Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/300

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be more awful than their unanimous acquiescence un- der general distresses? Is there any revolution in Vir- ginia? Whither is the sptnt of America gone? Whither is the genius of America fled? It ivas bid yesterday when our enemies marcJied in triumph through our country. Yet the people of this country could not be appalled by their pompous armaments: they stojyped their career, and victonously captured them! Where is the peril now^ compared to that? Some minds are agitated by foreign alarms: Happily for us, there is no real danger from Europe: that country is engaged in more arduous business: from that quarter there is no cause of fear: you may sleep in safety for ever for them. Wliere is the danger? If sir, there was any, I would recur to the American spirit to defend us — that spirit which has enabled us to surmount the greatest difficul- ties: to that illustrious spirit I address my most fervent prayer, to prevent our adopting a system destructive to liberty. Let not gentlemen be told that it is not safe to reject this government. Wherefore is it not safe? We are told there are dangers; but those dangers are ideal; they cannot be demonstrated. To encourage us to adopt it, they tell us that there is a plain easy way of getting amendments. When I come to contemplate this part, I suppose that I am mad, or, that my countiy- men are so. The way to amendment, is in my con- ception shut. Let us consider this plain, easy way.''

He then proceeds to demonstrate, that as the consti- tution required the concurrence of three-fourths of the states to any amendment, it followed that six-tenths of the people, in four of the smallest states, (not containing collectively one-tenth part of the population of the United States) would have it in their power to defeat

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