The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-12-29

svcoxD ARrIoLE.

sutInAsE.
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Il svcoxD AETI0IE.s
We h.vs ssen 49, ~ thsory If IL faAhEs
&c the GoSsrnnssna would havs admitted 10
epartscipsIon fsAia opaakasiss 40 admin.
;u1ratiop, s>sry psuson q either 81 vhs aad
rncb>d ysars Of discretion: This having
been sheir theory, Why waatheis practice oil.
fsrent7 Il vas bscaussths ideas which hsd
controlled them = Englishmsn, controlled
them ia thsir nav character - independent
Americana. From the force Of habit and in
her;ted political notions, they grated upon
The new American doctrine Of individual
POLITICAL sovereignty, the English doctrine Of
affrsge - . privilege. And the absurd IN
conRruity Of that union, seems never 70 nave
occurred 10 any Of them.
II il true, as the elder Adams said IN his
inaugural, that the confederation OF the colo
MES Vas modelled after the Batavian and Hell
veto Conlsdsracies, Butthe colonists were
Enslishmen, and their political notions and
their sturdy devotion to independence, were
ah6in 81 sissus 81 their descent. The EnG-
ihlSl( = ~ pssple, bst~hst j. the. oriein
and history Of that Freedom. The Long
Parliament indeed, once voted, 'that the
people are, pndsr God, the original OF ell
lust power" and that whatever is enacted BY
their representatives., hath the force Of law.
Ttst ~ the resolution Of lawmakers, rep.
resenting . narrow constituency, and those
lawmakers themselves, had no idea Of sut-
frage that should be universal. The theory
Of English liberty, is that liberty is con-
cession from the crown: The Englishman
has rights, but they are rights because inner
tied, and he has the sanction of the law for
! his possession Of them. The nobility under
Henry Third, were deemed the champions Of
English ibssy; they had sAid on famous oc-
casion, in reply to demand from the King
; and the Roman prelates, Nolumw isges
Anolio mutare-We will not change the
laws Of England. Not from inherent right,
but By virtue Of those laws, had the English.
man liberty. The FIRST William conquered
England, and Norman law and the feudsl
system determined the character Of English
Instructions That feudal system made The
larger class Of people villains or slaves. The
will of The master was their liberty, his vhin
the measure Of their rights. In this view Of
the easlased class, king and mobiles were allied.
The great charter Of King John il
eetssmed the FIRST victory for Liberty in Eng
land. And the great charter grew out OF
the fact that strong Kings had encroached
upon tho privileges Of the nobility; and that
those strong Kings, had . weak King to fol-
low them IN time, when the barons could
intimidats. The only provision for the vii.
leins-that is, Hume says, the largest class
in the Kingdom then, was the sole proyis-
ion that fine imposed upon villein should
not extend to taking from him his cart, pillow,
and instruments of husbandry. Between the
villeins and the nobility we're class Of free
men. These profted by thecontests between
the Kings and the nobility by being alter
nately the allies of each they became power
in the state and were courted. For the sake
of their support against the encroaching no.
bles, the King granted them privileges.
Those privileges long enjoyed became rights
in the end. Not inherent, they were never
supposed or allowed to be that but secured
by law and of;sinallJ grants from the Grown.
The privilege Of voting for members Of Par
lament, became. 10 time one Of these See
Hume account Of the nse Of popular liberty
in England. These freemen engaged in COM
merce and manufactures. They became
rich, and so their importance in the state in
creased. Their franchises were enlarged.
But the observable fact is, that an English
mans liberty, his right TO the elective fran,
chise, which Is the exercise Of liberty-is q
privilege granted him BY the Crown. Liber-
" il not right inherent, it is . concession
from the government. The number admitted
to the elective franchise has been constantly
increasing in England. But each increase
. is : grant from the Government Suffrage ii
privilege in England, it is 3 grant from the
Crown. That is the theory Of the English
Government.
The theory Of our Government is directly
the reverse. The fathers Of our Government
denounced thst English theory ~ false. Eng
land said the Government is supreme, and
The people have no nghts save such % The
Government grants them. Young Americ,
answered, the people are supreme, and thu
Government has no rights save those the PEG
pie grant It, There never was director
political Antithesis. Our fathers said govern
ment effects eli the people, and so al tn,
people, have an equal right, each with tn,
other TO voice in the government. Blu
when they came to organize government
they changed the principle, and acted uror
this snunciation Of it: Government effect
oalSutAose male citizens Of the Colonies, ,ch,
BY grant from the British Groom, are norc en-
titled to thepririlege Of suffrage, and 50 hss
alone shaN hare coice in tie government
What gross perversion that WAS Of ID.
grand principle proclaimed in the Declare
ton of Independence. After announcing
truth, that stamped the English theory with
foolishness, our fathers faced about, adopted
that theory, and rejected their own TheJ
began as Americans just where they left OF
rs EngIishmsn. To-day England and Amer
lea are doing the same thing. Each Is striv
ing TO extend the elective franchise, viii
perfect identity Of principls-that Is, that ID.
podtieal povU Of the people il = grant from
the Government.
Il will be said that Liberty and Suffrage
are mot synonyms. We answer BY query
Is liberty merely the security and protection
of the individual BY law? II so France IN.
der Napoleon Is . model of liberty. VIVA,
a~an.2:a..l LII a.4- l.. y. A.