The Local news. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-11-15

the parliament Of Great Britain. IA. & A.
Cor. sec. 1917 Granting then thai the legis.
lature, may under certain circumstances
dissolve Corp ,ration, or change its charter
without It's c,Isent, yet it is clear that the
Executive authority can never in any man
| ner whatever interfere with corporate rights
| Nor has the exercise of this power BY the
legislative department of Government ever
been justified on reasons of state. In the
reign Of Charles the Second Of England,
when the King, in his progress towards alb
soute despotism, had trampled under foot
the constitutional liberties Of the people, the
Corporation of London was the chief obsta.
Gle to the accomplishment of his purposes
In the exercise Of corporate rights, the city
| of London elected officers who were opposed
to the Crown, and for reasons of state, these
officers were expelled from their places, and
creatures of the Court, protected by guard
OF train bands, were substituted in their
stead. And for fear that the contest might
be renewed at subsequent elections-the
King and his servile parliament, determined
to revoke the charter Of the devoted city, and
thereby in the language Of Hume ITO give
the greatest wound to the legal constitution,
which the most arbitrary monarch had ever
been able to infict." This tory historian in
referring to this act of despotism, remarks
''that it seems strange that the independent
royalsts, who never intended to make the
crown absolute, should yet be so elated with
the victory over their adversares as to ap-
prove Of prece lent which left no national
puciteges IN securi1y." And every friend
Ut liberty he continues-must admit that
the nation whose constitution was thus bro
ken in the shock of faction, had right, by
every prudent expedient, to recover that Sc
curity Of which it had been 80 unhappily
bereaved" Hume, History, new edition.
pages 256 to 260
And Sir William Blackstone speaking of
this exercise of power by parliament says,
shat the seizing of the charter of London
gave Just and great o6ence." fuckers Black.
Book LIST, p. 1853.
Again, during the reign of James the Sc.
cond, the University Of Oxford, in order to
propitate the favor, or to avert the wrath of
the King, made solemn professions of pas
sve obedience. Soon after this, the Presi-
dency Of one of the colleges Of that Corpor-
alton became vacant, and tor reasons of state,
the King demanded that miserable court
favorite should be elected to that Office. The
fellows of the College made submissive ap-
plication to the King for recalling his man
date. Before his answer was received, the
day upon which, according to their statutes.
they were obliged to make an election hav-
ing arrived, they chose president in every
respect qualified for the Office. For this act
of contumacy they were cited before an &c.
clesastical commission. The College. a.
mongst other reasons, for not complying
with the wishes Of the King, represented
that the presidents had ever been elective,
and that having already made regular cleo
ton OF president, they could not depnse him
FROM his Office. These reasons awaited them
nothing, the president and non-complying
fellows were expelled, and man Of prosti.
tute character was put in the Office; and
Hume says that ''this act of violence, of all
those committed during the reign of James,
is the most illegal and arbitrary, and begat
a universal discomfort against the Kings
Hume's History, new edi-
ton. p. 1928. Reasons of state then cannot
Justify the violation Of corporate rights
The highest legal authority announces the
principle, and the most universally received
historian records the infamy Of its violation,
even when perpe+ rated by the party of
which he was the too partial apologlst. Not
only does he denounce the acts ~ arbitrary
and despotic, but votary as he was of the
principle OF passive obedience, he declares,
that under such provocations forbearance
ceases to be virtue and resistance becomes
an inalienable right. In these cases from
history, there were stare purposes to sub
serve. base as they were, while in this there
is not even this poor excuse. There, an end
was to be gained which was deemed of great /
the outrage is perpetra.
led in the vorinat wantnn mesa withuut thu
possibility Of any beneficial result!
One word in reference to the oaths which
The officers Of Corporation are obliged to
take, and we have DONE According TO the.
Charter Of this Corporation, it's officers are
required to take an oath faithfully to dis
charge the duties of their respective Offices,
md no other. Nor can any oath he imposed,
except by an amendment to the Charter. If
he Corporation itself dared require any Of
It's officers to take an oath not prescribed by
he Charter, such an act would transcend
he Charter, and incur forfeiture. A. h
A. cor. Sec 348. The legislature by the des-
9otic exercise Of arbitrary power might by
amending the Charter require officers there
'fter elected to take an oath not prescribed
~ the original Charter, but it can no more
'equire an officer to take an oath not pre-.
'cribed when he was elected, than it could
liter the qualifications or change the salaries
y such officers during The terms for which
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