The advocate., 1895-07-24

hOIO yoIr liberties can be Seeured for liberty ought
to be the direct end of your government Is it nee
esssry for your liberty that you should abandon
those great rights by the adoption Of this system
Is the relinquishment of the trial by jury and The
liberty of the press, necessary for your libertyi
Will the abandonment of your most sacred rights
tend to the security of your libertyP Liberty, the
greatest of oil earthly blessngs-giVe us that
precious jewel and you may take everything esel
"But am fearful have lived long enough to be-
come an old.fashioned fellow. Perhaps, an inVinc
ible attachment to the dearest rights of man, may
in these refined, enlightened days, be deemed old
fashioned. If so, am contented to be so. l say
the time has been when every pulse of my heart beat
for American liberty, and which, l believe had a
counterpart in the heart of every true American.
But suspicious have gone fOrth-suspiClons Of my
integrity reported that my professions are
not real. TWenty-three years ago was l supposed
traitor to my country. / was then said to be a
bane of sediton because l supported the rights Of
my country. may be thought suspicious when /
say our privileges aud our rights are in danger but
sir number of the people of this country are weak
enough to think these things are too true / am
happy to find that the gentleman on the other side
declares they grOundless; but, sir suspicion is
virtue, as long as its object is the preservation of
the public good and long it stays within proper
bounds. Should 1t fall on me, | am contented.
trust there are many who think my professions for
the public good to be real Let your suspicion look
to both sides. There are many on the other side
who, possibly, may have been persuaded of the ne
cessity of these measures which l conceive to be
dangerous to your liberty Guard with jealous at
tenton the public liberty. Suspect eDeryone who
approaches that Jewell Unfortunately, nothing will
preserve it but downright force. Whenever you
give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.
81 am answered by gentlemen that, though /
might speak of terrors yet the fact is we are sur
rounded by none of the terrorS l apprehend. con-
ceive this neo0 government to be one of those dan
gers it has produced those horrors which distress
many of our best citizens. We are come hither to
preserve the poor Commonwealth of Virginia, ifit
can possibly be done. Something must be done to
preserve your liberty and mine.
"The Confederation, this same despised govern
ment, merits in my opinion, the highest encomium.
1t carried us through long and dangerous war; it
rendered us victorious in that bloody conflict with
powerful nation it has secured us territory greater
than any European monarch possesses. And shall
a government which has been thus strong and Wig
orOus be accused of imbecility, and abandoned for
want of energy? Consider what you are about to
do before you part with this government Take
longer time in reckoning things. Revolutions like
this have happened in almost every country of Eu-
rope Similar examples are to be found in ancient
Greece and ancient Rome. Instances Of the people
losing their liberty by their own careessnesS anil the
ambition Of q fe1O. We are cautioned, by the hon
orabe gentleman who presides, against faction and
turbulence. L acknowledge that RIGHTEOUSNESS is
dangerous and that it ought to be provided against
1 acknowledge, also, the new form of government
may effectually prevent it. Yet there is another
thing it will efeetualy do: 1t oOiU 0ppreSS md ruin
the people. There are sufficient guards placed
against faction and licentousness; for when power
given to this government to suppress these as for
any other purpose, the language it assumes is clear
expresses and unequivocal, but when this constitu-
ton speaks of privileges, there is an GJtgttty sir