, 1870-01-22


TIE PREAMBLE.
Now that thr COZ vention has reached this
ii teresring. though not, perhaps, important
stage in its work, a word to the wise may
br in scason. The most comprehensive
preamble yet adopted by any State is that
Of Pennsylvania, as follows:
1--WE, the People Of the CoumonVeslth Of
Ter. s.iraln. cream and eslssli.1 hts constlsu.
ice .}nr tss f9TtrHuttnf."
Under this constitution, the courts Of
Pennsylvania, in the Girard will case, and
bsain II case just decided by Judge Shars-
wood, have held, in substance, that Chris
tianity is the prevailing religion Of the
State, aLd that any bcqucst made for pur-
poses autagonistic to tie Christian religion
is yoid-a decision which places the State
or ground, at least, as distinctively Chris
tisn, if not more SO, than any other in the
Union. This illustration sutfices to show
that there may at least be very effective
recognition Of religion in a State without
placing it in the preamble, where it makes
merely show Of words and has no legis1a-
tive force. 4 constitution is really framed
''for tie government Of State. While
this expression, by reason Of its b1erity,
includes everything, the more verbose
phrases fail TO include most of the functions
of State Government
Thus, the preamble proposed by one COM
1nittee declares:
"We, the people OF the State Of Illinois, CRATE
mi 70 h,ntghry uoa 1er me civil poltnca', and Re.
to esjot. apa ,oo1!ne 70 Iii lin for ~ blessisg Hpon
or endeAyoss to secure, and transmit this eaue
1n,mpai1+d TO succeeding generations, Ia order 70
j1st.ce, secure domestic tranquility, provide Tor
tue common defence, pEomote the general welfare,
our posterg e FL = ts stsse dc
Of Initpia''
In the epoch in which this formula orig
mated the one idea which pervaded the
American mind Was that Of liberty, defining
that ward in-ita narrowest possible aeuge,
hs meaning merely deliverance from colo
nial subjection to the English Government.
The power On the par: Of adult white
men To vote and to mike their
OWL local Iaws had been exercised
as fully in their colonial condition
es it was afterwards in their confederation.
The abstract right Of all men to be FREQ WIS
denied more furiously by those who thus
generously intoued their gratitude t'for
civil, political, and religious liberty" than
it would have been by Lord North OF
George tho Third. In our own State, Love
Joy ~as killed as an incendia1y for advo-
canng the right Of all mento "ciyil, politi.
cal, and religious liberty" In the narrow
sense in which these words were formulated,
therefore, VIZ, as expressive Of gratitude
for our national Independence Of Grsa,
Britain, they have become husks. The
people are no longer thinking of those ter
rible cgres the stamp tax, Lord Cornwall
lis, and the obstinate George tic, Third. vi
! are as grateful today for the needed re
straints upon liberty, which are afforded b,
the law, rs We are for Liberty. We are a
grateful for the subo1dination of the tat.
to the Union as We are for its liberty. Her
nye the two elements, therefore, which, il
1T7G, VIC failed to acknowledge, VIZ, suh
ordination md Law, which we now find a
veil worthy OF gratitude IS that one whicl
sts1ds inherently opposed to both, Viz.
liberty. We are AZ grateful for liberty 70
the Llsck man, whom, in the midst Of on
professions OF liberty, we then eualaved, q
ue nrc for our own. Thy. then, ahou1
wc express gratitude for liberty and nc
fur its restraints-gove1nment and law
WHICH alone prevent liberty from being IN
ArcEy
But il We were disposed to con6ne or
grounds Of gratitude to Iibcst
oulr,-a blessing which tho Mort
hrus1icen Indian OF the Sout
African savage enjoys in larger degr'
than any Of ns, and which the whole o
;ect Of our constitution is to limit and !
strnip,-we rre still bound in common hon'
Hzot 10 affirm what is false. The peoE
ri Illinois, as whole, do not enjoy poll
ca1 liberty. Probably less than one-fou1
ri tl,cm do. Tie women, at the outset, &
6titutlne one.haf its people, have such q
and religious liberty as is granted to the
bnt they have not an iota Of political Lib
tr. We do not, st present, discuss
question whether they ought TO have.
American people have, at various tin
5ooe srch an e1t teusive business in ,ssul
declarations Of universal liberty and eq
-. .;,7o Iv side with ucg.o-chains
,rmsn ruc,ion. blocks, that i j. s ti.ss .,
- -, *'- :, -. 80 ~ ~-.s*a.s,. s'Sr,
adult mnle white citizens Of Illinois, y
hive not been disIInnch;sed for crime,
joy political liberty. Criminals, mius
49, I'll, 1ro,,at,r - - ~ z.r. 49,; ~
- ~ ' f - ~, T:e, - .N .Nt
-. ~ 49, -, 41.' =.
n.1s' nr, NV ~. Saas, sas VIVA as,'. tctnain III
x, =, ,.,r,,a ~ H., :.
oeeo' sno W ''AA'' ~ "A'n4 II never
ne eonieitev. - ,.............
nas ;s,r .ns o - ssonrs -. a, .rsni, an@en ,e
nv f' ~, " se meu teao na'1s. sna nv. nne: s
ooa s;. as ~ tha;- A .-n '' ,;,,as4n a s0'5 cH sse
hfo rt7H"s "A ''''e' ''s
1nent, 80 far as It eI1stH. ls an Interfere
I'll 1;7,crtv. IN secure other nended I'll
.,r,+.n4;,., ~ ,,-,,a-+,, ,;fa
,pEs, w. r.e'es'an nara' ~ ,s p,ops pen:t ns