Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1889-12-05
DEFINITION OF LIBERTY.
Tie Social aud Political Aspect or
The Question.


lSSs. Correspondence Of the DIS
ERET NEws.I-Liberty may. Der.
haps, be defined rs the right Of
every person TO act rs he pIcases. so
long rs his conduct is not preiu-
dicial to Others, OF, to speak polite
ally, to the common veal. This
may be regarded as the ideal with
which it has always been found inn
possible to render comformable the
selfish passions and interests of men
and their honest opinions, ALWAYS
exceedingly variable. For Instance.
the titled and the rich have. with
rare exceptions, always inclined |
towards centralized forms Of gov
ernment in which they might par
ucipate and their property be better
protected, while the poor have. ac-
cording to their intelligence. desired
greater amount Of freedom. with
the double desire Of ameIiorating
their condition and participating in
the administration Of affairs. The
original government was that
OF the strongest. The patriar-
email system Of rule Of the head Of the
FAMILY or clan was never general. or.
II 50, only for a brief period, and
prevailed only in parts OF the world
wher" the population was sparse and
nomadic. The strong held the weak
IN a state OF slavery. Slavery rasSed
into serfdOm in tn. Middle Ages.
ana from this modified form deyel-
0pcd into the varied systems Of gov
eminent that we have today. M
distinction IS made here between
slavery, rs usually understood, aud
ne absolute rule Of mOnarchs Of ma
ions and chiefs Of tribes. They were
n reality the same. A king, like
ne builder Of the Pyramids, who
1criticed hundreds OF thousands Of
us subjects in that colossal work.
Lad that complete control over
he liberty and life Of his subjects, 5
'ossesSed in those times by the !
wner Of q score Of bonimen. Y
II Is only natural that every R
mixing person should ask himself,
ot whether slavery is right i'm this
epoch, but whether II 5
as ever right. II we accent the =
lctum that whatever is is right &
'hlch 1io one does precisely the =
nswer would be emphaticaIly i'm 4
nc affirmative. Slavery doubtless -
ikes IT'S natural place in the eyolu- II
on OF liberty. The blind man a
nose sight is restored can only II
mutually bear the light. Degraded y
eings like the primitive savares :,
no peopled the world, being des-
ute OF the moral sense, could
i Understand liberty nor the in,
amer in which its blessings could
enjoyed. Left 10 themselves =
ey would have devOired one an
her. This mutual destruction. n 50
Iiei, in his own interest, needing
lrriors, would endeavor to pre-
mt, and the defamation under his w
lidnnce would probably bc less no
an II the individuals were left 10 III
emselves. SO also when a mon 50
ch united under his sway sew u
Al tribes, who, if left TO them
ives, would have annihIlated
e another. The cause OF hui be
inity was thereby better served. III
ie mortality was diminished. LII
u though n tribes liberties were In
ridged, its individual privileges IN
re often increased. The same mo
inciple may he REGARDED ne ri
plicahle during the Middle Ayes al
ien, the MOBILES having grown rie
lel and arrogant under the system. mn
kes and barons were COMPELLED 10 Wi
1mit TO the rule Of kings. as In no,
ance and England. Inmaking ers
tied France, Louis NJ, whose Co
lracter was in many respects Sic
estable, may be regarded as a Pc
I Of public benefactor. Ri
Liberty, then, may be regarded I
a relative term, shifting and I'm
'pung its meaning according 10 the
;umstances. Many men are like inf
idren, who, in their innocence 9th,
lot understand why they should b.
be permitted to make themselves Mo-
cradle to every one by their l..
Sc, or to tread on the toes of the Az,
ole world. Students believe in -
night to invade the liberties of -,
ers by violence, especially on the -
5 below them. Yet there is a -
am generosity in the student A
racter which has often enabled -
N 10 serve the cause of liberty,
etimes usefIilly, at other times
the detriment OF some noble n
'e- There are thousands of ~
Sn men who do not know when al
are free. They are at liberty =.
all sorts Of reasonable things. III
II Is the useless and trivial act
law forbids that they desire
eially 10 commit. IL is with
-ty as with curiosity that feels -
Iys an irresistible impulse to
ore the guarded secret. Liberty TUE