New Oregon plaindealer. (New Oregon, Iowa) 1859-1866, 1861-05-10
True Patriotism,

| o.oou, "IS"pPrehenueU ana msrepreScRted
that any lover of his country will under exist.
ing circumstances appeal to the deliberate
Judgment OF his fellow citizens to decide upon
the best course to be taken to preserve the
Government fabric by which the States Of
this Union have been held together SO long
!" peace, happiness and prosperity. Govern
ment rs we have said before is an Institution
whlch should be adapted to the circumstan-
ces OF the age AS people grow in prosper
ltyand become enlightened or as they may
become Impoverished and sink into barbarism
SO must the Institution of Government be nd
apted, to be Of real utility to tho governed,
to such changes of condition.
Government too is like material fabric in
some respects. When man builds himself
house he adapts it to his condition in life,
to his means. sometimes prospective; and to
such taste as he may have OF the beautiful in
architecture or cfutility in the arrangement
OF details No matter how we'll adapted such
an edlflce may be when first designed and
erected to the condition Of its owner and &C.
upant to his means, in life or to his taste, in
the course Of time it will ueed some repairs;
and as the circumstances and condition of the
occupant might change, it will need such al
| terations and additions rs might best COM
ed. SO precisely it is with the fabric or In
stitution of Government As first constructed
| every Government that ever existed was
originally adapted to tho condition which its
founders conceived to be best for those who
were to be effected by its Institution: but all
Government that lasted long enough to OK
periencea change in the condition, circum
stances or position Of the people in the scale
of civilization and enli shtenment either con-
formed themselves by adaptation to such
changes of circumstances. or suffered them
selves to be overpewered and ovcrthrown.
Such has been the experience Of all govern
ments and such their fate. Such as have
| existed the longest till our own days are those
which have kept pace with the progress Of
the governed in civilization, arts, science and
general enlightenment; and those which have
| ceased to exist will, on careful stHdy be found
to be those whose administrators refused to
| conform to the condition, circumstances.
wants and desires of the governed. Just as
man might do who rather than make
! needed repairs in his house to adapt it to his
| condition ut Il comparatively small cost
| would tearit dewn aud rebuild it at far great
er cost to himself and Inconvenience and
discomfort to his family.
Why should not we in these United States
profit by the cxperienc OF ages. We did so
once when after first establishing the Govern
ment by Articles Of Reconsideration, and it was
found to be defective system. the patriotic
men Of that period although they hesitated
to make a change. yielded to circumstances
whish were 50 controlling in their influences
that had it been insisted on by the admins
traitors of the Government to pcrpetuate the
Union on the basis first agreed to it would
long since have been dismembcred into its
original fragments.
The Federal Constitution succeeded the
Articles Of Confederation, rs better adapted
to the exigencies Of the free and enlightened
people who were to be governed by it, But
even that instrument, after all the del,bera-
! ton which its virtuous constructors could be.
| stow upon it to adapt it to the various inter-
ests which were to be effected by it, appeared
| to be def ctlve in some respects which was no
| seener perceived than an effort was made to
remedy it by amendments.
| Such was the course of the founders of this
Government. But now after the lapse of
nearly fifty seven years since the last amend
ment was made to tho Constitution, when it
must be plainly perceptble to every reason
lng candid observer that some repairs, alter.
|
made in the fabric Of Government, instead of
initiating the patriotic examples set us by its
founders and proiting by their experience
and by that of other Nations which have pre-
served their Government and their National
integrity by yielding to the exigencies of the
times as they changed the condition of man.
kind, some ofthe people of to day resist it to
the death and brand him as q traitor who
would, for the sake of preserving the Gov
eminent and the States, United, propose or
suggest such alterations and amendments of
the Constitution as would accomplish so de-
sirable an object. They seem to prefer that
the whole fabric should be torn into ruins
and that universal destruction should BETA
the country, rather than make single alter
alton or amendment which while it might az
feet no one State in the Union injuriously
would no much affect several others bcne6c-
ally in their own estimation as to attach them
devotedly to the Union.
All, but says the partizan protesting all the
time to be a friend of the Union and Of its
preservation and pcrpetuation, the suggested
amendments are contrary to our principles,
and it would he backing down to grant
them. Very we'll then it must be inferred
that rather than sacrifice an opinion by con-
senting to an amendment Of the Constitution
SO as to adapt it to change of circumstances:
there are those who would suffer the Govern
ment to be oyerthrown, the Uuion dismember-
ed, one section discovered from the other and
separate Nations, probably hostile to each
other. established.
This, in our opinion, would not be true
Patriotism. 1t certainly would not be our
idea Of the duty and obligations we owe to
our country. We would to whatever extent
we could emulate the virtues of the Patriotic
founders of the Government and profit by
their example and experience in making such
notifications in the Constitxtio, and if need
he for the preservation Of the Government and