The Rights of the People
THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE STILL ABIDES
The Constitution as the people have made it, is still the voice and will of the people. It still guarantees privilege, immunity, and freedom, to citizens of the United States: only as the agencies appointed by the people to maintain these guaranties have failed to do it, the responsibility and the right now devolve upon the people themselves to see that it is done. ROP 273.1
Slavery and established religions-twin despotisms-existed in the States at the time of the making of the nation. The makers of the nation, finding it impossible to do away with them without risking the loss of all, yielded to the necessity and left them standing as State institutions only. When by the Dred Scott decision and congressional legislation the attempt was made to nationalize one of these despotisms, the people arose in their majesty and reversed that decision and destroyed that despotism, and with it all other, even in the States. Now, however, the other despotism has reared its hateful head, and, by means of the “Christian nation” Supreme Court decision, and congressional legislation, this is sought to be nationalized. Will the people, yea, will not the people, rise once more in their majesty and reverse this decision and set the national power back again at the height and dignity where they placed it when they destroyed the other despotism? ROP 273.2
This is the duty, this is the task, this is the right of the people of the United States. True, now as before, the wealth, the popularity, and the power of the country-the power of State and Church, and of Church and State united-are all against us. But God and the right are for us. And with the immortal Lincoln we must say:- ROP 274.1
“We have to fight this battle upon principle, and upon principle alone.... So I hope those with whom I am surrounded have principle enough to nerve themselves for the task, and leave nothing undone that can be fairly clone to bring about the right result.”-Springfield, Ill., July 17, 1858, Political Speeches and Debates, p. 145. ROP 274.2
Let us never rest until there is created such a public sentiment that every court will be ashamed to use the term “Christian nation.” For “public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed. Consequently, he who moulds public sentiment, goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. He makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to be executed.”-Id., p. 191. ROP 274.3
True, in the effort to create this public sentiment, we shall be unpopular; we shall be scoffed at; we shall be reviled; but in this we are right-absolutely and eternally right. Then let no one “be slandered from his duty by false accusations, nor frightened from it by menaces of dungeons. Let us have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.”-Id., p. 527. ROP 274.4
Many times the people may refuse to listen, as at first, even in his own home town, they did to Abraham Lincoln against slavery. Once in 1855, in Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln was advertised to speak on the “Slavery Question.” Mr. Herndon, his law partner, spread great posters through the town, employed a band to march the streets, and had the bells rung to have the people come. Not a soul came to hear-but Herndon himself and the janitor of the building. Yet Lincoln made the following speech:- ROP 274.5
“Gentlemen: This meeting is larger than I knew it would be, as I knew that Herndon and myself would come, but I did not know that anyone else would be here, and yet another has come-you, John Paine [the janitor]. ROP 275.1
“These are bad times, and seem out of joint. All seems dead, dead, dead; but the age is not yet dead. It liveth as sure as our Maker liveth. Under all this seeming want of life and motion, the world does move, nevertheless. Be hopeful. And now let us adjourn and appeal to the people.” ROP 275.2
So it is now said to every reader of this book: Let us appeal to the people. Yea, though they will not listen, still let us appeal to the people. It is the only right course. The people must do the work. Will the people awake, and arise, and assert, and maintain, ROP 275.3
THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE? ROP 275.4