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 "rec_id": "media-no-treason-the-constitution-of-no-authority-section-x",
 "course": "no-treason-the-constitution-of-no-authority",
 "title": "Section X",
 "speaker": "Lysander Spooner",
 "source_file": "media/No Treason The Constitution of No Authority/Section X Lysander Spooner.mp3",
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 "language": "en",
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 "duration_s": 149.0,
 "generated": "2026-08-05T12:02:32Z",
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 "text": "Section 10 It is obvious that, on general principles of law and reason, there exists no such thing as a government created by or resting upon any consent, compact, or agreement of the people of the United States with each other. That the only visible, tangible, responsible government that exists is that of a few individuals only who act in concert and call themselves by the several names of senators, representatives, presidents, judges, marshals, treasurers, collectors, generals, colonels, captains, etc., etc. On general principles of law and reason, it is of no importance whatever that those few individuals profess to be the agents and representatives of the people of the United States. Since they can show no credentials from the people themselves, they were never appointed as agents or representatives in any open, authentic manner. They do not themselves know and have no means of knowing and cannot prove who their principles, as they call them, are individually, and consequently cannot, in law or reason, be said to have any principles at all. It is obvious, too, that if these alleged principles ever did appoint these pretended agents or representatives, they appointed them secretly, by secret ballot, and in a way to avoid all personal responsibility for their acts. That, at most, these alleged principles put these pretended agents forward for the most criminal purposes, That is, to plunder the people of their property and restrain them of their liberty, and that the only authority that these alleged principles have for so doing is simply a tacit understanding among themselves that they will imprison, shoot, or hang every man who resists the exactions and restraints which their agents or representatives may impose upon them. Thus it is obvious that the only visible, tangible government we have is made up of these professed agents or representatives of a secret band of robbers and murderers, who to cover up or gloss over their robberies and murders have taken to themselves the title of the People of the United States, and who on the pretense of being the People of the United States, assert their right to subject to their dominion, and to control and dispose of at their pleasure all property and persons found in the United States.",
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   "text": "That the only visible, tangible, responsible government that exists is that of a few individuals only who act in concert and call themselves by the several names of senators, representatives, presidents, judges, marshals, treasurers, collectors, generals, colonels, captains, etc., etc.",
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   "text": "Since they can show no credentials from the people themselves, they were never appointed as agents or representatives in any open, authentic manner.",
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   "text": "They do not themselves know and have no means of knowing and cannot prove who their principles, as they call them, are individually,",
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   "text": "and consequently cannot, in law or reason, be said to have any principles at all.",
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   "text": "It is obvious, too, that if these alleged principles ever did appoint these pretended agents or representatives,",
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   "text": "they appointed them secretly, by secret ballot, and in a way to avoid all personal responsibility for their acts.",
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   "text": "That, at most, these alleged principles put these pretended agents forward for the most criminal purposes,",
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   "text": "That is, to plunder the people of their property and restrain them of their liberty, and that the only authority that these alleged principles have for so doing is simply a tacit understanding among themselves that they will imprison, shoot, or hang every man who resists the exactions and restraints which their agents or representatives may impose upon them.",
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   "text": "Thus it is obvious that the only visible, tangible government we have is made up of these professed agents or representatives of a secret band of robbers and murderers,",
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   "text": "and who on the pretense of being the People of the United States, assert their right to subject to their dominion,",
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}