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Enrrrn by tiiomas sia'YKES.
VOL. V. AO. «L
(anbavi> of v\9'' <i: b
BY I*. L. KOBIXSOX, State Printer.
Anti Publisher (by authority) of the Lairsoflhe I niled Stales
OFFICE WEAR THE CORNER OF WAYNE. ANO FRANKLIN STREETS.
ISSUED EVI.RI TUESDAY MORNING.
CT TERMS.—Three Dollars per annum. No subscription taken for less than n
Near, and no poyer discontinued, but at the option of the publisher, until all arrear
ages are paid.
CH ANGE OF DFRECTION.—We desire ench of onr subscribers as may nt any
Yilne wish the direction of their papers changed from one Post Office to another, to
inform us, in nil cases, of the place to which they had been previously sent ’, as the
mere order to forward them to a different office, places it almost out of our power to
eontplv, because we have no means ot ascertaining the otlice trout which they are
ordered to bo changed, but by u search through our whole subscription book, con
taining several thousand names.
ADVERTISEMENTS inserted nt the usual rates. Sales of LAND, by Admi
nistrators. Executors, or Guardians, are required by law tube held on the frst Tues
day in the mon:l>, between the hours of ten in the forema n and three in the nfter
•MUll. at the Court House in the county in which the property is situate. Notice of
[these sales must lie given ii<a public gazette SIXTY DAV S previous to the day ot
Sates of NEGROES must be at public auction, on the fust ’’ ii.~uu»rt
(between •the ueiial hours of sale, at the place ot public sale.* in the county where toe
letters tOßjjmrmnry. of Administration or Guardianship, may have be.n granted, tn-t
giving SIXTY DAYS notice thereof, in one of the public gazettes of this State,
and at the door of the Court House where such sales arc to be held.
Notice for the sale of Personal Property must be given in liko manner, !• OL i \
DAYS previous Co the day of sale.
Notice to the Debtors and Creditors of an Estate must be published !• OR 1 \
DAYS.
Notice that application will be made to the Court of Ordinary for leate to sell
LAND, must be published for FOUR MONTHS.
Notice for leave to sell NEGROES, must be published for FOUR MON 1 Ils
elbre any order absolute shail bo mad ' by the Court thereon.
Notice of Application for Letters of Administration must be published IIHR 1 \
DAYS.
Noth eof Application for Letters of Dismission from the Administration of an Es- ,
ate, are required to be published monthly for SIX MON i IIS.
CTThk STANDARD OF INION, which c.mc into life during the stormy pc- !
riad of 1833, has entered the sixth year of its existence, with fresh vigor and renew
ed energies, in support of th? great cause of the COXSTITI HoN and the UNION.
For the patronage which it has received, and the estimate which has been so gene
rously placed upon our feeble efforts to maintain the stability and perpetuity ot oiti
blessed institutions, we have no adequate language to express our gratitude; and in
return for these unerring evidences of the public approbation, wo are armed with ad
ditional strength to go forward.
The principles which the Standard has heretofore advocated, it will continue to
maintain, with increased energy.
It shall be, as it has been, the STANDARD OF UNION. Il shall support and de
fend the UNION of ALL the STATES, as the only means of preserving “the sove
reignty of EACH,” and to inculcate the great and wholesome truths upon which
our fathers so gallantly achieved the principles of liberty and independence.
We shall oppose with vigilance, any abuse or usurpation ot power by the 1 oderal
Government, by all constitutional mean. - , and as zealously oppose ad rash ami rccK
-lass movements by States, calculated to jeopardize the harmony of our beloved
Union, “ until the accumulation of oppression, shall outweigh the evils ot separation.’
We ding with unwavering confidence to the groat fundamental principle, that man
is capable of self-government; and will in no wise be instrumental in arresting the ,
experiment now in progress, by which alone this great problem can be solved. \\ c
desire to see the principles of the American revolution acted out, that the world may
know, whether mankind are worthy th? b! ssings of liberty and independence, or
whether, from their own wickedness and folly, they arc the natural subjects of anar
chy and despotism. For ourselves, we have too much confidence in the wisdom and
firmness of our institutions —in the intelligence and patriotism of the people— to
question for a single moment, the final and glorious triumph of REPUBLICAN
GOVERNMENT, over all others.
The fierce doctrines of Nullification, which we encountered at the commencement
of our career, after a fiery contest of four or five years, have sunk at last, under the
paramount influence of public opinion; and are now only remembered as a thing that
wai. But others have grown up of no less fata! tendency. The struggle of the
United States Bank for unlimited power, should awaken the democracy of the Union
to one united and vigorous effort to resist the influence of a monopolizing spirit,
which is seeking to subject the Government and the people to its dictatorial and des
potic sway. In this contest, the Standard of Union will be found, as it has heretofore
been, on the side of the people.
But there is still another projec on foot, which every man who loves his country
must contemplate w ith mingled emotions of horror and indignation. The attempt of
, the northern fanatics to interfere with ouf domestic institutions, in open violation o 1
the constitution, deserves theexecration of every patriot, and shall not fail to receive
our unceasing, uncompromising, and most efficient opposition.
