Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-05-23
THE CONFIsCATI0N sCnEAE.
In Taking the Property Of the Latter.
day Saints, the Government Re-.
sorts 10 the Old Roman Dcspotic
Law and Usage.

patcrnallam announced for the United
States government by the Supreme
court In i,s decision In the cnse Of the
Lat,ar-tiay Saints church property,
which was discussed last week, are Of
more consequence 10 the American
people ut this time than appoarn In the
mere cnunolailon " tho principles;
though In that, NJ we have seen, there
IL accomplished, M far NJ the court can
20, total revolution In the principles
ofgovcrnment which were established
by the makers OF the American Union.
This eau be more clearly illustrated by
following the lead suggested BY the
court. IL will be remembered that the
court cited Ronlc rs one OF the authori-
ties for the position which was taken
IN the decision; and by n brief OK
animation Of tue Roman governmental
system, In IL principle and In iiswork-
ings, In connection with certain
claims and movements which ARE be-
coming quite popular In this country,
tho full meaning OF that decision can
be more clearly discernod.
In the Roman system tho govern.
ment was supreme, absolute, paternal
and divine. "1ho iden Of the State was
the highest idea Of ethics; and within
that was incl uded all actual realiza-
ton OF the hig hest good; hence the dc.
vclopmcnt OF all other goods pertain
Ing 10 humanity was made dependent
on THU. "--Nodnder Man with all
that no had was subordinatcd 10 the
State; he must have no higher aim
than 10 10 servant Of tho State; lac
must seek no higher good than that
which the State could bestow. "rhe
first principles Of their law was the
paramount right of the State over the
citizen. whel hcr as head Of family,
or a. proprietor, he had no natural
rights Of his own; his privileges were
created by the, law as well rs defined
10y II. The State, IN the pienitude OF
her power, Delegated q portion OF her
own Responsibility " the citizen, who
satisfied the conditions she required,
In order 10 become the parent OF her
children; hut ut tho same time she de
manded Of him the sacrifice OF his free
AGENCY 70 her own rude Idea OF p0liti.
cal expcdicucy. "-MertUdie.
II IL very evident TINT In such a
system there was no place for individ'
uality. The Individual was part OF
the State. There was no such thing AZ
the rights Of the people. The right Of
the state only was 10 be confldered
aud that was o bc considered absolute
"rhe more dis tinguished n Roman be
came, tho less was he free man. The
omnlpotenco Of the law, the despotisu
OF tho rulc drove him Into narrow
circle Of thought and action, and his
credit and influence depended ON til,
sad austerity of his life. The whole
duty Of man. with the humblost anc
greatest Of the Romans, was TO keel
Ills house In order, and bc the obedien
servant Of the state. "-Mon'Hlsen.
Thus every Roman citizen was I
subject and every Roman subject wa
slave. II would DO difficult TO con
ceive Of system OF government who's
principles we're moro radically opposes
10 those OF the United States, thar
were these.
As the State was pa,ernal the En-
peror wsh faith or Of the people; and a
such he gave 10 the people land, he fci
them, he gave them money, In ehor
he dealt with them an a father with hi
children. but even before there wn
an emperor this principle was the prin
ciplc OF the government. The onl.
change from the times before the EN-
pcrors, TO the times Of the emporors
was that In the imperial authorit.
there was merged In one man tina
which before pertaincd TO the govern
ment composed Of the senate, con
sula,c, and triounate.
In the dnys Of Tiberius GraC
chus, Is. q. 1873, tho publ
lands were leased by the govern
ment to capitalists. And althoug
there was "A law which forbade any sii
gle holding Of more than three hun
bred and thiriy.three acres, the lay
WINS OF ancient standing and had bee
gradually dlsrcgarded until PRACTICAL
II was forgotten, and tho capitalist
had entirely monopolizcd the publ
laud which they cultivated by slay
labor. and the citizens without cnpi'i
being unable to compete with capita
In control OF shave labor, were virtual
crowded oil the land. Tiberius d.
terminod thatxhe monopolies should h
broksn aud that the public land
should lie restored 10 tho citizens.
was done, and within two years tn
commissioners appointed TO dlstribuI
the land had settled forty thousan
families upon public lands which Oh
monopollsts hlG been obliged to SUI
render. But the commissioners 500
became unpopular. Those who WEI
compelled 10 resign their lands wei
exntpeated, OF course. On the oths
hand, those TO whom the Ian
was given were not In a
cases satisfied II was certai
that some woub DO given bette
pIeces Of land than others, and that I
Itself created JEALOUSY and discontent
hut tho greatest trouble was, that
the great majority OF cases II was M
land that they wanted, In fact 1t WI
money that they wanted first OF o.
and although tho land was virtual
given 10 them and well improved
that, they could not get money out
IL without work. II had TO be person
work. too, because TO hire slav
was against the very law, by Writ
OF which they have received the Ian
and 10 hire freomon was impossibl
flibecaupe no freeman would work Z
Il slnve's wagei--that, la his estimat
would be TO count himself no bett
shan a slave; and (2l, the now land,
proprietor could not afford to pay q
wages demanded by free labor, becau
he had TO meet tho competition OF u
.. 4. - a IN V RI sal fhe