Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1843-06-28

may be money gamers BY this arrangement.
But morally and sentimentaIly tuey are
great losers. And taking the whole ofsoci
ETY. Into considerations, the fact becomes very
clear that it is losing plan. For, besides
the cost Of managing The original hayward
members Of society, there is added to il the
vast expenditure for tie exfraaeous machine
W of judges, prisons, chaplains, and the
host Of unloVIng instruments. And all this
because there are few bad boys 10 the
town, or a few bad men ia the state. Ifnot
on~this account, why at all is The machinery
OF stale government kept in existence? The
good, it is confessed, require DO such coer
Give control. They in fact, however, erect
this machinery, they sustain it, and what
they have now to see is lis un6tness for its
purpose; what they have now 10 say 10 each
other is, "why friends and neighbors, should
we proiong this incongruous state of things
which we have made? We made il, and
we can unmake il. Let Us try if we cannot
work crt something better suited to the pres
ent condition Of mankind" -. ~-.
When the North American republic was
founded, it was an established axiom in the
world, that governors and governed were
two distinct races amongst men, Que Of
which was born TO submit to the other, just
as is now held 10 be the case as 10 blacks
and whites. But successful experiment
fer above sixty years has demonstrated diff
ferent principle. and we have advanced
good way into the truth that governor and
I governed may be one. This is proved as
lar as the whole mass is concerend. Now
we have To prove the same fact in every in
dlvidual. We have TO show that one has
can at one moment cover both these eharac-
tiers. Instances not few can be found
amongst cur private acquaintance Of persons
who withdraw as much as possible from in
reference in political affairs Of any kind
These are generally the highest moral Ee-
ings which society contains. Which is in
fact the reason why they shrink from inter-
meddliDg with affairs Of state, necessarily
as they are Of an immoral tendency. We
must do cor best to let this sort of mind be
multiplied until il spread all over the land
and the government Of force be left TO die off
at leisure, superseded BY The government CT
love and sound sense.
Were true parent unfortunately to have
a child Of decidedly vicious organization,
would he, fer the purpose Of being rid of
such a trouble, thrust him forth into the
street to be derided and hooled by other boys,
or would be wish 10 foist him upon his
neighbors2 Would he not rather, both in
love for his boy and his country, endeavor
10 the utmost to reform his character and ell
eVate his sentiments ? Very much like this
Is the picture of society. The criminals are
cur malorganiZed brethren. And let it be
continually remembered that il is on account
OF these, on account Of comparatively few,
unfortunate near relations, that we commit
such series Of unprincipled, costly, and
destructive actions. On what poor pyeten-
ces may vast supers,ructure of actually
be erected. Would it not be a preferable
plan for every town 10 set lis own criminals
TO work in the fields, or the shop, before they
have grown il to desperate charactek, in
stead Of passing them through state trials
aud state prisons? If it is yet premature 10
expect every separate family TO ensure the
moral conduct Of its own members, il woplI
be some litlle amendment Of cur present
sy stem to let each group Of families take up
on itself its oWn responsibilities. If each
township in Massachusetts, having, by the
absence e state interference, 10 other re-
source than lis own moral influence against
any immoral influence there might be, we
should believe have in respect 10 all tie
grosser crimes power of Two hundred or
three hundred TO enc individual. All the
crimes which the present rough unparentai
state Of society can take cogHizance of, DC
not amount to so much as that. Then, at
the same lime, those re6ned offences, the
quiet itauds and deceplonS which d brute
law caaaot touch, would be more directly
reached than they are now, because such
moral preventive court of justice barely rec
ognized arrresenl would, exist in foil force
and yigor. IT
TEcaght, kindly, loyefui thought, am
sure will soon engender an improved state
Of things. AS TO any hope for human ad
vancement based on the present order OF
brute furce, il is quite absurd. Il has been
tried in every conceivable shape, and has
failed and il must :ail. The representative
system altogether is worn Out. Cunning as
well as force is insufficient now TO help hu-