The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1863-11-25

and pleasure the high degree OF civil
and political liberty which has pertain
ed to American citizenship. 1t was
t, valued as one of his dearest treasures.
and he who would inyade-it was deem.
! ed the yilest of criminals. Let us
spend few moments in rejecting ups
on the nature of our American liberty
> Its value, its defenses, its peculiar
dangers, its present conditions, and
u the means of its restoration to its for.
mer state. ' 80 @s'.s. e.
qs1. The nature of our American lib
erty.., a% n.l 5. +. ' s,e-,.,.o ,aa s,..1 r.a. g.
Our liberty is historic and hered-
itary thing, tits not an abstractand
speculative. system, reasoned uout by
philosophers and statesmen; nor is it
based upon abstract propositions and
maxims; but ittis the result Of historic
experience and Of many struggles and
conflicts. It, has been built up by
SLOW degrees, and much of it was ac,
quired before America had d political
being, Much oft IS not necessarily
peculiar to republican government
for some degree Of liberty may exist
under a limited monarchy, and lin fact,
there may be q nominal republic with,
out a particle Of liberty--calliag a gov
eminent q republic does not make the
people really free. IN the Middle
Ages there waga time when our An
glo-Saxon ancestors were without any
Of the elements Of freedom; but s'it is
now many centuries since tho people
began to wiring from their oppresSQrs
aomo Of the powers and inmunities Of
freencn. Long anterior to that Pc
r!od there vas, perhaps, time when
their fathers enjoyed many Of those
powers. and immunities; burr having
lost them, it was necessary to reclaim
them az in, and to place them upon a
wideran more enduring foundation.
This work was done long anterior to
oar American Revolution; and those
who laid the foundations Of our Gov
erument entered into and contisuetl
the labcrs Of a long succession of ar
dent lovers and brave champions OF
liberty. The Am ,rican Revolution
was heroic and bloody struggle in
Y v;ndi:ltion Of cherished herelltary
rights. In short, American liberty is
English liberty, cultivated ana perfect
o,'zin the noble spirit Of its original
crast9rs lit is English libarty moli-
t5d and expanded to suit republican
institutions. It is with US o heritage
and not an acquisition. It embraces
the nights Of the people, the rights Of
the States, and the rights Of individ.
uals. ..,,.
The people (thatis the mass Of mem
ntc Invested with the sovereign power
which is exercised by means Of the de-
oision Of the majority. In the British
G2gcrhment the people possess only a
limited portion of political power, but
ia America they are the ultimate pro-
prietors of the whole. The funda-
mental organization of the Govern
,nent pertains to the people. The ap.
pointment Of I'll public officers is their
right; all all those entrusted with
power arc accountable to them both
at the ballot,box AMI in the courts Of
Justice. All laws are enacted by the
representatives of the people; and t.
insure their due execution, the Exec
utive, Legislative and Judicial powers
are placed ip distinctand Independent
hlnlS, not likely to conspire tog.thal
and defeat the will ofsthe ple---tht
imparti4lity and, the einp3ts,p Independence Q
the Judiciary being thus secured, ant
the civil power being made predomi
nant,oger the military. The ballot i
constituted the master Of the sword, !.
The rights Of the States are, in re
spect to their source, either origina
or constitutional, The former the,
enjoy by virtue Of their native elm
aeter as States, and the latter they de
rive from theiFeleral Constitution
They have an inherent right of sci
government iuregard to their interna
affairs and their original rights Of per
son and property. In reference t
their own territory and population
the people Of theiStates: have also a
the political rights which We have de
scribed as Che rights Of tile people a
large. In addition to these origins
rights, they have rights given to thal
by the Constitution, such as ,sendia
Senators and Representatives to Cor
gress, enjoying in either States ii
rights and privileges of citizens {