Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-11-29
John Quincy Adams on Disloyalty and
Rebel Outrages.

From n recent speech delivered by this gen.
tleman. we extract as follows:
What is their tavorite charge agnins. all who
differ with them? "2Hey are d;sI2yal"-
What is that? Well. | will tell you. Loy>
atty is word derived from old feudal times.
aud expresses the relation of the slave to his
master. the subsection of the serf to his lord,
the regard of the vassal for his king. The
citizen is free, the subject is loyal. Loyalty
is no new thing. 1t was rampant here before
the battle of Bunker's Hill. Then rs now. the
rich and high were most loyal" The loyalist,
however. disIiked the climate after the De
claration." They are remembered as Tories
now Generals Warren and Putnam were
''rebels" about the same time. let the negro,
if he likes, be loyal to his carpet basser. and
the Office holder to his patron. and the Radi-
cal politician to his government. but as for us
we will be content with the old fashioned ways
of our fathers. and swear with them $50 the
best of our ability to preserve. protect and de-
feud the constitution of the United States"
These not my notions, gentlemen. they
are the notions of Thomas Jefferson
According TO him, each man has n right
limited only by his neighbours equal rights
to his liberty and 70 pursue his own happiness
in his own way These were rights which he
derivative or held by any service. All that
governments can do is to see that these rights
are not interierred with, the mans inno-
cent. free action hampered. The best gov
eminent is that which governs least. The
best governments are those who govern them
selves. My friends. exactly that is our notion
day. All that is necessary to dispose Of all
these questions that the eternal meddling and
managing of the party of all the morals has
raised. is to apply the simple Democratic test
to them. and mark the result. Do you ask
me how TO deal with the South !?
The Democratic doctrine is contained in
queer old, rusty, fnrentten pamphlet. Let
me read i. to you; 1.-The people of this Com
monwealth have the sole and exclusive right
of governing themselves as a free. sovereign
and independent State; and do, and forever
hereafter shall. exercise and enjoy every power.
Jurisdiction, and right which is not may not
hereafter he by them expressly delegated to
the United States of America in Congress as
sembled" And if that is treason-as | sup
pose it is now a>days-why. it is high time
that the book which contains it be burned by
the common hangman. It is entitled. "A
declaration of the rights of all the inhabitants
of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. -
That, gentlemen, is pure disloyal Democracy,
and nOthlng else, ana we SUCK 10 lC SILL
But. then colored gentleman. the other night
at Faneuil Hall. told US that there were "out
RACES" at the South. Well, l should think
it very probable. only wonder there are not
more. 1t must be meanspirited people who
would not get outrageous under such treat
ment am sure Massachusetts people were
rough enough when a similar attempt was
made to reconstruct them in 1868. For an
infringement of their liberties. not one hun
dredth part as gross as that perpetrated on
Georsin they burnt down the house Of Gov
ernor Hutchinson, and plundered, rifed and
robbed the houses of the Register of Admi.
ral,v and of the Comptroller of the Customs
in the city of Boston. And. my friends, am
very much afraid they would do it again, loyal
as they are, in a like case. 1t is always so in
such cases. Ireland is full of ''outrages." and
Hungary was so outrageous that Austria has
been compelled to restore her constitutional
rights to her in order to stop the "outraees."
or course there are outrases in the subject
States. 1 know of one myself, gross outrage;
indeed, very nearly as infamous an outrage MS
ever was committed upon a free people. the
great, orr gual supreme outrage-reeonstruc-
ton