Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1854-10-03
CONNECTION OF POLITICS AND
MORALS.


der two heads; first, what are the regnla.
tons which will conduce to tho we'll .bc.
ing OF man in society; and, secondly,
what is the authority which is compe.
tent to prescribe regulations.
The regulation TO which the conduct
Of men living in society ought to be con.
formed, may be considered in two ways:
first, those moral laws which are cnioin.
ed upon US by the dictates Of enligh,.
ened reason; and, secondly, those prin.
ciples deviation from which the inter.
est Of the community may be supposed
to render it proper to repress by sane.
lions and punishment.
Morality is that system Of conduct
which is determined ny consideration
Of the greatest general good: he is enti.
tied to the highest moral appreciation,
whose conduct is, in the greatest mum.
Der Of instances. or in the most moment.
ous instan ances, governed by views Of be.
nevolence, and made subservient 10 pub.
lie utility. In like manner the only reg.
ulations which any political authority
can be justly entitled to inforce, are
such as are best adopted TO the public
utility. Consequently just political reg.
ulations are nothing more Than select
part Of the moral law. The supreme
power in state ought. not in the sirictest
sense, to require anything Of its mem.
bers. that an understanding sufficiently
enlightened would not prescribe without
out such interference.
These considerations seem to lead 10
the detection OF q mistake which has
been very generally committed by polit.
ical writer's OF our own country. They
have for the mos, part confined their re.
searches to the question OF What is q
just politicsl authority or the most eligi.
bic form Of government. consigning 10
others the rdelinia,ion Of rieh, principles
of conduct and equitable regulations.
But there appears TO be something pre-.
posterous 10 the mode Of proceeding. A
we'll constituted government is only the
means for enforcing suitable regulations.
One form Of government is preferable TO
another in exact proportion 10 The secu.
rly it affords, that nothing shall be done
in the name OF the community which
is not conducive to the welfare Of the
whole. The question therefore, What it
is which is thus conducive, is upon owe.
ry account entitled TO the first place in
our disquisitions.
One Of the i'll consequences which
have resulted from this distorted view OF
the science Of politics, i, is a nation We.
ny generally entertained, that commu.
nifty or society Of men has right to lay
down whatever rules it may think prop.
er for its own observance. This will
presently be proved 10 be an erroneous
position. /. may be prudent in an in
dividual to submit in some cases to the
usurpation Of ma ajori.y; it may be un'
avoidable in q community to proceed
upon the imperfect and erroneous views
they shall chance to entertain: but this
is a misfortune entailed upon us by the
nature Of the government. and not mat.
ter Of right.
A second i'll consequence that has aris
en- from this proceeding, is that, politics
having been thus violeatly separate
from morality, government itself has nc
longer been compared with its true cri
terion. Instead of inquiring what spc
cies OF government was most Conducive
10 the welfare, an Improbable disquisi
ton has been instituted respecting the
probable origin Of government; and it.
different forms have been estimated no1
by the consequences with which they
we're pregnant, but the source from which
they have sprung. Hence men have beer
prompted to look back to tho folly o
their ancestors, rather than forward to
the benefits derivable from the improve
men, Of human knowledge. Hence, ir
investigating their rights, they have re
Cured less to the great principles Of NOR
ality, than to the records and charters o
barberous age. As il it were not enti
tied 10 all the benefits Of the social state
ill they ould prove their nheriting then
IRON some bequest Of their distant pro
geuitors. As if it were not as jus,i6ab'
and meiitorious in planting liberty in 1
soil in which il never had existed, as il
restoring it whers it could be proved on
ly to have suffered temporary suspen
sion.
The reason here assigned strongly ten'
10 evince the necessity Of establishing tn
l genuine principles Of society, before W
enter upon the direct consideration Q
government. 1t may be proper in thi
place to state the Fundamental di.tinc
lion which exists between these topics o
inquiry. Men associated al first Tor tn
sake Of mutual assistance. They d:
not lorsee that any restraint would b
necessary TO regulate the conduct Of in
dividual members Of the society. towsrd
each other, or towards the whole. .Th
necessity Of restraint grew opt Of the Ell
rors and perverseness Of faa. An acu,
writel { Paine) has expressed this ide
with peculiar felicity. "Society an
government" says he, "a,e different i
themselves, and have different origin.
Society is produced by our wants, an
government by our wickedness. Socis
ty is in every state blessing; govern
lnent even in its best state but nece,
sary evil."-Godwin's Political Justic,