Shreveport semi-weekly news. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1865-18??, 1865-10-17
The Rights Of Man---WhenCe De-
rived!

There are many questions of great
interest that we have been for some
time promising to discuss, but owing
/ to causes over which we had no con
troll, have been forced to pass them
by for the present. The great and
vital question at the head of this
article is one of these. At another
time we propose to probe this subject
to the bottom, as we are satisfied
that many of the great political errors
of the century have grown out of the
mischicvous dogmas assumed as fun
damcntal veri,ies in reference To the
rights of man.
Man, as a .yrccurio~S being, has no
rights except such rs society confers
for its own safety and benefit. The
idea that man i endowed by his Gre
ator with certain inalirnahlc rights.
, among which are life, liberty. and tn"
pursuit of happiness, is a gross and
mischicvouS error, that has no sup
port from reason nor from the usa-
ges or practice of mankind.
All the inaicnable rights" as
they are called, are constantly aliena-
ted, and none except the visionary
tlleorist questions the right of society
to so act.
Some thirty years ago there ap-
peared in leading European journal
Il number of articles over the sigma
ture of O. u. c., which at the time.
and for many years afterwards, at
tracteG an unusual degree Of atten-
ton. The interest in these articles
grew out of their style, which was
vigorous and clear, resembling great
ly the style of the celebrated Junius.
but mostly out of the snhject-mattrr
of discussion. The writer took the
ground that the aim of the statesman
should be the greatest good to the
greatest number" Writers of va
rious grades and capacities attacked
this fundamental position. but with
out avail; it stands today as fun
damental verify, and can never BE-
disturbed by either the arts of rea-
soning or sophistry.
The writer's position is the same
as our own, viz, that man, as 4 mem
Der of society, has no independent
rights; all being derived from soci-
ETY. as the general reservoir of al
rights and all interests. Should III"
general interest of society be promo
ted by drpriving any particular indi-
vidual of his life or his liberty. 10
one has right to question the wis
dom, justice, or propriety, of the
measure.
In free governments the right of
the community to deprive any par
ticular class Of the right of the bal!o, |
is unques'onablr, yet we hear a gen
eral cutlery against the south by the
radicals because We have not shown |
a disposition to invest the ignorant
and uneducated blacks with the right
of suffrage. a sufficient answer to
the fanatics should be, that we have
the undoubted right to exclude the
blacks, or any other class of persons,
from the ballot-box-that we intend
to adopt that line of policy in the
premises which an enlightened self
interest may dictate, and shall in no
sense be guided by either the die
tates, threats or persuasion Of any
man or set of men outside of our own
limits.
The negroes are now free, and be-
long to the several states in which
they reside, and must expect ulti-
mattel y to be dealt with in accordance
with the rules of an enlightened self
interest. They cannot expect to be
subject to any principle different from
that which governs other portions of
our POP ulation, and our policy, to be
efficient and wise, must be altogether
our own, and in no sense the result
Of foreign dictation.
Every community can manage its
OWN affairs far better than others can
for them, though no doubt
he radicals residing in other and dis
ant states think that they are infin-
tely better qualified to manage for
Is than we are to attend to our own
lffairs