Upon the subject of the currency, we entertain but one opinion—that no Govern
ment should sanction the existence of any circulating medium, which is not equiva
ent to gold and silver; and that the States alone, possessing the power of incorpo
rating and regulating Banks, should lose no time in reforming the system as it now
exists, and of placing all Banking institutions uponsucha foundation as will insure
•the fulfilment of their obligations, in good faith to the public.
As gold and silver form the only currency known to the Constitution, it is our
deliberate opinion, that nothing else should be received by the Government, in the
■ collection of its dues; and as it regards the separation of the Government from ill
Banks, the measure proposed by President Van Buren, generally known as thcJSub- i
Treasury System, meets onr most cordial and decided approbation.
We approve the measures of the present administration, as we did those of its t
illustrious predecessor, believing them to be founded upon the pure principles of
democracy, and shall give them our best support.
Thus have we briefly adverted to the course of the Standard in times past, and the
path it will pursue in future, cheered on as it is, by the confidence and support of
the Union Party. With a circulation equalled by very few Journal* in the Southern
States, we shall double onr diligence to make it every way worthy of the support J
which it has received from an enlightened community.
Intending as we do, to make it a source of increased information upon general
subjects, and to render it an instrument of additional usefulness to the cau<e which i
it advocates, and the principles it maintains, we confidently appeal to the UNION !
PA RTY, for an increase of its circulation.
Nor need it be supposed from the foregoing, that our columns will be lacking in in
terest to the general reader. Containing as they do, mor? space than is embraced in
those of any other journal in this or our neighboring States, and printed in a neat I
•and compact form, we shall have ample room to g : ve place to the choicest gems that '
appear in the numerous and valuable periodicals of our country, and keep the search
er after news advised of the many and events that transpire in our ex
tended territory; and we do hope, that occasionally, at least, we shall have the plea
sure of laying before our readers, productions from the pens of some of the gifted
sons of our own Georgia.
In the approaching campaign, wc shall be found at our posts, manfully sustainin’!
the nominations of our Party, nothing doubting that we shall gain a signal triumph,
on the first Monday ia (Stober next
MILLEDGEVILLE COURSE, GEORGIA.
——THE Annual Jockey Club |
Fall meeting will commence I
011 ! ' , °'> <lf ’y, the 12th of No- '
vember next, and continue ;
[7 aM!S3< \k_ S se * " ill be given.
~ J->. day.— \ Post Stake
V *’--- >.■ -. I"ar mile ||< ;,t... I nils I
'* ■*-■ thousand dollars, five hun
' died forfeit—3 or more to I
jnake a race; to close the first of October, and name at the stand.
Iverson & Bonner, - -- .- .- I I
24 day—Mile heats, for a fine Silver Pitcher and Cup, worth 8200,
fifor colt* and fillies, 2or 3 years 01d,525 dollars entrance —3 or more to
,niake a race. 1
3rd day—Two mile beat, free for all, Purse, $ 300.
4th day—Three “ “ “ “ Purse, 500.
sth day—Four “ “ “ “ Purse, 1000.
fith day—One mile heats, best. 3in 5. Purse, 400.
H. F. YOUNG, & CO. Proprietors, j
MiH«dgevil!e July 31st, 1838. 28—wilt.
AUX BOXS VIVAHS.
BOOKER &, YOUNG have this day dissolved copartnership, by I
mutual consent. All persons who are indebted to the subscribers, :
cither by note or account, are requested to make immediate payment to
L. A. YOUNG, who is authorized to settle all demands. No indulgence j
will be granted longer than the first of September.
July 25, 1838. 1 BOOKER & YOUNG.
IK?"* I he establishment will hereafter be canied on under the imme
diate direction of the subscriber, who would sav to his friends and the i
public, that he intends ke'-ping <w hand a general assortment of CON
tECHONARY. &'.c. His BAR, also, will be snrp issod by none, as
regards neatness, ordvr, and the most CHOICE LIQUORS; and he
theiefore hopes he may meet with a share of public patronage.
L- A. YOUNG.
(£7“ The city papers will publish the above nntil the first of Septem
ber next. 29—5 t.
(N AUTlON.—'Chose persons who have been in the habit of trespass-
J ing upon the THEATRE, for sometime past, arc informed by
the proprietor that they will be visited with the penalties of the law,
should their oflenees be repeated. 20-ts
A CARD.—The Union party of DeKalb comity are requested to
meet in Decatur on Tuesday, the 4th of Spetember, for the pur
pose of nominating candidates to represent them in the Senate and House
of Representatives of the State Legislature.
MANY CITIZENS.
THE Subscriber offers himself to the citizens of Hancock county
as a candidate for the Representative branch of the Legislature.
August 14 39—te JAMES R. WHALEY.
C C f *
POLITIJAL.
ORATION
Delivered al the. Demoeratie Republican Celebration of the
Sijiy-seeoinl Anniversary of (he Independence ts the I ni
ted in the City of Nctr-York, 4/h July, 1838,
BY EDWIN FORREST. ESQ.
