter, well
known denied the sovereignty of the peone the terri
tories but he agreed heart aud soul in the preenson that
the right TO enstaye fellow man is an incident OF sover
eighty wherever it exists
Thus do these assaults upon the declara prac-
tcaly proceed from one source In their essential ideas
On the other Side is arraved name fIustrious for a
long of public service, and for unsurpassed
mpionship of freedom mean John Quincy Adams
Entering tn house of re representatives. after long m M
home abroad, SENATOR minister
state and finally president he added all these titles
to regard by the ability and consancy with which he
upheld the rights of man. Mr.. Calhoun this time
in senate; but MIR Adams necessarily all his
assumptions tor posing It's hateful character
insisting upon its prohibition in the territories,
pecially yindcahg the Declaration of Independence
Never has the recent preenslo in the name Of popular
sovereignty, been more completely anticipated and
posed now, that this argument may not stand en-
tirely upon my words, quote from him =
Unlimited power, says John Quincy Adams in his
to the nature man; and rotten wild be tie fouud-
ton of every government leaning upon such maxim
despoc power, existing every government soDeohere
is incompatible with the first principle of right
to itself absolute, unlimited power must appeal for
those iiustrOus eXpouuders human rights
Pharaoh OF Egypt and Herod the Great OF Judea
Again. in another passage of the Grafton he says
in words which answer portion OF Mr. 1hayers argu-
Iii has sometimes been objected to the Declaration
that it deals too much distractions But this was its
characteristic excellence, for upon these distractions
hinged the justice OF the cause Without them
luton would have been but successful rebellion Right
truth Justice, all distractions The Iii unity thatstirs
the soul of man Is abstraction The Creator Of the
spirit and all spiritual nature is abstraction
Happy would it be could we answer with equal col fl
dencc another objection not to the declaration bnt to
the consistency of the people by whom it prolaim-
ed!"
in his Grafton at NewburypOrt 4th July 1881 There he
words which reveal the limits of popular sovereign
"rhe sovereign authority, he says, conferred an
the colonies by the declaration of independence could
not dis peuse them nor any individual citizen of them
from the ulhllment OF ali their moral obligations. he
people who assumed their equal and separate station
among the powers Of the earth by the laws of natures
God, by that very act acknowledged themselves bound
to tia observance of these laws and could neither eyer
else confer any poi0er Inconsistent ipih MeM."
Then again, alluding to the semposed restraints up