And now, secondly, the Declaration is assailed and dishonored by the claim, that men, in the exercise of sovereignty derived from the Declaration, may set up on an auction-block their fellow-men, if to them it seems fit, and that this power is an incident of Popular Sovereignty.
Sumner criticizes the idea that popular sovereignty allows for the enslavement of individuals, viewing it as a betrayal of the Declaration.
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It is a cause which, though long kept in check throughout our country, as also in Europe, now confronts the people and their rulers, demanding to be heard.
But so long as War exists as an Institution this terrible inconsistency must appear.
In this contest, we may borrow from the ancient Greek, who, when his hands were cut off, fought with his stumps, and even with his teeth.
The most distant are not without a present influence on our daily lives.
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