Show J 71 f LITERARY 1 The Valedictory Oration ration In the life and relations ot of mankind certain natural and fundamental principle pies may be recognized Among them are are the rights to personal liberty the freedom of thought and the possession and control of property These principles pIes ples were tere once only feebly realized but in course of centuries have come slowly to be known and acknowledged Applied to man as a member of society they have been called the law of equal freedom freedom freedom free free- dom which claims for jor for man the right to exercise his faculties and to enjoy the fruits of his labor so long as he does not interfere with the rights of others In uncivilized societies brute force holds sway over the finer finAr instincts of man and the principles of association are but little understood It is natural to find in such tribes that the power to take and to hold is the law in matters of ownership The idea of plunder necessarily necessarily necessarily blunts the idea of property the disregard of the rights of others makes a proper regard for the rights of self im im- possible le In primitive societies many evils result from this vagueness of moral f f q 1 Y y perception Life and and- property are not safe Men as a matter of course become warriors both for attack and for defense It is not desirable here to trace the obscure beginnings of government or of state organization but only to contrast them with later developments The primitive man as seen in our uncivilized races differed from the modern in mental mental mental men men- tal characteristics and social tendencies So likewise the forms of government suited to early societies differ from those of modern states The more ancient organization protected to some extent the personal and property rights of their subjects but did not give them full liberty liberty lib lih- erty in the exercise of their faculties Although they may have had no book of statutes yet custom was vas as their law The citizen was supposed to exist for the benefit of the state and not the state for forthe forthe the benefit of the citizen But with the gr growth of society and the development of civilization external restraint restraint- has been gradually weakened and respect for individual liberty has correspondingly increased This evolution of the idea of government has continued until it is now generally recognized that its function is is is- not to regulate our ideas our work or of or our exchange but to secure to each his natural rights and to prevent a a. a few from monopolizing the sources of the necessities necessities s- s and comforts of of life Viewed in inthis inthis inthis this light it must be evident that law or force which goes beyond this governmental governmental governmental govern govern- mental function restricting the exercise of the faculties and interfering with ith the cont control ol of f private property is a violation violation viola viola- tion of the very principles for which it itt t stands Blackstone says that no human laws are of any validity if contrary to the law of nature and such of them as asare asare asare are valid derive all their ir force and their authority mediately or immediately from x this original If this is a fundamental truth as we believe it is then a as men meni i i become capable of conforming to the laws of nature by by personal insight and a. a l L s I f yS V moral pow power r the need of human laws and nd ex external ernal control is diminished Just Justas as much as the love of Gods God's law is deficient deficient deficient de de- says Herbert Spencer must the fear of mans man's law be called to supply its place This relation of human laws lawsto to the laws of nature is not always clearly defined Human laws are sometimes sometimes some some- times times times- confounded with justice and it is supposed that whatever is enacted by legislators is the supreme moral law But the fact is that the moral law is before the laws s of man and independent of them Human governments are instituted instituted to protect those hose that conform to the supreme moral law and to restrain those that injure their fellowmen by disobeying that law Another common error is the notion that the state is a an almighty power able to give to the p people ople all sorts of benefits and that it could make all the citizens rich and prosperous if only the right political party could get control Instead of the peoples people's supporting the government government govern ment it is thought that the government should support the people Of course it would follow that instead of the peoples people's controlling the government the government government government govern govern- ment should control the people peole The French constitution of ot 1848 declared that France had constituted itself a re republic republic republic re- re public for the he purpose of raising all the citizens to an ever increasing degree of morality and well being as though France were some divine spirit apart from and above the citizen merely changing its form that it might be the better able to bless the people with its bounties With this magical conception of an wise all-wise and power all ful State it was thought to be bethe bethe bethe the duty of the government to dispense bounties and to supervise the private affairs of the citizens A French political political political ical party of fifty years ago closed its manifesto with the declaration that government ought to give a great deal dealto to the people and take little from them 4 I 1 r. r EJ q tV O The question 3 as to where the gets th this s great deal seemed not to have been considered But the people expected it and no political party could o ld hope for success at elections unless it made some sweeping promises In consequence consequence consequence con con- sequence every