Le Louisianais. [volume] (Convent, La.) 1865-1883, 1870-01-22
Communicated
SPURIOUS RAD1cAL1sm
TRUE REPUBLICANISM.

family we have entered upon, we find the
third social aspect described as either imper-
feet or perfect It is imperfect when j, belongs
to an individual, a family, a CHIEF, king,
dynasty, or party, whhou, The consent Of the
people. Mark, we do no. say, "when society is
ruled BY any Of these (for a people may be
governed by any Power that has the popular
APPROVAL; but when il belongs to any Power
foreign to itself or is governed contrary 10 its
expressed or clearly implied wishes.
Society is perfect when i, belongs TO itself,
and when its right to delegate the governing
power 10 whom it pleases, is unls,,ered.
Every aggrega'ioRue f families, them asso-
ciated for the purposS"6f achieving the public
good, is naturally perfect; (sui jjuris or sua
potestate) and, society can, in no conceivable
way (save one, which we will describe Directly
be found in the condition designated as imper-
feet unless by an outrage on its natural and
indefsasible rights.
The one conceivable way in which a people
Ray be ruled ~legaimately, without having
created lis governing Power, or even withou,
its formal consent, is instanced in the patri-
archal governments both before and after The
Flood. Because, as the children of the Pa,ri-
archs became fathers Of families, the paternal
authority exercised first over their families
proper, by the Patriarchs, was, on account Of
their longevity, naturally developed into a
public authority over the multiplied families.
Thut is, the domestic Power emanating directly
from the Creator to the first man, and mediately
to the succeeding Patriarchs land to all fathers
of families), in virtue Of their paternity, was,
in the instance named, changed into a public
Power whose legitimacy could not be ques.
toned, since, on account Of the filial relations
existing between the rulers and the ruled,
nothing could be more natural.
This view Of human government, as it
originated, and as it existed in antiquity,
furnishes another proof Of what is expressly
declared in The Good Book that all Power is
from God-(Non est Poaestas nisi a Deo) and
that the Public Power exercised over an
aggregation Of families -Society-has the
sam object in view, or ought to have, as the
Domestic Power exercised over the individuals
of a single family namely, their preservation,
their perfection lin short, their universal good.
Hence it follows, that this God-given Power
the provision Of. Infinite Goodness for the
benefit Of the individual and the social man
alike, is wofully perverted when it is made to
subserve selfish interests or private ends.
The patriarchal government continued even
when the families increased to such an extent
as TO have developed into considerably large
nafions,-the people resting satisfied with The
Government under which they were born
but when the life Of man was reduced to the
limit which was afterwards assigned to it, the
dominion of the fathers of families, was
necessarily confined to their own households;
and then, the natural tie TO one Chieftain or
Patriarch, having been dissolved by the
resulting circumstances, the duty Of choosing
their Rulers, as necessarily devolved on the
families uniting for social purposes.
Families thus united and thus governed !;
united in virtue Of mans Unborn free.will, in
virtue Of mans natural liberty /; governed as
they choose, in virtue Of their inherent right
(sui Juris), being exclusively in their own
power (sua potestate), constitute what our
definition describes as a perfect Society.
OF such : society, no human power may
~rightfully touch the attributes. Such a society.
every one Of the original colonies, became,
the moment j, cut loose from Old England's
apron.strings. Such : society, every State Of
this Union, il now. OF else it would not be q
"Stass". There is no possible way, then, by
which the right Of governing the Southern
States, can be lssitimately assumed by any
people or government q party alien to them.
No human device can create Z plausible
pretext for even debating 10 them the modus
operandi Of what is farcicalIy called arscons.
truction."
Society, such Is We have described It, il .
MORAL bs;ag. 1t can work righteousness if
influenced by sound morality, BY Christian