Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1875-05-26

bc set to deyour one another In ordc,
that the superior few, who alone under
stood and appreciated peace and order
Mt It's true worth, misht have Il.
These arguments filled, however, to
convince the people. and thew adopted
the republican form of government
checked and balanced TO render II az
safe As possible.
Here again. then. education for cen.
turies stood them in lime of need. II
the majority is to be sovereign, il must
consent 10 be limited and restrained in
the exercise of It's sorereign functions
both as 10 the mode md manner of
their exercise. and ilso as TO the OK.
tent of its i,,risdictiln and authority.
II must consvnt that its powes shail
only be benifcent, and II must stipu-
late not to usurp the right TO do mis-
chief How shall this be done? Write
il down and solcmnly swear to main.
tain it. This was the mode adopted,
and il is perhaps the first instance IN
the world of A formal written constitu.
ton as compact between the majority
and the minority.
Into the new constitution all the
provisions of the British charters of
liberties, at all applicable, were incor.
porated-eyen the bald, terse phraseol.
ogy in which they were couched orig.
inally, is mostly retained in our bill Of
rights of today. To the first genera.
tions after the revolution these great
truths were held sacred and there are
thousands of men vet living. who can
well remember the unanimity of be.
lief which prevailed. that the perpet-
uity of our institutions and the free
dom and security of the citizens de.
pended entirely upon the inyiolability
of these great Constitutional principles.
They were neither 40 weak and fool.
ish as to suppose that maiorities like
Individual soyereions couli not be false
to pledges and recreant 10 hipb trusts;
nay, more. tbey knew that when ma.
ioritcs were Oppressive and dcsnotic
thew were even mora ,vrono haodod
and difficult TO manage than t5e royol
Stuart family Unscrnnniors and ~,
h;t,ous men in exc;ted t;mes hacl,ad
bv a majority inaamed bv nass;on and
misled bv nreiudices are ant 10 nro.
ceed in mucb greater extrem;,;ss ,ban
the worst Of kings az was demon
strated most cleorIy h Fronco dnr;na
the reign Of terror when Il was noi
necessary 10 he guiltv 10 bring distin.
ouisbcd heads 70 lie block. n was
enough 10 be suspected.
The great object Of government be.
ing the protection Of 1ife liberty and
property. Magma Cbarta was largely
drawn iipon TO secure II The country
was 10 be governed bv its nrincinie
embodied in the law. leaving the smaI.
lest possible chance for the Z exercise Of
arbitrary power. Therefore. upon the
establishment Of the federal constitu.
tion in 1889, and when all the vast ma.
chinery Of our government, state and
national, was put into successful opera
tion, it was no doubt the sublimest
spectacle men had ever seen. The
nations of the old world were amazed,
and nothing could exceed their wonder
and admiration in looking at the beauty
and harmony which prevailed through
out the whole union. The most intel
ligent and refined aristoeracy in Europe
could not have framed these govern
ments with greater skill or elegance.
The rough and hardy adventures OF
the new world had shown their ap-
probation Of genius, learning and wis
dom in selecting the great men of the
ageto fashion their institutions for them,
instead of the ignorant and presumptu-
GUS aspirants who too often thrust
themselves forward TO mar a work for
which they had no fitness. Happy
the people who could discover such
men as Washington, Franklin, Jeffcr-
son, Madison and Adams, and confde
in them but woe to that people who
supposes the most important and diff
cult work allotted TO mon can be done
by ambitious dcmagogues who are
ignorant Of their country's history and
the nature Of It's institutions. A great
deal more than mere zeal is necessary
to serve the public, and their ability is
not increased by their possession of
tho arts of pleasing and flatterinp their
constituents. In truth, the arts Of the
politician and the time he must lose
10 ACQUIRE them. generally disoualify
him as statesman. It Is only wise
men who can distinguish the abonest
and capable man. when choosing their
rulers. Hence 30 many nations trust
10 hereditary kings rather Than cleo.
ton to give them leaders,
Tho men of the revolution seem TO
have been especially fortunate in being
able to command the services of bodv
of men unmatched perbaps in anv are
or country. The testimony Of Mr
Pitt Il conclusive on this mint when
he said. ~ must declare and avow that
in all nv reading and studv--and
il has been INV favorite st1dv-.I
have read Thucvdides, and have
studied and admired the master
states of the world--that for soliditv Of
reasoning force of sagacity and wis.
dom of Conclusion under s1cb commit.
cation Of circumstances, no mutton or
body of men can stand in preference
to the general Congress Of Philadel.
phia."
am sorry TO say that we are
charged by foreigners with the fault
of being much less circumspect in our
selection of heroes than our ancestors
were. Still, from the way in which
popular ideas have been handled re-
Gently, IL Is hoped we may get back to
the purer worship and higher culture
Of the earlier days Of the republic.
will now turn to the success which
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