Journal of freedom. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1865-186?, 1865-10-07
THE RIGHT OF REVOLUTION.
By ALBERT MATHEWS.

One OF our national fOlbfoS Is q tender
indulgence towards What has been, per-
haps very dangerously, termed q ssrevo-
~lutionary right" Was it wise or safe
to have admitted this comparative stran-
ger into the old family of civil rights p.
Is not the expression, In the sense it is
meant to be used, Il solecism ? Is right
practicable of, revolution at all? Right
as recognized in ~society-ciVil rights-is
the creation of law. Law is in truth the
epltoms of established right. Revolu-
ton. by its very term .c~ontemplates the
overt row ut law. Where revolution ac-
turally begins. law usn lily ends. Inter
Grnpd silent teges. Civil right, on the
contrary, depends upon law for It's rec"g-
milton anil supp rt. Revelation is the
child of force and violence. Law is
peace revolution is turbulence.
7, consider merely abstract rights. that
might he presllcated of man in an imagi-
nary and Improbable state OF nature, onl,
tends to confuse the subject. The matter
is complex aud refined enough, with facts
and actual things for u basis. While, to
consider merely moral rights, confnunds
man ~ an ind .vidual with man in his
civil AMI political relations. Men live in
organized society and society presnp-
poses law. From that alone Ito the, de-
rive all their civil rights, whether relat-
ing to property, personal or Political
franchise. For II part of an entire po-
llttcal Community, therefore, to Set up a
claim t, n legal right OF sec ssSion from
the rest, without clear authority of the
organic law of the and, and to put this
forward asa ''revolutionary" right, would
l 10nsV0 fN lN0 IN III n u can't l. fY1af IN n m
terms. Would it NIT be implicitly az
m ting that there could really be no
such right, and yet, at the same time,
asking the recognition rs rightful nf a
preten ted authority rebelliuuSly tn effect
the destruction OF law aud the subVerslOn
Of all right?
In one sense, indeed, there may be n
right of revolution, as contr t1istinguish-
81 fir an rebellion Rsv" luton, in tn,
asn 'ct, is c IAN * according to, or 1t least
ms h., violation OF, the organic law ~
the Inp4. tv ,rgtnic law oi the liant i
meant the c>,n~titttion of II State -w
ten or OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES matter OF con-
tract. express 81. implied, historical or
t~raditonary. ReyalHtion tlus considered
is a mode of eff citing radical reform, an
NAV be tieaceahIe, and mast be conserva-
tive. On the other hand, rebellion thu
considered, is change of organic law pro-
duced by violence. BY an inhersnt ne
cessity OF It's nature, it knows no Law an
it's own uubridled will, and beats dow II
every opposing law in its path. Right
can hardly be practicable OF that which
yields only to necessity, and Is not regul-
lated except by violence and irresponsl-
BILE violation. Rebellion is intrinsically
destructive, and, if opposed. becomes
warlike. The contrast, then, is very
great. Revolution, In this view, is re-
formation subordinated to organic law
Rebellion is resistance to, and, 1t sue,
cessf ul, Is su6versive of organic law. II
may prevail by the enforced consent Of
socIety-by a coup d'etat-or by a mill
tary nsurpatii,n, but it is always violent
and destructive.
Perhaps the whole fallacy and seeming
confusion of ideas come from calling
things by wrong names, and as Burke
saws, "turning a case of necessity into a
rule of law" Strictly speaking there car
hardly be such a thing as right OF revo'
luton" or a 'sright of secession" There
may be a power Of revolution n aPowe'
of secession. Power and right are two
QluSr6nG Things. 4HOo0 VIZ otCOdbPt ~
exercise such powers, whether u political
leader or a fragment of a community, d.
80 at their peril, precisely as any other
4 violaters oflaw. Necessity may, perhaps
Justify the act, and success may indeed
crown the result. Ii strong enough t.
overpower the law as it is, the victor
creates a new law, and Of course is free t.
recognize the validity and establish the
legitimacy and Justification of the political
commission which gave him birth. ls no
this the marrow of the 8o-called revolu
!. tionary right OF secession9
: The American people, ut length, under
stand this matter more fully. Neverthe
, less it has added the brains OF many
: ~good-natured and well-meaning persoa
for a long time, We hope it is il
> IFS grave now. The ~specious soPhistrie
that have kept it IN c~ountsnance have beef
: also. for the most part. quietly laid ava,
in their final resting place, and it wouk
7 be idle To rehearse them here. An Amer
can doctrine has sprung ont OF the ashe
of this buried majesty of Palmetto, which
| sounds much betler TO the ear of trn
patriotism. That doctrine may be state'
: thus Each of the several States having
nv virtue of the organization whereof.
Q hey became constituent parts of tn
Union, a fixed right TO email IN It an