It is obvious that, on general principles of law and reason, there exists
no such thing as a government created by, or resting upon, any consent,
compact, or agreement of "the people of the United States" with each other;
that the only visible, tangible, responsible government that exists, is that
of a few individuals only, who act in concert, and call themselves by the
several names of senators, representatives, presidents, judges, marshals,
treasurers, collectors, generals, colonels, captains, etc., etc.
On general principles of law and reason, it is of no importance whatever
that these few individuals profess to be the agents and representatives of
"the people of the United States"; since they can show no credentials from
the people themselves; they were never appointed as agents or representatives
in any open, authentic manner; they do not themselves know, and have no
means of knowing, and cannot prove, who their principals (as they call them)
are individually; and consequently cannot, in law or reason, be said to have
any principals at all.
It is obvious, too, that if these alleged principals ever did appoint these
pretended agents, or representatives, they appointed them secretly (by secret
ballot), and in a way to avoid all personal responsibility for their acts;
that, at most, these alleged principals put these pretended agents forward
for the most criminal purposes, viz.: to plunder the people of their
property, and restrain them of their liberty; and that the only authority
that these alleged principals have for so doing, is simply a tacit
understanding among themselves that they will imprison, shoot, or hang
every
man who resists the exactions and restraints which their agents or
representatives may impose upon them.
Thus it is obvious that the only visible, tangible government we
have is
made up of these professed agents or representatives of a secret band of
robbers and murderers, who, to cover up, or gloss over, their robberies
and murders, have taken to themselves the title of "the people of the
United States"; and who, on the pretense of being "the people of the United
States," assert their right to subject to their dominion, and to control
and dispose of at their pleasure, all property and persons found in the
United States.