New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-11-22
,usuaKy PLANK"IN GERRIr SMITHS
PLATFORM.
SYRACUSE, Thursday, Nov. L

SYRACUSE, Thursday Nov. 10, 1872.
r.a. Editor Of The N Y Tribrns'-
In Tie Tribune of a few days since, noticed
.aocumept entitled GGRRIr SMrTH's Platform.
passing over the many glorious truths it con-
,.;ns. | wish to devote brief space to part
AZ the Sixth Plank, which is as follows
ash That the province Of Government is 70 protect
persons and property ana that the building OF railroads
49, ou Of It's limits aud exclusively within the range
az he voluntary principle
Railroads, Canals, Schools" UHhoH the
.proyince" Of Government! And yet Mr.
ssrrH tells us the Office Of Government is to
nprotect." Make no provision against igno-
,,,e and ts train Of deradsons and debasements and
20 tlk Of "protectionI" Need say that there is no
exercise of the right and power of Protection, so vital
a On .protect against ignorancei But go further
and higher than that undertake TO demonstrate the
fIlaey Of Mr.. Smiths position, by statement the
Nature OF Government What il Government
mean as we profess 10 understand it, in this countryf
J,is partnership OF eoualsit is partnership for the
general welfare. The means necessary for the general
welfare. nre 10 be determined by the majority. am
speaking oi the State Governments which spring from
tie People. This IL partnership OF all, Tor the ben
eft Of all. Now, we VIII suppose that ire majority
fhaI decide that il is for the Government TO build
R0jlrOGd. Canal 90 70 take care OF l2O0O SCHOOLS:
By what fact and by whit process OF reasoning, dOss
Mr. SMITH make cut thai % do 50 Il not WITHIN thcH
'provinCcr would Ike - the premises, and u
zee the logic: ! aver that they ore al within the
s'pToviIcc' OF Government aver that whsther Coy
eminent does dOce not, buId Railroads, Canal or
take o. Schools, is excusylly question o. 2xPE
DIKNcY-that II is not and cannot be made, que uon
of principle That il cannot be made question OF right
or wrong that il only be neae question Of dom
OF folly mat IT may at one time be wise for Government
TO this power, and al another not 70 do So inc
power 81 all times berg equally within its "prOynce.
fverything Is within the province Of Government not
denied by be laws Of nature Now nature ~ ent a. TO
whether Government shall build Railroads or Canals or
lake Of Schools. Not syllable not s.gn can De
found on tie subject, in the written unwrten laws
Of the Deity SO the question cannot be one OF
YRINCIPLE. Principles exist only IN nature Man can
not create principle. Man cannot change principle
But nowhere has the Author Of nature hsnlhed lis
will in any manner, 10 whether Gogerninent shan or
rha not build Railroads, Canals, ortake care u SchOos
The oniy question, ia one OF Expedency; me oniy
q Isi, q md nolcyY "Isi wiscr II the members OF
ihe partnership decide that II Y Gr the oenet ~ ~
concern that tax be laid TO " JAKE CtIoo Vi .J 49, ne
g. tbc Cducaiion of the Juvenile McmOert-Who are
80 ~ e active partnerr-tat 10 do SO WIZ Sii 10 ms
strenetl power peace and H. ppiness OF Ine pa r.
10 ruisc the tax is not only whin ne dn"rdeI
alike bs wisdom, interest and duty FOl Iepsa thot
lie exercise Of oil powers, not forbidden ny tne NaIm
or Divine Law are within me pfosnSu 81 o., u c
INC
inc limitation shall ehal not be EXERCISED anu the
rreeto which shall be exercised, are purely matters
of Judgment and diacIeuOh. .- -, I'LL
c,nnot conceive il possible 20 bring forward valiI
.,c,,,neut which can exclude RalrOads, Canaa ana
sghools from the province OF Government fr9-
vince" means here, OF couist "nShum PI~eIi ana,
surely no argument cNclUde theln whlcn uOos hoI
sss.,,de Uer6ors and Rivers, Highways AMI Bridges.
Wherees in truth, all are within the province Oh 10
yernmeIt - q, ,r,o., Ut, tl,o coteror,,
,i,h poiiroads Canals aud Schools The questions
vaised by the two, os dssinln as Oh ana WAFER
bere il no analogy and the four cannot be ade YOKE
fsIlovVs Railroads. Canals and schools, reiale 70 '1e
,Tnogcs Of the partnership called Government Clurch
y apnct Churches-I speak OF "churches asthey exist
and have existed in this country Tor
e0psilcrtiiOn and contemplation OF mittefs WaIn Ma
60 \, HIGH when taught by Nature solely OF con-
say1 Ie4wccn Man and his Maker. Religion is matter
neyxon, individual; irCanHot be mater Of partner
hin. churches" appeFtan solely to hesion there
f,e tbev cannot possibly come within the purylcw Oh
The eids ,a IMPOSES OF The partnership calei Govern
nent Nature and Reyebton declare Religion per
sona concern absolutely beween the individual ana hs
Maker Hence for the Jetuershp TO interfere with the
"younary" action Of any individual - an invasion OF
Natural Law Audience "churches, in reference to
The province" Of Government do not belong in the ca
iegory with Railroads, Canals and schools
srrievsr. nov. II, 1852. w. L. CRANDAL
~ We are afraid YOU speak roo hate, friend
e. Your General Welfare platform is Wig
platform, and the People have voted down all
that. The present and prospective ascendancy
Is that of selfstyled Democracy whereof the
fundamental idea, as We understand 1t, is
The largest possible Freedom Of the IadiridHai.
So far as this Democracy is based on Princi-
pie at all we understand It's leading axiom to
be. THE best Government is that which gov
ems least Hence all the Protection il admits
and justiiies is the Protection Of each indicidHat
from AGGRESSIVE riOlenCc at The hands Of other IN
9iridaais. We cannot reconcile with this idea
Of Government system of Common Schools
any more than Protective Tariff or system OF
River and HarbOr Improvements. MI Smith,
in our eyes, is simply consistent and logical
Democrat Of the modern school, adopting the
principles of the school and following them out
TO their logical consequences. We are OF
another and antagonist school but if We were
to adopt the fundamental principles of partisan
Democracy, they would carry us direct to
Gerrt Smiths Platform. Ed. Trb.
Card from MIR. Lennon.
10 ne Es,for Of TAs Hibsnes
find in your journal of the 10Th inst, under
for b AZ