Ffllow-Citizi.ns : We are met this day to celebrate die
most august event which ever constituted an epoch in the po
litical annals of mankind. The ordinary occasions of public
festivals and rejoicings lie at an infinite depth below that which
convenes us here. We meet, not in honor of av it lory achiev
ed on the crimson field of war; not to triumph in the ttctpti
sitions of rapine; nor to commemorate the accomplishment
of a vain revolution, which Lot substituted one tlyita<iy of
tyrants for another. No glittering tiisplay of military pomp
anil pride, no empty pageant of regal grandeaur, allures
its hither. We come, not to daze onr eyes with the
i lustre of a diadem, placed, with all its attributes of tremen
| dons power, on the head of a being as weak, as blind, ns tnor
' tai as ourselves. We come, not to celebrate the birthday of
' a despot, but the birthday of a nation : not to bow down in
: senseless homage before a the.me founded on the prostrate
I rights oi man; but to sttml up erect, in conscious diunity of
1 equal freedom, and join our voices in the loud acclaim, now
swelling from the grateful hearts of fifteen millions of fellow i
men, in deep acknowledgement for the glorious elmrlcr of
liberty our fathers this d ty proclaimed to the world.
Flow simple, how sublime, is the occasion of our meeting !
'I his vast assemblage is drawn together t > solemnize the anni- ;
versary ol an event which appeals, not to their senses nor to
theii passions, but to their reason; to triumph at a victory, j
not of 'night, but of right ; to rejoice in the establishment, 1
not ot physical dominion, but oi an abstract proposition. We
ar<- met to celebrate the declaration of the great pi ittciple ol'.
human freedom—that ine-timabb' principle which asserts the I
political equality oi mankind. We are met in honor of the
promulgation ol that charter by which we are recognised :ts ,
joint sovereigns ot an empire of ireemen ; holding our sove- '
reignty by a right indeed divine—by the immutable, eternal, *
irrisislible right of self-evident truth. We are met, fellow
citizens, to commemorate the laying of the corner stone of
Democratic liberty.
1 hreescore years and tw o have now elapsed since our fa
thers ventured on the grand experiment of freedom. The
nations ol the earth heard with wonder the startling novelty ,
of the principle they asserted, and watched the progress of!
their enterprise witit doubt ami appivheti'it n. The heart of;
the political philanthropist throbbed with anxiety for the re
sult: the down-trodden xit tints of oppression scarce dared to
lift their eyes in the hope of a successful termination, while ■
they knew that failure would more strongly rivet their chains :
and the despots of the old world, from their “ bad eminences,”
gloomily looked on, aghast with rage and terror, and felt that
a blow had been struck which loosened the forndation of their
thrones.
The event illustrates what ample cause there was for the
prophetic tremors w hich trilled to the soul of arbitrary power.
Time has stamped the attestation of its signet on the success!
ol the experiment, and the fabric then erected now stands on
the strong basis of established truth, the mark and model of
the world. The vicissitudes of threescore years, while they
have shaken to the centre thetartificial foundations <:f other
Governments, have but demonstrated the solidity of the sim
ple and natural structure of Democartic freedom. The lapse
of time, while it dims the light of false systems, has continu
ally augmented the brightness of that which shines with the
inherent and eternal lustre of reason and justice. New stars, !
from year to year, emerging with perfect radiance in the west
ern horizon, have increased the benignant splendor of that
constellation which now shines the political guiding light of
the world.
How grand in their simplicity are the elementary proposi
tions on which our edifice of freedom is erected ! A few brief,
self-evident axioms, furnish the enduring basis of political in
stitutions, which harmoniously accomplish all the legitimate '
purposes of Government to fifteen millions of people. The
natural equality of man ; the right of a majority to govern ;
their duty so to govern as to preserve inviolate the sacred ob
ligations ot equal justice, with no end in view but the protec
tion ot life, property, and social order, leaving opinion free
as the wind which bloweth where it lisU-th : these are the plain,
eternal principles on which our fathers reared that temple of
true liberty, beneath whose dome their children congregate
this day, to pour out their hearts in gratitude fir the precious
legacy, les! on the everlasting rock of truth the shrine is
founded where we worship fret ilotti ; and
‘‘When the sweeping storm of time
Has sung its death dirge o’er the ruined sanes
And broken altar? of the mighty find
Wh tse name usurps tier honors, and the blood.
Through centuries clotted there, lias floated down
The tainted flood o. ages,”— .
that shrine shall stand, unshaken by the beating surge of
change, and only washed to purer whiteness by the deluge
that overwhelms oil other political fabrics.
The very simplicity of those maxims on which is reared the
proud arch of our confederated Democracies, embracing a
hemisphere in its span, gives signal assurance of’ that inherent
durability, which can with-.taii<i unhurt the stormy conflicts ol
opinion, and the. tempest breath of time. Simplicity is the in
variable characteristic of truth. Error loves to hide her de
formity in cumbrous shapes and complicated envelopments,
to bury her sophistries in mazy labyrinths of subtlety, and
disguise her purposes in oracular ambiguities. But truth
is open as the day ; her aspect is radient with candor; h r lan
guage direct and plain; her precepts admirable in beati'y.
irresistible in force. The grand elementary principles of
whatever is most valuable to man are distinguished by simpli
city. Il' we follow nature to her hiding places, and vvrinir
from her the secret by which she conducts her stupendous
operations, we shall find that a few simple truths constitute the
foundation of all her vast designs. If we roam abroad into
the fields of science, the same discovery will reward out inves
tigations. Behold, for example, on what a few self-evident
axioms is reared that sublime and irrefragable system of ma
thematical reasoning, by means of which man proportions the
grandest forms of art, directs his course through the pathless
wastes of ocean, or, ascending into the hottttdless fields ot
space, tracks the comet in its fiery path, and “ unwinds the
eternal dances of the sky.”
