Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1846-11-19

author very justly call arioms and their
As it is not long we VEN
iure to copy the chapter into our columns
"a freedom which we hope the author
will excuse--as specimen of the gene
raj ability and excellence of the treatise. -
Nat. Int.
AXIOMS.-1lis proposed in this chap.
ter, 10 state and illustrate some PROPOSE
,ions which may claim to be admitted as
AxIoMs.
I. Government ,cas not intended toprove
ho,o much a people can endure!
OF course this will be admitted as an
ariom or self-eyident truth-a PROPOSE
ton that needs no proof. And yet, in a
very considerable portion of the history
of This country, it would seem, from the
action of Government, that This axiom
should be reversed, and that the Govern
ment had supposed itself commissioned to
prove how mucn the people can endure.
The mother country frs, proved it. She
would no, let the people of the colonies
supply their own wants, and they rebel
led-the consequences were the revolu
ton and independence. The Articles of
Confederation answered precisely the
same purpose-,hey proved how much
The people could endure system of
perfect free trade. Then came the Fed
eral Constitution, enacted for the purpose
of establishing a protective policy. For
most of the next twenty years the wars
and misfortunes of Europe opened field
for American enterprise in unwonted
channels, ill the war of 1912 itself
operated as a system of protection to
American labor. After the peace the
tariff of 1916 was worth something,
though defective and of short term.
Then came free trade, in the shape of
low duties, I'LL 1924. which the people
could endure no longer. and the tariff of
that year was established to bless the
land. The protective policy continued
ill the bad administration of the COM
promise tariff of l633-which act was
devised to vindicate the principle of pro-
lection for future use when the storms of
that day should have passed over
brought on another term of free trade.
and the people suffering till they could
suffer no longer. rose lin lS40) and vindi-
Gated their rights. Then came the tariff
of 1912 The British crown. the Articles
of Confederation, and the subsequent free
trade periods have alike proved how
much The people can endure.
Zoo
Protection.
Is not this an ariom? Will any body
deny ii! What use. then. in having a
Government! 1t is scarcely possible to
conceive of any other use. All the fuEc-
tons Of Government. legislative, execu-
tive, and whatever in all their branches
and act, resolve themselves into this TO
pro,ec, the persons and rights of the
people. VIVA, else has Government to
dol For Government TO disclaim pro.
lection is mons,rous. And i, is not only
the duty of the Government to protect the
people in their persons and rights, rela
tive to each other, but in all their rights
as body polillc-,hat is. relative to
other States and Nations. No one will
dispute this axiom, or the comprehensive
construction here put upon it. PRoTEC
TON is the appropriate function of Gov.
eminent: it has no other; any other is
usurpation. This axiom, as will be seen
leads to result in the great question
now in debate.
Ill. The People haze a right to demane
Protection.
This will scarcely be rejected as an ak
ION in country that boasts of freedom
The people know bes. what they wan,
and it is enough if they think they wan
it. Ii is not for the Government to sa,
we have theory, and by tina, your re
quest, if granted. would lead to bad re
suit. This is impertnence. The onl
just ground of refusal would be that tn
request granted would interfere with tn
the rights Of other parties or with tn
general good, which is the same thing
And the reason of the refusal should b
made good, else il is the denial of a righ
Ii has been seen that the protection of la
Dor neither inyades nor impairs an
| uUuy IiRuts Uut oil Ill Tic
monwealth. Whatever art. therefore, O
industrial pursuit, or enterprise, or wha
ever calling person may choose ,
devote himself to for living or for tn
hoped for acquisition Of wealth, he has
right TO protection in it from the Govern
men,, and il cannot with justice be refus
ed.
w. The Protection Of Labor consist
| IN the Protection Of that ,ohich give
1t Employment.
Will this be denied as an axiom!
would be hard to make the denial goot
Every body sees it is true, and that
enough. Government cannot strike F.;
that which employs labor. withou. str
king labor itself; il cannot weaken an
distress the former. without affecting III
latter in the same way. 1t might well
asked why it should do either. since bot
have equal claims to protection. Th
life of labor is in employment. Th
union is vital. That which touches tn
one touches the other; and violence 10 on
is violence to both. II is through labt
alone iha. the capital which employees
can be wounded: j. is over The dead bod
of labor only that its employers can