People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-02-14
Restore to the People Their Vested Rights

All men are declared to be free,
equal and independent, and have in
herent and inalienable rights; among
these are life, liberty and the pursuit
Of happiness. To secure these rights
and the protection of property, gov
ernments are instituted among men,
deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed. This doc
trine is in the constitutions of the
states, but for some reason was not
placed in the constitution of the United
States as above worded. But it is in
the Declaration of Independence, and
that has always been considered the
fundamental law of all American gov
eminent, and as such can not be treated
lightly. The fundamental theory of
government for the people is the Dec
laration of Independence. Under all
constitutions the people are required
to delegate their vested rights to life.
liberty and the pursuit of happiness,
and consent to be governed, to an
agent called representative. These
two principles are inconsistent with a
heory of self government Reasons:
The powers to use the vested rights to
life, liberty and the pursuit of happi-
ness and the consent to be governed
are not such powers as are embraced
in any correct principles of agency, for
this reason: The use of those powers
properly involve process of individual
study, reasoning, education, Judgment
1t was intended that the individual
should have direct voice in his gov
eminent, and his consent should be oh
tanned as to the government of all
This being true, the government
for all would be the majority
Judgment Of all as to the laws,
A delegation of the use of those powers
deprives the citizen of all incentive to
take personal interest in his govern
ment This takes away the desire to
know on what principles his govern
ment is running. The result is. the
agent has the natural opportunity to
create all monopolized by classes and
they have gObbled up the citizens
rights, his means Of support-the free
avenues of labOr-and by class legisla-
ton the governing classes are running
our government with a high hand
against the interests of the masses.
Bodies OF free men are always opposed
to class legislation. That's one reason
why bodies ought to pass directly upon
the laws that shall govern them They
would refuse to indorse "class doc
trines, but would indorSe the doctrine
of 1.-THE greater good to the greater
number"
The state of Illinois has a popula-
ton of nearly 100000. The legisla-
ton is done by -O4 agents. It's vote is
more than million. The vested rights
of 1000, 900 men are placed at the alb
solute disposal of 2O4 agents with no
instructions whatever. The educa-
tional features of the ballot box,which
should be always foremost in the
midst of free people, are entirely eli.
minated from the principles of self
government. 1t well may be the sub
ject of careful investigation whether
the ruthless power of the constitutions
compelling the citizen to delegate his
vested right to consent to his form OF
government and to protect his right to
life and liberty is not the fundamental
cause of the conditions Of the country
to-day.-Lucius o. Wilson, Gano, Iii.