Constitution of the Council of Fifty, between circa 11 March and 18 April 1844, Draft
Source Note
Constitution of the Council of Fifty, , Hancock Co., IL, between ca. 11 Mar. and 18 Apr. 1844; in Council of Fifty, “Record,” pp. [146]–[155]; handwriting of William Clayton; CHL.
find a government instituted by heaven; an assylum for the opprest; a protector of the innocent, and a shield for the defenceless:— an impenetrable Aegis for the honorable of all nations; uncorrupted by the usurpations of designing men, the contaminating influence of the love of Gold, and the lawless intrigues of aspiring demagogues:— unfettered by unrighteous legislation, and untrammelled by the mandates of an unjust judiciary; not degraded by a superstitious or religious influence: A Realm where liberty spreads undivided and operates unspent; and where truth and virtue are the centre and circumference [p. [150]]