The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1873-03-27

whole doctrine OF secession. His polite
al children have always been inclined to
this French fashion. But in fact it is G
general failing. So far have we departed
from the wisdom OF our ancestors. while
giving mouth honor to that as divine.
If it were essential to the rights of the
people that a convention should affirm
them, behold to what a condition we
should be reduced There is not a tribe
on earth so degraded but that rights ex-
ist in il by the natural law But we, the
descendants of a people whose civiliza-
ton is distinguished for the growth OF
rights of person in the nature and char
acter OF the people, and by the immeno-
rial law of custom, must affect such alb
jectness that we have no certain rights
until convention has declared them
Or else we must confess such degradation
and incapacity as a people, that unless
we bound ourselves we would destroy
rights that from time immemorial have
existed in the American and Anglo Sax
on people. If we were so incapable OF
seli-government, how should we remedy
it by having one set of representatives
get together to bind another set of rep
resatatives
The perpetual motion does not equal
this iuggie. 1t makes a rational system
of that cosmagory which stands the earth
on an elephant, the elephant on tor
toise, the tortoise on a snake, and the
snake on nothing BY only one remove
this political structure stands on moth
ing. The doctrine is this: Popular ma
jorities incline to abuse power and de
stroy liberty. Therefore % popular ma
jority must make regulations to prevent
popular majority from abusing power,
1t is selfswallowing feat The starting
premise makes the convention itself in
capable. 1t is nothing but the represen-
tatives of the popular majority. Where
1t assumes that the popular majority is
not to be trusted, it kicks out its own
bottom. It's very first attempt to restrict
another body of popular representatives
declares itself incompetent. And the
starting premise condemns all popular
government. If the majority of the
-American people were such that if not
bound by the green withes of ,green
convention, they would trespass upon the
common rights of man that are every
where recognized as the law of nature,
they would be incapable of selEgoyern-
ment The most savage despot would be
good enough for them if this were true.
If this slander were true, then the con-
clusion would be unavoidable that under
popular government free people have
rapidly sunk into degradation.
The American people are not so degra-
ded that they need to be bound against
destroying their rights which are not the
creation OF law, but were the growth Of
their own nature. Popular government
is not such nonsensieal structure that it
would 90 to the dogs if the people elected
a Legislature to legislate, without select
ing previous Legislature to legislate
how the other Legislature shall legislate
II the principles of American rights were
not fixed in the character of our people,
paper declarations would not be worth a
rush. Being so fixed, paper declarations
only create means Of dispute and perver-
sion. Who can mention a right of man
that has been saved by any declaration
in that piece of fancy work, the latest
Ohio Constitution Who can mention
an aggression upon popular or personal
rights that mas not pretended to have
ground in some superhuous pro-declara-
tion, or prohibition, or restriction in the
Constitution, which, by this, had just the
opposite effect of what it was meant to
haYe2
A great man said it was not necessary
to re-enact the law of God. The most of
the things that belong to our life it is not
necessary to re-enact. An attempt to re-
enact all our rights would at once deny
most of them by the effect of omission
1t is not the business of Constitutional
Convention to define rights; to do so is
mere usurpation. It's business is to make
the written organization of government; /;
to provide form whereby the people can
choose a legislature, judiciary, and exec
utive, and to prescribe the divisions of
power between these branches. Instead
of being body to restrict the people, or
to either create or take away their iber
ties, its legal province is simply to ar
rance the forms by which thew NAV ex-
ercise their powers. Perhaps we may
burn another candle on this subject by
showing up some of the previous efforts
in the fancy business of making patent
bills of rights.