The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-12-27

'uPUOn taxes pace through the efforts O
one of these committees, or anv otbe,
means whatever, it is either pSlliated
hushed up or denied by those interested
in the continuance Of corruption. before
it reaches the ear of the multitude WIN
never study sufficiently to form a correct
estimate & tNe SaYA .--iA8,,. = -
which the policy of parties, and through
them OF governments, is directed, either
pass It oy without notice, or, condemninp
It Tor moment soon relapse into theiI
former indifference and Gpathy. Corrup
ton, thus gathering confidence from Tic.
tory, stretches out still wider its leprous
hands, until finally it contaminates eyery
thing within its poisonous touch.
1t is claimed by the enemies of repub.
llcan institutions that the few will always
DE aFtlul, and the many but instruments
IN their hands to accomplish 1ke OAost un.
':;'e-:hy 0ods; that leaders will be currupi
though the people are honest. This as.
sertion, though the American citizen
would repel, has too much foundation in
truth. 1t is an evil, and rapidly growing,
too, and one that cannot be eradicated, ex.
cept through the dissemination Of kuoxl.
edge among all classes. In a country in
which every man is a sovereign, and ex.
pected to assume the obligations which
sovereignty imposes, as we'll as to share
in the blessings which it secures, political
economy and the principles of government
should be as much studied in the common
schools as geography or history.
But it is claimed that in a state where
every branch of learning is thoroughly
understood, there must still be leaders.
True; but will they not be then chosen
for their intelligence, wisdom and virtue,
and not for their power to intiane the pas.
sions Of the people?
/; the multitude require leaders-and
nothing is more certain-if the multitude
must and will have leaders, they must rise
from their midst, be governed only BY the
general interest, labor only fer the public
good. This governmnnt OF all by all,
through their chosen representatives a
choice governed and directed by reason.
and not biased and controlled by passion.
This is government of the multitude by
the multitude, the best Of all forms OF
government &: a representative Democracy.
But if, on the other hand, leaders are
not true to the public interest, and prove
sham leaderS-merc semblancics, not re.
alities; if, instead Of guiding and directing
the public mind in the path of duty to,
ward higher state Of social and political
existence, they endeavor to corrupt the
people and aggrandize themselves, the
people must, through means of constitu-
tional power vested in them, depose them
from the leadership, and elevate others OF
worth to the dignity Of that position, or
else they are incapacitated for selfgovern-
ment and representative Democracy, to-
wards which so many governments have
of late been tending, is but an utopan
scheme, ever destined to prove worthless
in the hour Of need.
There is connected With this another
thought 1t wcrc well t. consider: that is,
Tue zoo prcva.rrt idea that mans liberty
nslsts in the privilege Of giving his vote
at an election. \ man may possess this
privilege, and still be the basest slave that
walks the earth. Americans must learn
and comprehend this, or some day Ameri-
ca will be hurled irom its proud position
Of. the brightest star in the constellation
Of nations-a position that it still claims,
though gro ming under all the horrors OF
4 civil war.
The proper exercise Of sovereign pow
erS requires the possession Of sovereign
abilities, either natural or acquired. The
Supreme Ruler Of the Universe possesses
sovereign power in the highest degree,
and he alone is endowed with all the at
tributes requisite to its complete exercise.
And to the extent that man would endea-
vor to exercise such power, to that extent
must he possess the required Abilities
No law enacted by any nation, however
great, comforting upon its people univer-
sal suffrage, can annUl or destroy the ef-
fectS of this law, which has been decreed
by the Sovereign of all sovereigns-God
Himself
That a republican Government is Of all
governments the best, American history
has fully demonstrated. 1t is the best,
because it tends in the greatest degree to
advance the intelligence and virtue Of the
masses. But that free government was
ever intended for nation of idiots, Amer
ican history, and all other history, has
failed to teach US but it has taught US
that, Just in proportion as man advances
from such a state that he is capable of
self.government, and no further. The
more intelligent and virtuous he is, the
more competent he is to control himself;
and he who cannot govern himself GER
tainly cannot successfully govern others.
To establish the opposite of this, is to
deny the existence OF any moral or physi-
cal laws whatever. Ignorance and perfect
freedom are incompatible. The ignorant
man is necessarily slave-a slave to his
own passions and appetites, inhamed and
increased by the designing knave.
The French Revolution taught US this
Red liberty caps and shouts "N'iva Re.
pubica" could not make free people out
of an unbridled mob. Once beyond the
reach of the law, they become unmanage-
able, because unprincipled. Let those
who seem willing to level a
blow at the foundation of American law,
remember this. Let them guard against
for it can only result in despo-
tism.
The great national heart always means
right; but it needs intellect to guide, di-
rect and controli it. The masses are never
guilty of knowingly endorsing injurious
public measures, and if for no other rea-
son, because they arc TO be most affected
by them. Here is one of the strongest
guarantees of the perpetuity of free insti.
tutionS, because-it is one of the trongest
appeals to man, an appeal to his self:in-
terest. The only danger consists in its
becoming scctionalized one section en-.
deavoring to build itself up at the expense
of another system which if persisted
in, can only end in the ruin of both.
Under this disease this country is now
Iaboring, fearlully, violently laboring.-
The people, though ever honest, ever pa
triotic, did not see, in its broad extent,
the difficulty in time to use peaceful rem
edies to eradicate the disease, and at last
we're obliged to resort to the more forci-