Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1893-12-01

i IsESEsVSAF sSVkiOelHC 5SDlIlUsOl
liberty But men have seld dom fought
FOR abstract liberty, but utratherforlib-s
critics. In other words, every a buse::of
power that has occasioned rebellion:
has been q definite act Of tyranny; in
eyeiy struggle some definite right
has been defended. Thus has been.
Ideveloped, during the centuries, a
very clear no tion of Wha t rights are
essential to civil liberty. Able minds,
from Plato to Bryce, have given
their best thought to the problem of
government, and thus has grow up
a fascinating and volnminous liter
ature. Itwould be absurd to sup
pose that out. OF this wealth OF mat
erial we cannot frame a clear con
ception of what civil liberty is. But
ut is equally evident that tits difficult
to comprise the results OF the long
struggle within the limits OF II single
/ definition.
The story Of this struggle is neces-
sary to the understanding OF our
oWn government, and the history of
our times.
Let us summarize this worl,l-ilis-g
tory by means: OF an illustration
Robinson Crusoe on his isl;.n,l was
as near absolute freedom as man ever,
can be. There can be no absolute;
freedom possible except to one who
has absolute power, and God alone
| is perfectly free How Welcome TO
the lonely sailor was the, coming OF
Friday. But he paid forcolnpanion-
ship by the loss Of part of his liberty.
Two men cannot occupy the same
mat and eat the same fruit at the
same time. Ny liberty to stretch
out. my arm ends Whepe my neigh
bor's nose heegsins. These two might
divide the island and each have hall;
or divide the time and each rule half;
or one be master andthe other slave;
or try and determine their mutual
rights on the basis Of mutual CON
cessions. The coming OF Fridav's
family complicated things stAl
further. And when savages from an
other island appear in their war
canoes we have the full aedged prob
lem OF civil government-llo shall
this community SO be managed that
every man may have the largest pos
sible liberty consistent with that OF
every other individual? This prob
lem is not yet yet fully solved. 1t
was centuries before it was even
stated. And this was natural. The
first element in liberty is protection
from a foreign power. Our Crusoe
colony must beat off the attaching
savages before itcan begin to settle
it's internal affairs. Crusoe would
naturally assume command. A sort
OF patriarc, al or tribal government
would follow. Perhaps this later
would be developed into a kingdonl.
But the first need was protection.
and hence the primary idea OF liberty
is freedom from foreign interference.
This is what liberty meant a t
Marathon and Thermopylae; this is
the liberty That fired the hearts OF
Demosthenes and Patrick Kenry.
80. 80. 80
-
two Their forms of protection before
| we can have civil liberty w 8 mi, st
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