Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-11

To he Editor ofhe Dispatch ::


The Declaration Of Independence an
nounced q new doctrine and proclaimed
resistan ce to tyrants is not rebellion. Hence
this once terrible word is eliminated from
our Constitution. The word rebellion, or
its equivalent, is of very ancient origin,
and IN the beginning was punishable with
very heavy penalties. The tribes were
taught 10y their petty chiefs TO look upon
resistance TO their authority or dlsobe-
dience TO their commands "a the highest
crime. The more petty the chref, the more
severe the punishment tor resistance to ms
will. The more savage the tribe, the higher
the crime and the more cruel the punish
ment. In Asia whole cities and people
were sometimes destroyed for resisting the
tyrant or ruling dynasty, and so IN Europe
until enlightened by the Church. In Asia,
where there is no Christianity, there has
been but little change IN this regard, and
rebellion there is punishable as OF old. As
the rights Of man have begun to assert
themselves, and the body of the people
has become more enlightened under
the teachings Of the Church and hui
manity is beginning TO triumph over
brutality, this once terrible word
has lost its odium and begun to be
regarded with favor by all peoples ht to
be- free. or who regard the rights OF man
as worth the having or know the meaning
of the divine precept do unto others as
YOU would have them do unto you" Hence
resistance to wrong, to task-master, TO
oppression in any form, to government
that usurps ungranted powers, have ceased
to be regarded as a crime Is the nights OF
the tyrant have lost their assumed " di-
yinity.n The divine rights of kings,
once the shibboleth of tyrants, have be-
come words of contempt, and the right 10
rebel or rather 10 demand and MAINTAIN
the right, has grown in respect az the d.
yinitV of kings and rulers have grown into
contemp. The first great act IN the mo-
dern world 10 dignity the word rebellion
was tho great English Revolution, which
gave 10 Great Britain liberty and raised
her up into great and free people. The
next great event IN the modern world 10
give vet higher dignity TO the word re-
bellion was the great French Revolution q
little over a hundred years ago. That
revolution set the world free and
put the nations on the road TO
eladness. But the greatest in its result
was the American Revolution and the de
claratiOn under which 1t was lnaugurated;
What this revolution has effected Is well
known. and is bearing its fruit among all
nations. Since that Revolution the word
rebeln is odious 10 none but the OPP
pressor. the tyrant, whether that oppres-
sor be king or ruler, President or Con-
gress, or whatever power may exercise the
| sovereignty Let rs see what says our De-
claration of Independence about rebel
| lion, declaration read by all, understood
| by few: I'VE hold these truths 10 be
self-evident, that all men are created
equal: that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain inallenable rights |;
that among these are life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness; that
to secure these rights governments
are instituted among men, deriving
their just powers from the consent
of the governed; that whenever any form
| of government becomes destructive of
| these ends it is the right of the people to
alter or abolish il and to institute new
government &c, &c.
This declaration was the embodied
| thought and principle Of liberty and OF
| the rights of man--of the Cavalier, the HUI
guenot, the Puritan, as well of the free
! dom-loving German, who bad left their
| own countries that they might escape the
penalty of what was there called rebellion.
| The word rebellion" was as dear to them
as Sinai 70 the Christian.
These three representatives of the lib
erty-loying refugees from countries where
rebellion was q word of reproach and in
! fanny in the mouths of tyrants, then, as
\ now, were about to enter into rebellion
against the King Of England, the penalty
\ of which, IL successful, was contscation
and death--were about TO rebel in the
name of tho rights of man and of COM
munity of men and of States to separate
| from England and set up a governments of
| their own. Yea, they conspired, II you
choose, against the life Of the nation
| They announced q new doctrine TO the
world, and that was that q people conside-
ring themselves wronged BY their Govern
| meus had the right, given by God, to sepa-
rate from that government aud set up q