29 S ection 2, article 6, K e n t u c k y C onstitution, h as this definition o f treason : " Treason against the c o m m o n w e a l t h s hall c onsist only i n l e v y i n g w a r against, or i n adhering to i ts e nemies, g i v i n g them a i d and comfort." N o w here w a s a g reat party of m e n who r ose u p and declared themselves armed   " w e are a r m e d a n d r e s o l v e d "     t h e y go to the c i v i l a uthorities, the M a y o r and M a r s h a l o f the city of L e x i n g t o n , o fficers of the c o m m o n w e a l t h , w h o w a r n t h e m t hat a n i llegal a ct is about to be perpetrated   and w i t h a rms and an overpowering f orce e ject t h e m and take property w h i c h w a s y i e l d e d up to the possession of the l a w . N o t o nly do they f ail to m a k e restitution, but they a v o w t heir d etermination to continue their i llegal a ction, and i f n ecessary, to shed b lood   to c ommit murder upon p eaceable citizens. N o w i f this is not " l e v y i n g w a r against the c o m m o n w e a l t h , " then is h u m a n language utterly i n c a p a ble of c o n v e y i n g any thing intelligible ! It w a s a revolution, b loodless only b ecause n o p h y s i c a l resistance w a s m ade, as they themselves avow. W h a t is the commonw e a l t h ? i ts officers? A g a i n s t them they l e v i e d w a r .     W h a t i s the commonwealth ? its constitution ? T h a t they a v o w e d l y set aside as b e i n g incompetent to m eet t he .case. W h a t is the c o m m o n w e a l t h ? its l a w s ? T h e y proc l a i m e d t hat there w a s no legal power for their action     T h e y put it d o w n i n w r i t i n g t hat there w a s usurped an o riginal o r revolutionary power. T h e assembly w a s c a l l ed i n open d a y ; its president w a s a magistrate, a sworn c onservator of the p eace a t other t i m e s     i t s action w a s d eliberate a n d " d i g n i f i e d ; " its numbers were l a r g e ; a nd i ts f orce i rresistible ; its end the suppression of the p ress and the constitution of the S t a t e ; and lastly, it sole m n l y appealed to the w o r l d i n justification of its proceedings. I f this be not a revolution, then never has one t a k e n p lace i n the history of men. N o matter w h a t m a y h ave been the provocation on m y p a r t ; e v e n though I h a d b een proven an i n s u r r e c t i o n i s t ; even though I had b een caught a p p l y i n g the torch to d w e l l i n g s of d efenceless w o m e n a n d children ; e v e n though 1 had been t a k e n w i t h h ands red w i t h t he blood of m y f e l l o w - c i t i z e n s     s till t he character of this action is unchanged i n the h a s t r espect. T h e press had passed from m y possession     3*