A Declaration of the Rights of Virginia by George Mason

The main inspiration for the Declaration of Independence written shortly thereafter


A DECLARATION OF RIGHTS made by the representatives of the good people of Virginia, assembled in full and free convention which rights do pertain to them and their posterity, as the basis and foundation of government .

Section 1. That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.

Section 2. That all power is vested in, and consequently derived from, the people; that magistrates are their trustees and servants and at all times amenable to them.

Section 3. That government is, or ought to be, instituted for the common benefit, protection, and security of the people, nation, or community; of all the various modes and forms of government, that is best which is capable of producing the greatest degree of happiness and safety and is most effectually secured against the danger of maladministration. And that, when any government shall be found inadequate or contrary to these purposes, a majority of the community has an indubitable, inalienable, and indefeasible right to reform, alter, or abolish it, in such manner as shall be judged most conducive to the public weal.

Section 4. That no man, or set of men, is entitled to exclusive or separate emoluments or privileges from the community, but in consideration of public services; which, nor being descendible, neither ought the offices of magistrate, legislator, or judge to be hereditary.

Section 5. That the legislative and executive powers of the state should be separate and distinct from the judiciary; and that the members of the two first may be restrained from oppression, by feeling and participating the burdens of the people, they should, at fixed periods, be reduced to a private station, return into that body from which they were originally taken, and the vacancies be supplied by frequent, certain, and regular elections, in which all, or any part, of the former members, to be again eligible, or ineligible, as the laws shall direct.

Section 6. That elections of members to serve as representatives of the people, in assembly ought to be free; and that all men, having sufficient evidence of permanent common interest with, and attachment to, the community, have the right of suffrage and cannot be taxed or deprived of their property for public uses without their own consent or that of their representatives so elected, nor bound by any law to which they have not, in like manner, assembled for the public good.

Section 7. That all power of suspending laws, or the execution of laws, by any authority, without consent of the representatives of the people, is injurious to their rights and ought not to be exercised.

Section 8. That in all capital or criminal prosecutions a man has a right to demand the cause and nature of his accusation, to be confronted with the accusers and witnesses, to call for evidence in his favor, and to a speedy trial by an impartial jury of twelve men of his vicinage, without whose unanimous consent he cannot be found guilty; nor can he be compelled to give evidence against himself; that no man be deprived of his liberty except by the law of the land or the judgment of his peers.

Section 9. That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Section 10. That general warrants, whereby an officer or messenger may be commanded to search suspected places without evidence of a fact committed, or to seize any person or persons not named, or whose offense is not particularly described and supported by evidence, are grievous and oppressive and ought not to be granted.

Section 11. That in controversies respecting property, and in suits between man and man, the ancient trial by jury is preferable to any other and ought to be held sacred.

Section 12. That the freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments.

Section 13. That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided as dangerous to liberty; and that in all cases the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power.

Section 14. That the people have a right to uniform government; and, therefore, that no government separate from or independent of the government of Virginia ought to be erected or established within the limits thereof.

Section 15. That no free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.

Section 16. That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practise Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward each other.

Our Vision As West Virginia Republicans Going Into 2010

Historically, the West Virginia Republican Party has succeeded best when it has effectively sold its message. A lot of factors go into that sale, including the willingness of the opposition to live up to the image that we apply to them. Republicans in 1888 controlled nothing in West Virginia. By 1896 they wrested control of the state. Why? Because they sold their message of industrial based prosperity, asserting that the state could only do more to better people's lives if it had an economy that could pay for things such as roads and schools. The Democrats, in turn, offered no pragmatic vision.

Just my opinion here, no one else's, but I suggest that we tailor our message in this coming year to fit our national mission statement: the Declaration of Independence.

Citing this document makes it very clear that we as Republicans are drawing parallels to the past, when a government pushed its authority beyond acceptable limits.

We base our message on the three basic jobs of government as cited by Jefferson and his inspiration, George Mason. Jefferson and Mason both talked about the government's role in protecting innocent life and promoting liberty, but Mason finished the phrase with "pursuit of property." These three roles of government reflected a belief in the natural rights of each individual to live their life and make choices.

I would center the message around those three roles.

Life: The Republican Party backs the right of each innocent individual to live their lives. Each human being has the right to be born into this world and make choices about their lives. They also have the responsibility to live with the consequences of those choices without a nanny state bailout.

Liberty: The Republican Party believes that a democracy can rest upon nothing less than the belief that individuals have the capacity to make choices that reflect their own personal taste and interest. The state has no right to force its citizens to conform to its idea of education, health or welfare.

The Republican Party backs a strong interpretation of the Bill of Rights for each United States citizen. The Second Amendment does not refer to hunting. It gives each citizen the right and even the obligation to defend his property, his life, and his country against all enemies.

Every citizen should have the freedom to speak his mind without fear.

Every citizen should enjoy a reasonable right to enjoy his property without fear of seizure or overregulation.

Taxation for revenue is acceptable. Taxation for social engineering is theft and a transgression on the natural right to pursue and retain property.

Governments should never "take an inventory" of the lives of individual citizens.

Information is power so we call upon the United States Census to have a constitutional limit upon what information a person is required to give. The more the government knows, the less freedom we have.

Pursuit of Happiness/Property: The American economic system is built upon the premise that every participant can make sound economic decisions. When each person pursues their opportunities, some succeed, some fail, but we all end up prosperous. The current economic problems were started in large part by government intervention into the financial sector. We must remember that twenty five years of economic prosperity came after some Democratic congressmen and Ronald Reagan pushed to deregulate and remove the weight of burdensome and unnecessary rules from many businesses.

The Republican Party is devoted to removing all reasonable obstacles in the path of people pursuing and keeping their property. Property ownership in the hands of the people creates a valuable check on the power of government.

This is not an exhaustive list and it may need to be trimmed down to essential, but more general points. Personally I believe we should stick to issues that revolve around personal and economic freedom along with limited government. We must sell ourselves as having the right plan and vision for the economy and society. West Virginia needs less government, especially at the federal level.

Only Republicans have the right ideas going into the next election. With work, we'll get our country back.