| Show CIVIL GOVERNMENT A Synopsis of Hon F S Rich ards Lecture i VARIOUS FORMS OF GOVERNMENT An Exhortation to a Careful Study of the Principles of Government by the Young People of Utah Last Friday evening the main room of the Social hall was well filled with an appreciative ap-preciative ana attentive audience it having been announced that Hon F S Richards would deliver a lecture under the auspices of the Students Society of the Latterday Saints college on the subject of Civil Government The lecturer stated in the opening ot his remarks that on account of the comprehensive compre-hensive character of the subject it would be impracticable to enter into detail but he would present only the most fundamental parts of the system of the government now in vogue in the United States All governments may be directly or indirectly in-directly classed under three heads monarchial aristocratic and democratic in the first of which the power is vested in a king or queen jn the case of the limited monarchy in conjunction with the legislative legisla-tive body while in the second the sovereignty is held by a select few of the nobility These two forms are open to the objection that power is centralized the common people having but little or no hand in the government The third division divi-sion the democracy entirely does away with this objection for in its pure form all the people make the laws and attend to their execution On account of the inconvenience in large communities attending the assembling together to-gether of the entire people a form of democracy dem-ocracy known as the republic was instituted insti-tuted that being the form of government in the United States Some claim that law and governments are unnecessary but so long as men are imperfect there will be a necessity for laws to protect the rights of the weak against the encroachments of the strong These rights are varied some belonging to all men alike while others such as political rights or privileges are merely granted to the individual by the legislative power and are liable to be taken away again even without process of law Civil and relig ious rights on the other hand are inherent I in the individual and can be removed only by due process of law The pure democracy was in existence among the Pilgrim Fathers during the early part of their history but with increasing in-creasing numbers they found this form of government to be impracticable and established es-tablished a representative form In fact the origin of true constitutional liberty can be said to have been in this country for the early settlers here looked upon all encroachments en-croachments on their rights with constantly con-stantly increasing disfavor The form of control exercised by the British government over the colonies was compared with the control now held over the territories by Congress and the great similarity between the two was pointed rout outThe The speaker then proceeded to relate the history of the United States government referring to the weakness of the original confederation and the consequent necessity of a stronger compact between the people of the colonies The constitution of the United States which i is now the fundamental funda-mental law of our government was originated origin-ated by the colonies and has stood the test of a century growing brighter as it is better bet-ter understood This constitution met with much opposition oppo-sition at first as the people were jealous of centralized power having seen evil effects of such in the early part of their own history his-tory but it was at last ratified by the people peo-ple of the states and went into effect This instrument is the great bulwark erected between be-tween the majority and tae civil religious and political rights of the minority and any breach of its provisions should be viewed with concern by the people According to the principles of the constitution consti-tution the government of the United Hat sis s-is divided into three parts the legislative consisting of Congress the executive at the head of which is the President and the I judicial the chief representative of which is the supreme court Each of these divisions divi-sions has its own peculiar part in the affairs of government and while one may act as a check upon the other it is impossible that there should be any interference among these three branches Tne first branch makes the laws the second executes them while the third may declare null and void any law passed by Congress and approved by the President The two branches of Congress the San ate and the House of Representatives are so arranged that the best interests of the people may be conserved Each state has two Senators elected by its legislature while the representatives are apportioned to the states according to population and are elected by the people Thus one will act as a check upon the other and since laws must pass both branches of Congress Con-gress before they can go into effect uniust legislation is very effectually avoided Certain prohibitions are laid upon Congress in order to prevent the passage of such laws as would do a manifest mani-fest injustice to the people of the country The election of the President was explained ex-plained in detail tho singular fact being shown that the people at large do not vote for that officer but for electors who meet for the purpose of electing the president In case a final result is not reached by the electors the appointment of the President is loft to the House of Representatives each state however having but one vote The supreme court has been called the voice of the constitution since that instrument in-strument is interpreted entirely by that body But in some cases this body has reversed re-versed its decisions and as the personnel of the court changes there is canged of its opinions changing The speaker stated that the foundation of all legislation rests on the divine law as given to Moses the concession having often deen made that legislation at variance with divine law cannot stand Tho lecture was brought to a close with an exhortation to a careful study of the principles of government on the part of those who will take an active partin it in i the near future |