We are apt, in political application?, to confound simplicity
with barbarism ; but there is the simplicity of intelligence and
refinement, as well as the simplicity of ignorance ami brutali
ty. Simplicity is the end, as it is the origin, of social effort;
it is the goal, as well as the starting post, on the course of na
tions. Who that reads the lessons id’ history, or surveys the
actual condition of mankind, with thoughtl'd eyes, docs not
perceive that, in religion and morals, in science mid art, in
taste, fishion, manners, every thing, simplicity and true refine
ment go forward hand in h ind. As civilization advances, the
gorgeous rites of an idolatrous faith, performed with pompous
ceremonial before altars smoking with hecatombs of hum in
victims, are succeeded by the simple anil refuted worship of a
sublimer creed. The dogmas of an arrogant philosophy,
full of crude and contradictory assumptions, are followed by
the harmonious discoveries of inductive reason. The gro
! (esqe and cumbrous forms of architecture, glittering with har
, baric pomp and gold, give place to the structures of a simpler
and severer teste. Lit rature strips off her tawdry tr ipping?
and superfluous ornament, and rejecting the quaint co tceiis of
cloistered rhetoricians, and their elaborate contortions of
phrase, speaks to the heart in words that breathe th'- sweet
simplicity of nature. Simplicity is indeed the last achievement
in lite power of man. It is the ultimate lesson to be acquired
before he can reach that state of inilleniai equality afid brother
hood, which trie inspiring precepts of democratic philosophy,
not less than the snblint" ethics of the Christian faith, teach
| us to hope may vet conclude, with an unsullied page, the
1 crime-stained annals of our race.
• To the genius of Bacon the world is indebted foreman-
GEORGIA, TUESRAY MORNING, AUGUST 2L
«»»»• Const ittiee—ft nr ContHrtj—iiur X a arftj.
cipating philosophy from the subtleties o! the schoolmen, and
placing her securely on the firm basis of ascertained ele
mentary truth, thence to soar the loftiest flights on the unfail
! ing pinions of induction ami analogy. To the geniu,s of
, Jefferson —io the comprehensive reach ami fervid patriotism
lof his' mind—we owe a more momentous obligation. What
Bacon did for natural science, JEFFEHSON’did for political
morals, that important branch of ethics which directly afl’ects
the happiness of all mankind, lie snatched the art of govern
ment from the hands that had enveloped it in sophisms and
mysteries, that it might be made an instrument to oppress the
I many'for the advantage of the few. He stripped it of the
I jargon by w hich the human mind had been deluded into blind
I vetu-ratiou for kings as lite immediate vicegerents of God on
l earth ; and proclaimed in words of eloquent truth, which
! thrilled conviction to every' heart, those eternal self-evedent
fu st prim iples of justice and reason, on which alone the fabric
of government should he reared. He taught those “truths i
of power in words immortal ” you have this day heard ; words
which bear the spirit of great deeds; words which have sound
ed the death-dirge of tyrantty to ti e remotest cottiers of the
eartii ; w hich have roused a sense t>f right, a hatred of oppres
sion, an iiiteu-e yearning for democratic liberty, in a myriads [
<4 hmn-iu hearts; and which, reverberating through time like)
thunder through the skv, will,
tn the distance far away,
Waken the s'emher’njr ages.
To .Tefferso.N belongs, exclusively and forever, the high
renow n ol h iving trained the glorious charter of American
liberty. To his memory the benedis-tions of this and all suc
ceeding times are due for reducing the theory of freedom to
; its simplest elements, and in a few lucid and unanswerable pro
positions, establishing a groundwork on which men may se
curely raise a lasting superstructure of national greatness ami
prosperity. Bitt our fathers, in the august assemblage of ’7O,
were prompt to acknowledge and adopt the solemn ami mo
inet’.tons principles he asserted. With scarce an alteration—
with none th it ali’ected the spirit and character of the instru
ment, and with but lew that changed in the slightest degree its
verbal construciion—they published that exposition of hitman
rights to the world, as their Declaration of American Indepeti
dem e ; pledging to each other their lives, their fortunes, and
th» ir sacred honor, in support of the tenets it proclaimed.
This was the grandest, the most important experiment, ever
undertaken in the history of man. But they that entered up
on it were not afraid oi’ new experiments, if founded on the
immutable principle of right, ami approved by the ...sober con
victions ot reason. There were not wanting then, indeed, as
there are not w anting now, pale counsellors to fear, who would
have withheld them from the course they were pursuing, be
cause it tended in a direction hitherto utitrod. But they were
not to be.deterred by the shadowy doubts and timid sugges
tions <>( craven spirits, content to be lashed forever round the
same circle ot miserable expedients, perpetually trying anew
the exploded shifts which had always proved lamentably inade
quate before. To such men, the very name of experiment is a
sound of horror. It is a spell which conjures up gorgons, hy
dras, and chimeras dire. They seem not to know that all that
is valuable in life—that the acquisitions of learning, the disco
veries of science, and the refinements of art—are the result of
experiment. It was experiment that bestowed on Cad.MUS I
those keys of knowledge with which we unlock the treasure
houses of immortal mind. It was experiment that taught Ba- I
con the futility of the Grecian philosophy, and led him to that
heaven-scaling method of investigation and analysis, on which
science has safely dimed to the proml eminence where now she !
sits, dispensing her blessings on mankind. It was experiment
that lifted Newton above the clonus and darkness of this' visi
ble diurnal sphere, enabling him to explore the sublime me
chanism of the stars, and weigh the planets in their eternal
rounds. It was experiment that nerved the hand of FIIANK
LIN to snatch the thunder from the armory of heaven. It was
experiment th it gave this hemisphere to the world. It was
EXPEIIL’tIENT that gave this comment FREEDOM.
