Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-05

ment, can be fitted to live up to Christ
ian teachings, forgetting that Christi
anity found the Roman Empire in
exactly this condition. We cite these
incautious expressions, because, occur
ring in the earlier paragraphs, they
may lead some readers to drop Mr..
Ensley's brochure under an utter mis-
apprehension of his views and aims.
His keynote throughout is that the
powers of government should be most
rigidly limited. Seeking in mans ma
ture the proper limit, he finds anatural
disposition TO better ones condition,
which is praisewortIy, except when ex-
ercised to the damage of ones neigh
Dor. To prevent this latter excess, in
order that all may enjoy equal freedom
of action, unimpeded by the passion or
greed of their fellow men, is the sole
need and Office of government. In
other words, the only proper function
of government is that Of police. If
man, in his pursuit of wealth or pleas
ure, never trespassed on his fellows,
there would be no occasion or excuse
for the burden of government. As an
evil propensity, or excess Of the selfish
ness that seeksits own good, is thus the
basis of government Mr.. Ensley
argues logically that government itself
is an eyil-a necessary evil, but still
an evil-and the less We have of 1t the
better. The process of reform is by
acts of omission rather than commits
sion. The great evil Of the day in all
civilized countries is the existence of
bad laws rather than the absence Of
good ones. The million wants of hui
manity cannot be supplied and adjust
cd by any government, though every
member Of it we're a Solomon. Neither
can government undertake to supply
any want without dersnging the divine
and natural order by which all other
wants are supplied. Government can
not foster one industry without de
ranging others. 1t cannot favor cap
ital without injuring labor, nor help
labor without damaging capital. We
leave Mr.. Ensley 10 express his view of
the clash between labor and capital IN
his own forcible way:
Eternal antagonism Ia their nature
and operation. but whilst they eternal.
" antagonize, no harm results. First
one and then the other occupies the
vantage ground, but neither ever
holds much advantage. In fact, 1t Is a
peculiar and anomalous fight IN this:
that if one should happen to destroy
the other, it would destroy itself atthe
same time. For despite the eternal
warfare going on, the life of one Is
necessary to the life Of the other. l
| said no harm ever results from this
fight. | should have made an eIcep-
ton, and said no harm ever results ex-
cept when government takes hand IN
| it. For when government Cspouses the
cause of either, it destroys the cqulllb-
rum between the two, which Is absO-
lutely necessary to their useful work
inr With each other, and necessary to
the useful workings Of all the indus
| tries IN the land, in producing the
wants Of man. Hence | say, hands
| of.
He condemns all subsidies to rail-
roads down to county subscriptions,
through which farmers are taxed to
furnish the means by which railroads
outbid them for laborers. Mr.. Ensley
argues that this disturbs the labor
market, and the argument might be
extended to all subsidized or protected
industries. In free country, where all
are politically equal, there should be no
legislation making them unequal indus
trially or commercially. Capital can
not be sunk in Improbable invest
ments, without injury TO the commu-
nifty, but government subsidies often
divert it in this manner to the sole ben
eft of the favored few. He cites Cen
trail Park in New York city as a waste
Of millions belonging to people often
in want Of meat and bread. So Of the
New City Hal now building IN Pbila-
| deIphia at n cost OF twelve
millions. while the factories are
idle. being unable to compete
for labor with the reckless Radical
ring ruling that city. The tendency OF
all this is toward rich government
and poor people, when it ought to be
toward a poor government and rich
people. This suggests the apho1sm
of older and better days, when men rec
ognized that the sUrest mcansfor keep
ING the government pure was to keep
It poor. Under a government conduct
cd On correct principles (which means
government confined strictly to ITS le-
gitimatc duty, Mr.. Ensley thinks 1t
would be an impossibility, IN the life
time If one man, to accumulate the
fortune of Vanderbilt or Stewart, or
even the fifth or tenth of 1t. Gov
ernment has 20 privileges to grant OF
exclude, for IL has nothing which docs
/ not belong To- every frccmanin the land
alike. Hc condemns all charters, linn
ting the responsibility to the amount
Of capital. If a man is allowed to reap
all the profits Of a given business, and
put them into his private estate, no
matter how large, he should be held n
paw all the losses, no matter how great,
even if it should take the last cent of
his private estate. Farmers are not