The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-10-03
THE ORIGIN AND DESIGN OF
GOVERNMENTS.

time of the American Revolution, in or
der to give clear and just idea of the
design and end of government, wrote
the following: "Let us suppose small
number of persons settled in some Sc
questered part of the earth, uncon-
nected with the rest, they will then rep
resent the first peopling of any country
or of the world. In this state of natural
liberty, society will be their first
thought. a thousand motives will ex-
cite them thereto; the strength of one
man is so unequal to his wants, and his
mind so untitled to perpetual sol
| itude, that he is soon obliged to
seek relief and assistance from another,
who in his turn requires the same
Four or FIVE united would be able 10
raise tolerable dwelling in the midst
of a. wilderness, but one man might
labor out the common period of life
without accomplishing anything; when
he had felIed his timber he could not
remove it, nor erect it after it was re-
moved; hunger in the meantime
would urge him from his work, and
every different want would call him
different way. Disease, nay even mis-
fortune would be death, for though
neither might be mortal, yet either
would disable him from living, and re-
duce him to state in which he might
be said rather to perish than to die.
THUS necessity. like a gravitat-
ing power, would soon form our
newly arrived emigrants into So
ciety, the reciprocal blessings of which
would supersede, and render the
obligations of law and government I'M
necessary while they remained perfectly
just to each other, but as nothing but
heaven is impregnable to vice, it will
unayoidably happen. that in proportion
as they surmount the first difficulties
OF emigration, which bound them to-
gether in a common cause, they will be-
gin to relax in their duty apd attach
ment to each other; and this remissness
will point out the necessity of establish
ing some form of government to supply
the defect of moral virtue.
"Some convenient tree will afford them
state house, under the branches of
which the whole colony may assemble
to deliberate on public matters.
1t is more than probable that |
their first laws will have the title only |
OF regulations and be enforced by no |
other penalty than public disesteem
In the first parliament every man by |
natural right will have a seat.
But as the colony increases, the pub !
lie concerns will increase likewise, and |
t e distance at which the members may |
be separated, will render il too incon-
venient for all of them to meet on every |
occasion as at first, when their number |
was small, their habitations near, and |
the public concerns few and trifiing. |
This will point out the convenience of |
their consenting to leave the legisla-
tive part to be managed by a selec, |
chosen from the body, who are
to have the same concerns at
stake which those nave who appointed |
them, and who will act in |
the same manner as The whole |
body would were they present. Ii
the colony continues increasing, it will
necessary to augment the num-
Der Of representatives, and that the in
terest of every part of the colony NAV
be attended to, it will be found best to
divide the whole into convenient parts,
each part sending its proper number;
and that the elected might never form
to themselves an interest separate from
the electors, prudence will point out tie
of having elections often; be-
cause as the elected by that means re-
turn and mix again with the general
body of the electors, in a few months
their fidelity to the public will be Sc
cured by the prudent reflection OF not
making a rod for themselves. And as
this frequent interchange will establish
a common interest with every
part of the community, thew
will mutually and naturally sup
port each other. and on this depends
the strength of government and the
happiness of the governed"
We have met with nothing in our
readings which better, or more simply
describes the origin and design of gov
,rHment than this, and we commend il
% the careful consideration of our
leaders, especially TO our young men.
Is the people of Utah IL the future
and We hope it is not far dlstant-wil;
nave the regulating of all the ala Is