"The President as Military King":

(Anti-Federalist Paper # 74, with commentary)

We are seeing the realization of these fears today, in the creation of the epartment of !omeland "ec#rity and in the $road e%pansion of it&s powers at the e%pense of ci'il rights g#aranteed $y o#r (onstit#tion) *he h#$ris of o#r present (hief +%ec#ti'e in referring to o#r military as ,-. army, has not escaped o#r notice) "The Leadership in Washington have broken faith with the citizens of this Nation - and the Constitution provides the necessary remedy - at the polls What is right doesn!t change - who!s in charge can be changed " - "ugene #artin La$ergne% "&emocratic'epublican" for (enate% N) *+,*he warning $elow, p#$lished in /700, as the new (onstit#tion was $eing proposed, refers to the flaws in the Articles of (onfederation, and calls for the limitations we find in o#r present (onstit#tion and it&s 'ario#s amendments, for which this administration appears to ha'e little regard, despite ha'ing sworn to #phold this same (onstit#tion) (itizens in the 1ation who lo'e li$erty are paying close attention to these actions, $eca#se they 2now well that ,the price of li$erty is eternal 'igilance,) We are e'er watchf#l) "The Constitution is a bit in the mouth of Congress% with the reins held by !We% the .eople!% twitched at the polls as necessary" /rederick )ohn La$ergne% "&emocratic-'epublican" for Congress% N) &istrict Three% *+,-

"Before martial law is declared to be the supreme law of the land, and your character of free citizens be changed to that of the subjects of a military ing!which are necessary conse"uences of the adoption of the proposed constitution ! let me admonish you in the name of sacred liberty, to ma e a solemn pause# Permit a freeman to address you, and to solicit your attention to a cause wherein yoursel$es and your posterity are concerned# The sun ne$er shone upon a more important one# %t is the cause of freedom of a whole continent of yoursel$es and of your fellow men # # # & conspiracy against the freedom of &merica, both deep and dangerous, has been formed by an infernal junto of demagogues# 'ur thirteen free commonwealths are to be consolidated into one despotic monarchy# %s not this position ob$ious( %ts e$idence is intuiti$e # # # )ho can deny but the president general will be a ing to all intents and purposes, and one of the most dangerous ind too !a ing elected to command a standing army# Thus our laws are to be administered by this tyrant* for the whole, or at least the most important part of the e+ecuti$e department is put in his hands# & "uorum of ,- representati$es, and of ., senators, with a ing at their head, are to possess powers that e+tend to the li$es, the liberties, and property of e$ery citizen of &merica# This no$el system of go$ernment, were it possible to establish it, would be a compound of monarchy and aristocracy, the most accursed that e$er the world witnessed# &bout -/ 0these being a "uorum1 of the well born, and a military ing, with a standing army de$oted to his will, are to ha$e an uncontrolled power # # # There is not a tincture of democracy in the proposed constitution, e+cept the nominal elections of the president general and the illustrious 2ongress be supposed to ha$e some color of that nature# But this is a mere deception, in$ented to gull the people into its adoption# %ts framers were well aware that some appearance of election ought to be obser$ed, especially in regard to the first 2ongress* for without such an appearance there was not the smallest probability of their ha$ing it organized and set in operation# But let the wheels of this go$ernment be once cle$erly set in motion, and %3ll answer for it, that the people shall not be much troubled with future elections, especially in choosing their ing !the standing army will do that business for them# The thoughts of a military officer possessing such powers, as the proposed constitution $ests in the president general, are sufficient to e+cite in the mind of a freeman the most alarming apprehensions* and ought to rouse him to oppose it at all e$ents# 4$ery freeman of &merica ought to hold up this idea to himself: that he has no superior but 5od and the laws# But this tyrant will be so much his superior, that he can at any time he thin s proper, order him out in the militia to e+ercise, and to march when and where he pleases# 6is officers can wantonly inflict the most disgraceful punishment on a peaceable citizen, under pretense of disobedience, or the smallest neglect of militia duty # # # The President!general, who is to be our ing after this go$ernment is established, is $ested with powers e+ceeding those of the most despotic monarch we now of in modern times# )hat a handsome return ha$e these men 7the authors of the 2onstitution made to the people of &merica for their confidence8 Through the misconduct of these bold conspirators we ha$e lost the most glorious opportunity that any country e$er had

to establish a free system of go$ernment# &merica under one purely democratical, would be rendered the happiest and most powerful nation in the uni$erse# But under the proposed one composed of an electi$e ing and a standing army, officered by his sycophants, the star$elings of the 2incinnati, and an aristocratical 2ongress of the well!born!an iota of happiness, freedom, or national strength cannot e+ist# )hat a pitiful figure will these ungrateful men ma e in history* who, for the hopes of obtaining some lucrati$e employment, or of recei$ing a little more homage from the rest of their fellow creatures, framed a system of oppression that must in$ol$e in its conse"uences the misery of their own offspring # # # 9ome feeble attempts ha$e been made by the ad$ocates of this system of tyranny, to answer the objections made to the smallness of the number of representati$es and senators, and the improper powers delegated to them# But, as far as % recollect, no one has been found bold enough to stand forth in defense of that dangerous and uncontrolled officer, the President!5eneral, or more properly, our new King# & few pieces under the signature of &n &merican 2itizen3 were published immediately after the 2onstitution bro e the shell, and the hydra made its way from the dar concla$e into the open light# %n the first number the writer, in touching on the President, endea$ored to conceal his immense powers, by representing the King of 5reat Britain as possessed of many hereditary prerogati$es, rights and powers that he was not possessed of* that is, he shows what he is not, but neglects to show what he really is# But so flimsy a palliati$e could scarce escape the censure of the most ignorant ad$ocate for such an officer* and since 7then: we hear of no further attempts to pro$e the necessity of a King being set o$er the freemen of &merica# The writer of these essays has clearly pro$en, that the President is a King to all intents and purposes, and at the same time one of the most dangerous ind too ! an electi$e King, the commander in chief of a standing army, etc# &nd to those add, that he has a negati$e power o$er the proceedings of both branches of the legislature# &nd to complete his uncontrolled sway, he is neither restrained nor assisted by a pri$y council, which is a no$elty in go$ernment# % challenge the politicians of the whole continent to find in any period of history a monarch more absolute # # #" - ".01L2&"L.01"N(1(" *he Anti-Federalists $ecame what is now 2nown as the emocratic-3ep#$lican Party) 4n 1ew 5ersey, they are identified as ,*he emocratic-3ep#$lican 6rganization of 1ew 5ersey,) 1ew 5ersey, the ,(radle of the 3e'ol#tion,, is where the new $irth of Freedom $egins) 7earn more at http899www)democratic-rep#$licanparty)org *his partic#lar ,letter, was p#$lished in three parts in the "pring of /700, as de$ate contin#ed to rage in the (ongress as to the form o#r new 1ation wo#ld ta2e) We will $e p#$lishing photo-real 'ersions of each of the original p#$lications as they are fo#nd)))and correcting any transcription errors) *he copy a$o'e has three spelling errors, not readily recognized, $#t they are not critical to the constr#ct of the message) *hese ,Freedom oc#ments, are often sh#nted aside)))the American People are not ta#ght the history of how o#r 1ation was $orn) *r#th, rather than mythos, m#st $e what we teach o#r children - warts and all) *o #nderstand where yo#&re going, yo# need to 2now where yo#&re from, and where yo# are)

"(tand for what!s right% or settle for what!s left" ! ;rederic <ohn =a>ergne, "?emocratic!@epublican" for 2ongress, A< ?istrict Three, ./BC