Let us m>t be afraid, then, to try experiments, merely because
they are new, nor lavished upon aged error the veneration due
only to truth. Let its not be afraid to follow reason, however
far she may diverge from the beaten path of opinion. Al! the ;
inventions which embellish life, till the discoveries which en
large the field of human happiness, are but various results of
t!>e bold experimental exercise ol that distinguished attribute
of matt. It was the exercise of reason that taught our sires;
those simple elements of freedom on which they founded their ;
stupendous structure of empire. The result is now before
mankind, not in the embryo form <>f doubtful experiment; not
as the mere theory of visionary statesmen, or the mad project I
of hot brained rebels ; it is before them in the beautiful ma- I
turitv of established fact, attested by sixtv-two years of na-,|
lion a] experience, and witnessed throughout its progress bv an j
admiring world! Where do< s the suit, in all bis compass,!
shed Itis beams on a country, freer, better, happier than this? j
Where does lie behold more diffused prosperity, more active;
industry, more social harmony, more abiding faith, hope and ;
charity? W here are the foundations of private t ight more sta-i
Lie, or the limits of public ord r more inviolately observed?;
Where dm s labor go to the toil with an alerter step, or an |
erecter brow, efl’tilgent with the heart-reflected light of con- >
scion-independence ? Where does agriculture drive bis team !
a-iidd with a more cheery spirit, in the certain assurance that!
the barve.-tis his own ? Where does commerce launch more ;
boldly her bark upon the deep, aware that she has to strive |
but with the tyranny of the elements, and not with the more |
appalling tyranny of mac ?
Tine it is, that a passing cloud has occasionally flecked the
serene brightness ot our horrizon, and cast a momentary sha
dow on t ie earth ; and there are a sort of boding political
soothsay ers, who, with malignant alacrity of evil augury, mag
nify ertcli transient speck into a fearful harbinger of desolating
tempests. But an empire, rock-founded as our own, on the
•aditma itine basis of truth and universal equity, mocks the vain j
prediction , attd vainer aspirations, of those who either fear or |
wish its fall. W.iat tiioagh the eager passions of men have;
someiiini s broken through the restrainst of order, and heady ;
tumult, tyith precipitate hand, has seized the sword and scales j
of jn-tice? Did not the vuiice of reason instantly hush the cia- !
morons shout ol riot, and hasty anger, abashed at bisown intern- !
perate .act, restore the ravished emblems, and bow with defer- I
cnee before tint recovered dignity of the laws?
But how pitiful—bow worse than pitiful, the wretched aim of;
those, who gloat over there rare and transient ebullitions of
tumultuous rage as supplying an argument against the ade- i
quacy and beni ,n efiects ol Democratic Government! Have
these revilers oi the principle of liberty read the lessons taught
by the history of the past ; or have they considered the force
ful admonitions with which the present state of the other em
pires id the world is fraught ? If the mild spirit of equal laws, :
which derive their sanction immediately from those whom they
aflecl, cannot wholly subdue the stormy passions of man, will
they explain what better form of political institutions has accom
plished that result ?
M< tl.iuks they turn, and with ready' gesture point to that
monarchy from which this young republic sprung. I cast my
eyes towards her with no unfilial glance. I reverence Eng- !
land—with till her faults, I reverence the mother of my coun
try, and the great cxainpler of the world in arts, in arms, in
-eiencc, literature, and song. I reverence her for the princi
ples of civil liberty which she has scattered, “ like flower seeds
by the fir winds sown,” over the whole surface of the globe.
I reverence her lor that she was the parent of Hampden and
Sidney, of Bacon and Newton, of Milton a tid Shakspeare. !
: os! though she drove our fathers from her shores with the i
accursed scourge of political and religious persecution, anil j
though, like an unnatural parent, she battled with her chidren
when.they asserted the unalienable prerogatives of humanity
and nature, I reverence England. But let not my eyes be
turned to where she sits in the swollen pride of aristo -ratic
grandeur, for an example of that system of polity which
can wholly restrain theo outbreaks of popular phrenzv.
Behold! what fires are those that flash across her borders, and
wrap them in the red and fumid wreath of conflagration ?
They are kindled by the riotous and incendiary sons of agri-
culture, who, pushed by waul to the extreme verge of endu
rance, are now excited to madness at the sight of ai tJntroduc
ing her contrivances to render th it- labor superfTous, and
snatch the scant crust from their famishing m uitlis. 13 it hark !
in another quarter the hoarse roar of many voic s is ascending,
i mingled with the crash of :na<.ive bo !!■■-, fah’i tg in hattt-fe ;
fragments to the earth. The t-mittk proceeds fr >m tiie [pie
operatives of the manufactories, turning at I i-t and H-ndiu ■ tiu?
bauds that degraded lutinaa nature to the drudgery of brutes,
without affording it even the respite and nurture which brute?
enjoy. And mark again, from yon let-seaport come the sounds
ot sudden tray. A press gang, with the myrmidons of powa i
at their hacks, are in fieri e conflict with tile p ipulaci . The
latter contend desperately, for liiuy are <-001011 ling fir the ines
timable right of personal freedom. But see the guard in
blood red livery, (fit color for their sanguinary trad ■,) hasten
Coward to the field of action, an ' restore peace and order at the
I bayonet’s point. Tlmse ar? ->n ■of the scenes which a cur
sory glance over England deseties.
