New Britain herald., 1923-11-10

Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the gov erned." x'x To such government, so established. the people owe an all legiance which has the binding power of the most solemn obligation.
 There is such a disposition in these days to deny that our government was formed by, or is now in control of. the people, that a glance at the history of the days Of General Will liam Shepard, is peculiarly perti- nent and instructive.
 The end of the Revolutionary war was 17sS. Shay's Rebellion was in 17S7. The American constitution was ratified and adopted in 17sS. These dates tell us what the form of government was in this period.
 \ Plain Mans Story
 There were those. however, who distrusted the constitution and dis trusted it's proponents. They viewed lawyers and men of means with great jealousy. Amos Singletary ex- pressed their sentiments in the form of an argument that has not ceased to be repeated in the discussion of all public affairs. These lawyers" said he, and men of learning and moneyed men that talk so finely and gloss over matters so smoothly, to make us poor iIliterates swallow the pill, expect to get into congress themselves. They mean to be man. agers of the constitution. They mean to get all the money into their hands and then they will swallow up Us little folk, like the great Le- viathan. Mir. President, yes, just like the whale swallowed up Jonah." In the convention sat Jonathan Smith, farmer from Lanesboro. He had seen Shay's Rebellion in Berkshire. There had been no bet ter example of a man of the people desiring the common good.
 'I am plain man." said Mir. Smith, "and not used to speak in public. but I am going to show the effects of anarchy, that you may see why I wish for good government. Last winter people took up arms, and then, if you went 10 speak to them, you had the musket of death presented to your breast The would rob you Of your property. threaten to burn your houses. obligc you to be on your guard night and day. Alarms spread from town to town. families were broken up; the tdAder mother would cry, oh, my son is among them! What shall I do for my chid?' Some were taken captive; children taken out of their schools and carried away. xx How dreadful was this. Our distress was so great that we should have been glad to snatch at anything that looked like government. X NNow Mir. President. when I saw this I found that it was a cure for these disorders. I got a copy of it, and read it over and oyer.x xx l did not go to any lawyer to ask his opinion; we have no law yer in our town, and we do well enough without. My honorable old daddy there (pointinr to Mir. Single- tary) won't think that l expect to be a congressman, and swallow up the liberties of the people. l never had any post. nor do want ono. But I don't think tho worse of the consti- tuition because lawyers, and men ofF learning and moneycd men are fond Of if. l am not of such a jealous make. They that are honest men themselves are not apt 10 suspect oth- er people. X x Brother farmers, let us suppose a case, now. Suppose you had a farm of 30 acres. and your title was disputed, and there was farm of 5000 acres joined to you that be- longed to man of learning, and his title was involved in the same diff rnity; would you not be glad to have him for your friend. rather than to stand alone in the dispute? Well, the case is the same. These lawyers, these men, these men of learning,