New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-03-21

he is intrusted with or is excluded from
office-is true honor. 1t is the voluntary
VOW made by the chivalrous soldier, which
no power but his own sense of duty
could compel him to perform. 1t was
Regulus. the republican. returning from
Rome to suffer torture and death at Car
thage because he had promised to re-
turn. There is a notable difference be-
tween the obligations of q subject and
of a citizen. The one is under durance
to arule to which ne is not party. The
men Of Hungary. or Poland, or Ireland,
may claim that their rights have been
usurped by the government not OF their
choice, and not founded upon 'the con-
sent of the governed" We can not con-
strue the ethics of their position. We
have defined our own With the want of
unity in constituting the powers of the
government and the duty Of the citizen,
even III this country. We can not conceive
the success Of people who have never
had other than a personal and hereditary
ruler. in adopting the principles of self
government. Spain may. it is true. elect
President and Congress. She may
levy armies in the name of the republic.
and enforce the laws by physical force
but this is scarcely self-govelnment. 1t
is q self-int1icted penance. The republican
citizen should know that when he adopts
abide by, and not evade, the con-
tract. He should perform his duty
under the law, and then the force Of the
government would be as to such citizens
unnecessary. The singular tendency Of
men to violate their pledges to themselves
is felt by some who have thus contracted
to renounce some cherished indulgences.
It may be SO with those who imprudently
engage to become republican citizens. For
this responsibility we should deem the
Spanish people at this moment not well
fitted. It is the sincere prayer of every
republican that the principles which have
raised us to national greatness may become
universal. Still, Non c,tjriS 0dire (orintho;
nor is every one fitted to become repub-
lican. While the success Of the Spanish
experiment will rebound incidentally to
our renOwn. its failure would bring re-
proach. and, let us add, regret 10 every
American republican. In the dissemina-
ton Of religious doctrine it is better
to teach the neophyte the awful So
lemnity Of his engagements than to
regard them lightly. In expressing
the sense Of individual responsibility
which rests upon every Republican, it is
our object to secure to Spain the blessings
Of success, and avert the miserics of fail
ure. Spain enters upon prolonged and
bloody pethwa.-. Her immediate attain
ment of political and religious freedom is
improbable. yet We expect her to perse-
we're. for the highest reward of human
virtue is the successful exercise Of the
right of self-goyernment.
Yet, as the young men who desired to
follow tie Savior was told: eco. sell that
thou last and give TO the poor" Spain
may be required to give the iiust and high
est evidence that she appreciates this in
blessing. Let her raise her
colonial subjects to the dignity of freenen,
and abolish all legal and political distino-
tons among them, without regard to race,
class. color or previous condition. VIII
she do this: or will she. like the amateur
Christian, decline, and depart sorgowful.
:. for he was esceeding rich"