The Labor enquirer., 1883-12-01

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'the public Alnctionaries are its agents
and officers, and the people justly should
have the power when It pleases TO revoke
its mandatories Or recall its servants.
The law can forbid only what is hurtfnI
TO the people and can prescribe only
what's useful. Every law which violates
OF infringes the imprescriptible right Of
man is void.
XIV.
In every Just government the law
ought above all to defend public and in
diyidual liberty against the authority Of
those that govern. Every institution
that does not suppose the people good
and the magistrate corruptible, is vicious.
No part Of the people can exercise the
power of the whole people i; but the wish
it expresses ought to be respected as 9
wish of part Of the people which is to
concur in forming the general will
Every act against the imprescriptible
rights of man by whomsoever exercised,
even in the name of the law itself and
within the forms it prescribes every
such act is arbitrary and void. The very
respect due to law forbids submission to
| it, and if the attempt be elmade to execute
such act BY violence OF by artifce, it is
not only permitted but enjoined upon
every Individual to repel such assaults.
even by force Resistance to oppression
is necessary consequences of the other
s,h4a of man There is impression
against the social body whenever one
alone Of its members is oppressed
There is oppression against every mem
ber of it when the social body is OPP
pressed. When the government violates
the rights of the people, insurrection is
for the people and for every portion of
the people the most sacred of rights and
the most indispensable of duties. When
the social contract fails to protect q citi-
zen he resumes his natural right to de-
fend personally all his rights In either
of the two preceding cases, to subject to
legal forms the resistance to oppression
is the last refinement to tyranny, and is
both infamous and void q.
I fissaz 81 5Eli6 XIV.
\ Public functions cannot be considered
i as distinctions nor as recompenses, but
as public duties. The people ought, as
far as, possible, to govern themselves
without the interposition Of delegates OF
representatives But when these repre-
sentatives are necessary they must be
selected by such system as will insure
their being real and not pretended mi
crocosms of their constituents. The
crimes of such representatives should
be severely punished. The people have
a right to know the operations Of their
delegates, and it is the duty Of the latter
to render to the people faithful ac.
count of their behavior. .5s II
/ IT, ,G XVI, Ian. H.
Men of all countries are brothers, and
the people of each ought to yield one
another mutual aid, according TO their
ability, like citizens of the same state
He whosopposes or oppresses one !peo.
pie is the declared enemy of all. Those
who make war on a people to arrest the
progress Of liberty and to annihilate the
rights of man ought to be pursued every.
where, not as ordinary criminals, but as
social outlaws, assassins and robbers
Kings, aristocrats, tyrants of every de.
scription are beasts dangerous to the
welfare of mankind, and against them
should be raised the hand of every man
XVII. @,. VI. ...Et
The conditions which will establish
universal happiness, upon earth consist
in the free enjoyment Of the natural
rights Of man, combined with the exer.
else of all his faculties upon the highest
plane of mental, moral and physical
worth. The best guarantee of the ex.
istence>and perpetuity of these 'condi-
tions is the loftiest possible elevation Of
humanity. There will arrive time, il
progress be not impeded, when govern,
ments will be useless. To advance that
time, education seems to be the main
factor. Hence, what prevents or con.
strains the spread of intelligence is tyr
annous and unjust. z,'',s.
. I'LL. .., XVIII.
Governments, as at present Elk listing
are machines used for the purpose Of
enslaying the people. Such machines
should be abolished and society be per
mitted to reorganize upon principles Of
equality. The people being too much
governed, all statute or common law,
except broad and simple declarations Of
principles and rights, should be abolish
ed. These principles should be inter
pleted not by infamous precedent, but
by the light of common sense, to secure
justice to all. ., - r H.,
+ XIX. -" ry.4s..Aa5i Il
Neither sex, age, color nor condition
should ever be made barriers against
equal and exact justice, f4a. II.