Ihe tremeniioits means of overawing man which a despo
tism exercises, may repress for a while the outward matiiiesta
lion of human passions; but tit.? mistdiief works not less surel. i
[ that it works concealed ; and at J ••-!, gatlri rgg stfenglh stipe i
! rior to the resistance, it bursts with an explosion the more :er-i
ritic for the thd.ty. The dams ami embankments ol' a.bitrarvl
power may, (or a while, compel the stream of society to flow in |
a direction contrary to that ot’ nature; but wider is the havoc
of the deluge, when the flood sweeps away its bounds, and
gushes iti wild torrents over the land. Happy, then, that coun
try, w hose simple polity places 110 restraint on opinion ; w hi<di,
freely expressing itself in the constituted modes, cotitimi d.i
conforms the institutions to the public will, and thus prevents
all occasion and excuse tor violent disruption and change.—
Compare the annals of this confederacy w ith those of any other
nation, and the benificent influence of Democratic liberty in
this respect, as in till others, will plainly appear.
Can the political skeptic cast his eyes over this vast empire
—can he look on the broad, bright face, and study form of
popular freedom, and not find all his fine-woven web of spe
culative doubts of muti’s capacity for self-government melt like
breatl' into tile wind? It is but threescore years since our na
tional birthday dawned upon the earth. Look now abroad
upon this populous land. Is this the continent, now reasonant
with the manymingled hum of active life, which yesterday pre
sented but the scattered smoke ol a lev, colonial settlements,
curling here and there from the dense foilage of a cheerless,
boundless, trackless wilderness ? Whence is derived the strange
acivity which lias wrought this change—so vast, so sudden, it
almost makes the wildest tales of magic credible ? Whence,
but from the inspiring influence of equal Democratic liberty ?
“ Yes, in the desert thercis bailta home
For freedom. Genius is made strong to rear
The monuments of man beneath th" dome
Os a new heaven. Myriads assemble there
Whom the proud lords of man, in rage or fear,
Drive from their wasted homes.”
No need of standing armies here, “the hired bravoes that
defend a tyrant’s throne,’’ to protect the people in the secure j
enjoyment of their rights. No need of complicated guards
am! checks to keep the even balance of the law. No need of'
a portentous and unnatural union between things sacred and
prolane, to force the unwilling consciences of men to worship
God with rites their soul j reject. Here at last is discovered
tlie grand political truth, that in the simplicity of government
consists the strength and majesty of the people ; that as the
contrivances ot s'ate increase in complexity, those whom thev
afi’ect are degraded and made wretched ; and that w hen the
ins itulions of society shall conform to the beautiful simplicity
ol nature, w meh does nothing in vain, then will man have at
tained the utmost limit ol human t-deity. In the pr >gress of
that great Democratic experiment, the. ori -iu of which w - are
metthisday to celebrate, let us keep cori'lattily in min i, th it
the sole end ol government, consistent w ith the ttnalien tble j
etpt'th'y ol human rights, an ! t:ie gr.-atest <lifl'i«ion of hnppi-!
ness, is the mere protection of men from mutual aggression,;
leaving them oth -rwise in unlimited freedom, to fillow tbejr
own pursuits, express their own opini ms, and practice their
own faith.
The day is past forever when religion could have feared (he
consequences of freedom. In wiiat other land do «o many
heaven-poiiiting spire? attest the devotional habits of the peo
ple ? In what other land i? th- altar more faithfully served,
or its fires kept burning with a steadier lustre? Y< t the tern- '
pies in which we worship are not founded on the violated rights
oi conscience, but erect-fl by willing hands; the creed we pro
less is not dictated by arbitrary power, but is the spontaneous
homage of our hearts ; and religion, viewing t'te prodigious
concourse of her voluntary followers, has reason to bless the
auspicious influence of Democratic liberty and universal tole
ration. She has reason to ex l.ii-n, in the divine language of
Milton, “ though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to
pl ty upon the earth, so truth be in the field, we do injuriotis'v,
by licensing and prohibiting, to tyisdoubt her strength. Let
her and falsehood grapple ! for who ever knew truth put to the
worse in a free and open encounter ? Her confuting is the
b-’f.t and surest suppressing.” The souitduess of this elorimts
text of religions liberty has now been approved to the world
by the ittcontestiole evidence of our national experience, since |
it is on? of those “columns of true nmjcstv” on which oitrpo-|
liitcal fabric stands. Let luggory and intolerance turn their j
lowering eyes to ourbright oxamide, and learn the happy, thrice I
happy const qtienccs, both to politics ami religion, fr >tn pla-'
cing an insuperable bar to that incestuous union, from whit h, ;
in rtther lands, such a direful brood of error’s mom-trotts shapes i
have sprung.
