Show THE ORIGIN AND DESIGN OF GOVERNMENTS Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed A political writer of some note in the time of the American Revolution in order or-der to give a clear and just idea of the design and end of government wrote following Let us suppose a small number of persons settled in some sequestered se-questered part of the earth unconnected uncon-nected with the rest they will then represent rep-resent the first peopling of any country or of the world In this state of natural liberty society will be their first thought thbuliSnd motive will excite ex-cite them thereto the strength of oem oe-m n is so untqual to his wants and his mind so unfitted to perpetual solitude sol-itude that he is soon obliged to seek relief and assistance from another who in his turn requires the same Four or five united would be able to I raise a tolerable dwelling in the midst of awilderness but one man might labor out the common period of life without accomplishing anything when he had felled his timber he could not remove its nor erect it after it was removed re-moved hunger in the meantime would urge him from his work and every different want would call him a different way Disease nay even misfortune mis-fortune would be death for though neither might be mortal yet either would disable him from living and reduce re-duce him to a state in which i he might be said rather to perish than to die Thus necessity like a gravitating gravitat-ing power would soon form our newly arrived emigrants into society so-ciety the reciprocal blessings of which would supersede and render the obligations of law and government unnecessary un-necessary while they remained perfectly just to each other but as nothing but heaven is impregnable to vice it will unavoidably happen that in proportion i as they surmount the first difficulties of emigration which bound them together to-gether in a common cause they will begin be-gin to relax in their duty and attachment attach-ment to each other and this remissness will point out the necessity of establishing I establish-ing some form of government tosupply the defectof moral virtue Some convenient tree will afford them a state house under the branches of which the whole colony may assemble to deliberate on public matters It is more than probable that their first laws will have the title only of regulations and be enforced by no other penalty than public disesteem In the first parliament every man by natural right will have a seat But as the colony increases the public pub-lic concerns will increase likewise ante an-te distance at which the members maybe may-be separated will render it too inconvenient incon-venient for all of them to meet on every occasion as at first when their number was small their habitations near and the public concerns few and trifling Tniswill point out the convenience of their consenting to leave the legislative legisla-tive part to be managed by a select number chosen from the body who are supposed to have the same concerns at stake which those nave who appointed them and who will act in the same manner as the whole body would were they present If the oolony continues increasing it will become necessary to augmeut the number num-ber of representatives and that the interest in-terest of every part of the colony maybe may-be attended to it will be found btst to divide the whole into convenient parts each part sending its proper number and that the elected might never form to themselves au interest separate from the electors prudence will point out the propriety of having elections often because be-cause as the elected by that means return re-turn and mix again with the general body of the electors in a few months their to the fidelity public will be secured se-cured by the prudent reflection of not making a rod for themselves And au this frequent interchange will establish a common interest with every part of the community they will mutually ad naturally support sup-port each other and on this depends the strength of government and the happiness of the governed 1 We have met with nothing in our readings which better or more simply describes the origin and design of government gov-ernment than this and we commend it to the careful consideration of our readers especially to our young men as the people of Utah m the future and we hope it is not far distant wili have the regulating of all the affa rs pertaining to our local interests and a voice too in national affairs and it is j a duty they owe to themselves and to the community where they reside and also to the nation whose policy will be influenced more or less by their action to be intelligently inform d ai to the basic principles of I government And we are confident that a careful inquiry into the origin o governments and the principles upon which they are based will beget an admiration I ad-miration nay more a love for cur I i own American system of government based st is upon the consent and the will of the people The quoted portion in this article ought to be of more than interest in-terest to the people of Utahsince it is ana an-a description of thearrival of the first settlers in Utah They came here when practically there was no goverment in existence it not being then decided whether this great western mountain country would fall to the United States or be retained by Mexico = Mex-ico The first settlers when they came were it is true already an organized organ-ized society but they were without any government except the regulations which society made and about the only penalty attached was the public disesteem dis-esteem This continued for twoyears and then the present Territorial government gov-ernment came into operation and has continued until the present It will be seen then that the people of Utah commenced at the very beginning in their political experience and have an excellent opportunity of learning all about the origin of government and not only in theory but in fact as they have a practical demonstration ot it in their own experience w Itis patent too that the powers that be have ordained that we should endure en-dure a season of oppression under the imperfect system of Territorial Territo-rial government under which our pence and security are broken in upon by those who have no right to interfere with matters that purey concern ourselves our-selves by an assumption of authority as unwarranted by any emergency that exists as it is unAmerican in principle But even out of this unfortunate state of affairs let us learn a valuable lesson Let it inspire our hearts with a hatred of oppression and forever make us the friends of freedom and the oppressed |