ver surrendered. some of them， indeed， he is unable to surrender， being， in the language of our system， unalienable. the boasted privilege of a roman citizen was to him a shield only against a petty provincial ruler， whilst the proud democrat of athens would console himself under a sentence of death for a supposed violation of the national faith——which no one understood and which at times was the subject of the mockery of all——or the banishment from his home， his family， and his country with or without an alleged cause， that it was the act not of a single tyrant or hated aristocracy， but of his assembled countrymen. far different is the power of our sovereignty. it can interfere with no one's faith， prescribe forms of worship for no one's observance， inflict no punishment but after well-ascertained guilt， the result of investigation under rules prescribed by the constitution itself. these precious privileges， and those scarcely less important of giving expression to his thoughts and opinions， either by writing or speaking， unrestrained but by the liability for injury to others， and that of a full participation in all the advantages which flow from the government， the acknowledged property of all， the american citizen derives from no charter granted by his fellow-man. he claims them because he is himself a man， fashioned by the same almighty hand as the rest of his species and entitled to a full share of the blessings with which he has endowed them. notwithstanding the limited
上一页 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] ... 下一页 >>