The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-08-28
PROVO CITY. AUG. 2S. lS9
ARE sToNG GOVERNMENTS BEST? ?

The question arises in the minds OF |
some persons whether strong govern
ments are best, or whether the pro
verb "that government governs best
that governs least, . is truism.
If the masses Of the people are ig |
norant and wicked, and there is class
who are wise and vlrtuous, then in |
order that wisdom and virtue should
triumph, the wise and Yirtuous should |
hold the reins of government. II the |
masses of the people are not to be
trusted, then they must be ruled. If |
they nave not the judgment to know
what kind of laws are best for the gem
eral good, then let laws be made for
them.
The difficulty, if there is one, is to
determine what class OF society, if any,
shall rule. Virtue and truth are not
confined to any one class; vice and ig-
norance are not the predominant char.
scteristIcs of any class. There are |
vicious, corrupt, selfish and arrogant |
persons amongst the learned and the |
wealthy. There is virtue, purity, pat
riotism, and all the christian virtues |
in many a cottage home of the
humber class. If any one man We're
now living whose character is so good |
that he were universally recognized as
touring so high above his fellows that |
he were the embodiment of all the Vir- |
tues of humanity, without being |
tainted by any of its vices, then it
would improve society to make him a
chief ruler-a monarch. If we had a
number Of men who toured so high
above all others in intelligence and
virtue that all instinctIvely bowed be-
fore their superior nobility of char
acter, then they should rule; but we
have no such man or men. Occa-
sionally we meet with man who seems
endowed with qualifications exactly
fitting him for particular place, and
when we do find such man he ought
to be placed in that position and kept
there as long as he can so fill it; but this
is an exception. All men have human
frailties, and we have but few, if any,
who are born kings of men.
There is therefore no man, or class
of men who ought to rule, and the
same is true of the other extreme of
society; there are but few individuals
who are embodiments of vice, and
these few are not monopolized by any
one grade of society.
We have dispensed with kings, be-
cause we do not have any one man
good and great enough to be benefit
to society as king. We do not want
an sristocratic rule because we do not
have any aristocrstic class in the true
sense of the word; we have no class of
persons who are by nature endowed ,
with such greatness and goodness that I
society would be better if they domin-
ated all other classes, hence we have
republic.
The real strength of republic is in
the virtue of its citizens. If the pre- ,
Vailing sentiment OF the people is to I
vice, then the government 6
s in danger, and to avert this danger s.
We have written constitution giving p
o persons selected so much power as l
s necessary to suppress vice and en- :,
courage virtue, the people reserying to q
themselves all other powers OF govern n
nent. Thus IL is that not only are [;
public officers servants of the people, d
,ut the government itself is an agent p
f the people possessing only delegated x
overs, but ample for the protection "a
f the right and correction of the =. =.
yrong. 70
When republican government is N
.rong enough to do this, and to cause =
s flag to be respected on all it's do
ain and in every sea, to subdue all r
easonable uprisings, and maintain |
self as the U. S. government has H.
therto done, then it needs no strained
of its constitution to q
'engthen it, but rather the natural wa
ldency of humanity when entrusted
tn power being TO try to increase
at power do we need today to
ard against the encroachments of Il
to be very watchful of the y
1ple's rights, to exercise our nom E
ting privilege with care, to be earn
in our primaries, where we all have
. right TO speak and our voice is
ghty, to guard our franchise ard u
lot boxes as the sacred emblem and NJ
eptacle of our sovereignty, and to ~
all this in spirit of patriotism. not "
king or bestowing Office from per \
lsl or selfish motives, but with an os .
single to the public good. In short tate
Of the democratic party able
of the nation il they could see it nall
uld be in mind, ami action, true con con'
1ocrats. taxi
HEt scheme to steal the gilsonite 49,
is of the Uncompagbre reservation