Not less auspicious would be the result, if, adhering closely i
to the avowed purposes and duties of Democratic Government,'
we should preserve an equal distance between politics and
trade, confining the one to the mere protection of men in the
nninfr’nged enjoyment of their equal rights, and leaving the
other to be regulated by enterprise and competition, according
to those natural principles of economic wisdom which will be
ever found morejnst and eflicient than the imp< rfect ami arbi
trary restraints of legislation. But above all, let us be careful,
by no political interference with the pursuits of industry and
improvement, to violate that grand maxim of equality on which, 1
as on its corner stone, the fabric ot Democrats freedom rests.
That, weshould frown indignantly outlie first motion of an
attempt to sunder one portion of the’Union from another, was
the parting admonition of Washington ; but with deeper so
licitude, and more sechdotis and constant care, should wo guard
against a blow being aimed, no matter how light, or by what
specious pretext defended, against that great elementary prin
ciple of liberty, which otice shaken, the whole structure will
topplcto the ground. Beware, therefore, of connec'ing Go
vernment as a partner or co-operator with the affairs of trade,
lest the selfish and rapacious spirit of trade should prove stron
ger than the spirit of liberty, and the peculiar advantage of the
votaries of traflice should be regarded more than the genera!
and equal good of the votaries of freedom.
Yet deem me not goderned by a narrow sentiment of hostili
ty to traffic. Oa the contrary, lam its frit-nil. I regard it in
all its legitimate influences as a benefactor of mankilid. 1 re
gard it as the cultivator of amity between the distant portions
of the globe, knitting them together by a constant interchange
of kindly offices in a thousand ties of interest and affection. I
regard it as showing men their mutual dependence on each ,th
er, and cherishing a feeling of brotherhood for the whole hu
man race. It explores every desert ot’ the earth, and traverses
every ocean, rescuing its continents and islands from the long
1 night of ignorance amt barbarism, and bringing them within
1 the blessed light ol’ the day-star of religion ami civilization.
The fervor ofcquinoctial beat cannot relax, nor the accumula
ted horrors of polar winter chill, its hardy and elastic spirit < f
enterprise. It breaks through the sordid barriers v, hich, with
out its aid, would confine each being to his own narrow spot
of earth, and makes the inhabitant of the most ungenial cli
mate a commoner ot' the world, laouniifttlly supplying him w'th
its various productions, and opening to him all its magazines
of science, literature, and art. These are the achievements of
trafiic under the influence of its own simple and salutary laws.'
I*. L. nO . lIiSON, t'KOPRIETVie*
But once violate the great prim ij I -of equality, once invest it
with political immunities, and. from a benefactor, it becomes an
oppre-sor of mankind, perverting the true end of government,
stplching it. advantages with a greedy and monopolizing band’
old leaving its burdens to fall with auginentcil weight on other
.1 t-ks. Beware, then, of bestowing under any name, or for
my purpose, ext hi.ive privileges on any portion of the people ;
| f>r it is the n tine of power to enlarge itself by continual ag-
I greg-ition, and like the showball, which, by its own motion, be
c iiiirs an av. I niche, ?nd buries the hamlet inruiiis.it may
fall, ere we dream < I’ d inger, and < rn-h us with its weight.
If, i.i any re~p •< t, the gr -at experiment which America ha*
been trying before the word has failed to accomplish the true
end of Govertimen’—“tin- gi latest good of the greatest num- ,
her”—it i< only win re she herself has proved recreant to the
fundamental a li le of her creed. If we have not prospered to
the gr a*-st pos.ibk extent compatible with the condition ofhtt
maiiity, it is because we have sometimes deviated, in practice,
from the sublime maxim, “ that all men are created free and
' q •:!, that they are rndowe I by their Creator with cf-rtainun
ilu 11 Jfli-ri.’hts, an I that a n.rig these ar-- life, liberty, and tie
pur-nit of h >!•■ i •(•'-.” li’ in 110 instance we have transgressed
this a\i > >1 of Dem i -' aiic , > ry, I o v is it that one ni n may
fi-e-lj perlorai wh 'it i? a.c.-! Jgfor another to attempt? By
w hat priii ol", 1: or l;mt with equal rights, are th? pen d intei
dietions of the law thrown across my path, to shut me from a
direction, which .mother may pursue without fearor hinderance?
Why area few decorat-d with the insignia of chartered privi
leges, and armed in artificial iuUingihility, while the many
stand undistinguished in the pl tin exterior of the natural man,
who no forged contrivance of thelaw to shield them from the
“ shocks that fli-sh is heir to ?” Are these things consistent
with the doctrine which teaches that equal protection is the sole
true end of Governm nt ? that its restraints should hold all
with equal obligation ? tint it; blessings, like th? “ gentle
de.vsof heaven,” should fill equally on the heads of all ?
It is one of the admirable incidents of Democracy, that it
tends, with a constant influence, to equalize the external condi
tion <if man. Perfect equality, indeed, is not within the reach
of human tfl’ort.
“Order is heaven’s first law, and this contest,
Some ace and must be greater than the rest;
More rich, more wise.”
