The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-02-25

MORALS AND PoLII1Cs.
There is a saying long familiar: Every
thing IN its place. And great solomon
records that call things have their sea
sons and in their times all things pass
under Heaven" No fault can be found
with such general statement, and am
Of the opinion that order, tranquility,
peace and prosperity depend upon the
faithful observance Of the rule. Let
questions To discussed on their relative
merits without the introduction Of ir-
relevant matter Much misunderstood
ing and evil result from disregard or III
fringement Of the wise enactment
But there is one question that must
exert universal sway-ono branch Of
human effort that necessarily enters
into the consideration Of every question
and Is connected with every avenue Of
human endeavor, and that is morality
Ralph Waldo Emerson declares that
1.-The moral sentiment alone is omnipo-
tent" The ethical code must prevail
everywhere. The sense OF morality
must permeate all strata Of society and
be wooded 70 all phases Of lbs activities.
There can be no aspect Of mans lie
that should be viewed independently Of
that standpoint. For, in the words Of
John Locke, Morality influences mems
lives and gives q bias to all their &c
tions."
Morality, or morals, is the science Of
human duty, and embraces the entire
series Of human acts, public as well as
private. Man has not been made the
creature Of his own oaprices-not the
machine Of mere sentiment-nor the an
imal OF pleasure and instinct. He has
come into the world that he might Sc
cure the creators purpose and obey the
laws OF his existence. lie does rot
come from himself; he has not made
himself He depends FOR what he ia on
the will and power which made him. No
abstraction is possible Of man as man
from man as a moral being He is en-
dowed with free will and intelligence
and rational nature, and he is under the
permanent obligation O, rendering his
life comfortable TO the God-imposed
laws Of his being. Within his breast be
bears implanted the instinct Of right
and wrong, the knowledge Of good and
evil. The law has been stamped upon
him in indelibls characters. The inter
nal conscience is his approved guide,
aud bis thoughts within him "either &C.
cuse him or else defend him." From all
this arises his fundamental motive Of
action which is, not what he may, nor
what he can, but what he ought He is
always under the rule Of this law, this
will Of the most high. lie cannot es-
cape. As long as he acts With intolli-
gence and free viii, as long as bis facul-
ties are in normal condition, he is bound
to see that no violates not the eternal
DEGREES; that his conduct is in accord
with the principles Of truth and justice.
God, himself. his fellow men, form three
heads Of duties, and the perfection OF
human life lies ia the exact perform
ance Of what they Imply and command
No man is completely ignorant Of these
things, and even the untutored savage,
though not so distinctly and clearly as
the civilized and enlightened yet truly
possess the knowledge Of subsection and
due submission % the higher power
whose will and designs he feels bound
to fulfill as best he knows and can. An
our deliberate acts then must rest upon
the basis OF morality which teaches that
those in opposition to our rational ma
ture must be avoided because they aro
EVIL, and those in agreement with our
rational nature must be accomplished
because they are good.
But what, 10 any connection, have
these truths with politics? DO not pol
itics form @ domain entirely iudoread-
ent? is not the field wherein they play
one from which morals had best be- ab-
eeutg IT is precisely the absence OF
disregard of them that accounts for tho
corruption and evils ~ which honest
minds and true statesmen aud sincere
politicians so loudly complain a. exist
ing in tho workinga OF practical politics.
Politics should claim no exemption
FROM morallty's searching gaze aud inc
exorable dictates. Politics or the sol.
enco oi civil government has relation 20
the social life Of men, and It's object is
10 secure for the aggregate Of iudividu-
ais aud families banded together for
mutual happiness, benefit and protec-
ton, their innl.enable rights and pr.vi-
leges. The hands in which tho power
Of governing ia placed are % DO raised
10 benodlot>1n and love. aud the ezer.
else az this power must tend directly
and Immediately 20 the welfare of the
commonwealth. The union o. human
beings 10 municipalities and states aud
couniri IS arises from divine ordinance
and from the needs and requirements Of
eur nature, which is social The indi
vidual, however. does not lose his an.
tonomy when he becomes a factor in