successful party was a party of promises promises which in inthe inthe inthe the nature of the case it could never fulfill The history of these times is a history of disappointments and political revolutions evolutions the result of a mad desire for the realization of an i impossibility possibility like ike a childs child's crying for the moon America has been afflicted and is af afflicted afflicted af- af today with this same mental delu delu- sion Almost every great corporation sends an attorney to Washington to seek legislation that will add mil millions ions to those already acquired And every now and then a labor leader arises who would lead an army of unemployed to the capital demanding work of the govern govern- ment The nation is greatly alarmed at this action of the laboring man but is his act more unreasonable or more pernicious than the act of of the capitalist in sen sending ing his attorney How ow can the government furn furnish ish labor labo for the unemployed unemployed un un- em employed How shall it pay them except except ex ex- c pt by taking money from the people And that by y force that is by taxation in some form or other This is at once recognized as an injustice But the demand demand demand de de- mand of the capitalist is still more un un- just He wants to get something for nothing g. g And that something must be betaken betaken betaken taken from his fellow If he is seeking to avoid com competition petition and by securing a monopoly to add an artificial value to his product he is seeking th the enrichment of himself at the expense of others If it is a bounty he demands the question at once arises How shall the government pay him for the manufacture manufacture manu man facture of an article unless it takes the money from private purses a d direct violation of the law of equal rights But Buthe Buthe he does not mean to to tobe be be disho dishonest est his fl demands ar are based on a a. a misconception of the powers of the state Commenting ing upon t this is p popular pular mistake Basti t says Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else The difference difference difference differ differ- ence between and these govern govern- seek ment-seek seeking ment-seeking ng capitalists and unemployed laborers is that the l latter have not yet realized that it is all a fiction The Theother Theother other mistake resulting from this misconception misconception misconception mis mis- conception of the powers of the government government government govern govern- ment the desire for state supervision of of private affairs has also persisted Th The French republic is characterised by the great number of its government bu bureaus and the multitude of its p public in pec- pec tors And this de desire re for excessive state supervision is not not- confined to the theother theother theother other side of the Atlantic Free America is not unfamiliar with the tendency to multiply boards of control and to institute institute institute tute worse than useless systems of in in- in Public office has come to be regarded as a reward for party service ce and so it is imagined or pretended that almost every industry requires requires' public inspection The real end is to create offices for the politician and his fr friends ends rather than serve the public good The aim should be to reduce the expense of government by placing a little faith in inthe inthe inthe the common sense of the people and by trusting the them to o look out for their own prosper iFt The voters are supposed to tobe tobe tobe be wise all-wise at t election and their decision is the supreme law It Itis is even declared that tha the voice of t the e people is the voice of God But when the election is over the citizen is deemed incompetent incompetent incompetent to manage his private business without the aid of public inspectors Pitiful creature he is that cannot look after his own little affairs without having 1 to employ a gov government supervisor The most plausible argi argument ment in in favor of this excessive public service which sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times amounts to public nuisance is for the j that it furnishes a living 1 Y But it is forgotten that the salary comes from the people and that it would be more economical to keep these inspectors in the poorhouse where whereat at least traveling expenses might be saved The unnecessary expense is scarcely realized except where the officer collects his fees directly from the owner ot of the property inspected In this case the citizen at once sees that he is giving something for nothing The idea that government ought to give a great deal dealto to the people and take little from them is here reversed It was once thought that the state should exercise supervision over the citizen citizen citizen citi citi- zen in his religious belief and that unless unless un un- less it did so atheism W would uld reign suI su su- I preme Now it is found best to leave this to individuals and to voluntary organizations It will yet be demonstrated demonstrated demonstrated demon demon- that if the state will leave to private and voluntary effort still more of its supposed duties as a promoter those duties will be better performed liberty will be increased and justice will be less frequently violated The Th state out of business and restricted to its proper proper function will be able to do its hs work workmore workmore workmore more perfectly Those perpetual business panics will not occur at every presidential president president- ial or congressional election because it will not be the part of the government to gi give ve to the ci citizen or to take from him except to offer him security in his lawful pursuits and to take in return the theN N bare expense of administration Milton Bennion B. 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