Strength must ever have an advantageover weakness; sa
gacity over simplicity; wisdom over ignorance. This is ac
cording to the ordination of nature, and no institutions of man
can repeal the decree. But the inequality of society is great
er thin the inequality of nature; because it lias violated the
first principle of justice, which nature herself has inscribed on
the heart —the equality, not of physical or intellectual condi
tion, but of moral rights. Let us hasten to retrace our steps,
w herein we have strayed from this golden rule of Democratic
Government. This only is wanting to complete the measure
of onr national felicity.
There is no room to fear that persuasion to this effect, though
urged with all the power of logic, and all the captivating aits
of rhetoric, by lips more eloquent than those which address yon
now, will lead too suddenly to change. Great changes in so
cial institution*-, even of acknowledged errors, cannot be in
stantly accomplished, without endangering those boundaries of
private right which ought to be held inviolate and sacred.
Hence it happily arises, that the human mind entertains a strong
reluctance to violent transitions, not only where the end is
doubtful, but where it is clear as the light of day, and beauti
ful as the face of truth; and it is only w hen the ills of society
amount to tyrannous imposition*, that this aversion yields to a
more powerful incentive of conduct. Then leaps the sword
of revolution from it? scabbard, and a passage to reformation is
hewn out through blood. But how blest is our condition, that
such a res >rt can never he needed. “ Peace on earth, and
food will among nv-n,” are the natur d fruits of our political
-vstem. T e in-rile w ■ oion of stiff ige is adequate foe all the
purposes ol fi-eeni u. From the armory of opinion we issue
fm-'li in i-oat of’ anil more impenetrable than ever ca«ed the
limbsof warrior on tile fi Id of sanguinary strife. Ourpano
ply is ot surest proof. f>r it is supplied bv reason. Armed
with the ballot, a In-Iter implement of warfare than sword of
the “ icebrook’s temper,” we fight the sure fight, relying with
steadfast faith on the intelligence and virtue of the majority to
deride the victory on the side of truth. And should error for
a while carry the field by his stratagems, his opponents, though
d -seated, are not destroyed: they rally again to the conflict,
animated with the strong assurance of the ultimate prevalence
ol right. ,
“ Truth crushed to earth shall rise again,
The eternal years of God are hers;
But error wounded writhes in pain,
And dies among his worshippers.”
T> iiat bounds can the vision of the human mind descry to
the spread of American greatness, if we but firmly adhere to
those first principles of government which have already ena
bled us, i.u the infant- of national existence, to vie with the
proudest of the century-nurtured states of Europe? The old
world i? cankered with the diseases of political senility, and
cramp-, dby the long worn fettersof tyrannous habit. But the
empire oi the west is in the bloom and freshness of being. Its
h ;il is tniiertd by the prejudices of “ damned custom;” its
intellect unclovded by the sophisms of ages. From its bor
ders, kissed by the w aves of the Atlantic, to
“ The continuous woods
V. here rolls the Oregon, mid hears no sound
Save his ow n dashing
from the inland ocean? ot’ the north, to the sparkling surface
ol the tropical s?a, rippled by breezes laden with tii? perfumes
of eternal --iiinni -r, onr vast theatre of national achievement
Ixt -nd-. \Vh <1 a course is lu re for the grand race of Demo
crat! > liberty ! Wit liti these limits a hundred millions of fel-
I >w being, mu find a nple room, and verge enough to spread
hemselves and grow up to their natural eminence. With a sa
laiirious clime to invigorate them with health, and a generous
sod to nourish them with food ; with the press—that grand em
balmer, not of' the worthless integuments of mortality, but of
the offsprings of immortal mind—to diffuse its vivifying and
ennobling influences over them ; with those admirable results of
inventive enius to knit them together, by which space is de
prived of its power to bar the progress of improvement and
dissipate the current of social amity; with a political faith
which acknowledges, as its fundamental maxim, the golden
rule of Christian ethics, “do unto others as you would have
them do unto you with these mean?, and the constantly in
creasing dignity oi character which results from independence,
what bound? can beset to the growth of American greatness?
A hundred millions of happy people! A handled millions of
cc-sovert igus, recognising no law, but the recorded will of the
majority; no end of law, but mutual and equal good; no su
perior, but God alone!
From the Washinztoii Globe,
RICHMOND IN THE FIELD AGAIN, BATTLING
FOR THE RIGHT. '
M e are happy to see our good friend of the Richmond En
quirer accoutred lor the Presidential tournament—indued in
his armor oi proof—erect in the saddle—and his invincible
1 slice again in poise, to be hurled at the enemies of Southern
rights—of Democratic principles everywhere—the asserters
ot privilege and monopoly for classes—the subversion of State
rights far national consolidation.
How- nice is the line which has severed him, for the moment,
from his friends, in comparison with the deep gulf which yawns
between him and that array which is rallied on the ground
which HAMILTON marked out, and which now assembles under
banners wi'h the blazonry of NATIONAL BANK—ANTI
SI ASO NI IY—A BOLITI ON 1S M—H ART TOR D CON
VEATiONISM-TARIFF—AMERICAN SYSTEM—
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS, bold and legibly inscri
bed—(lm rcneyi le from Republicanism— Clay, and the blue
l/irht, black cockade Federalist— Webster, commanding—the
latter, if second in grade, only second to the apostate.
Fhe E 'itor of' the Enquirer concurs with the Democratic
pat ty in the principle th it banking corporations should be ex
i eluded from politics——that Government should be excluded
- troru exerting influence over banks. He agrees with his for-
NO. 239.