The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-01-14

principles of justice finding universal
lodgment in the heart Of man. To be
universally accepted or to be accepted
by the great majority of men truths
must not be fine spun or Elusive; they
must be self evident to all and as clear
ly perceivable as the MONDAY sun. Nor
ought this to be difficult Truth, al.
though many sided, is capable of the
clearest statement. Let us then endeay-
or to agree upon foundation of self
evident truth.
| Stated i'll a large and wholesale way,
there are but two factors employed in
all the mu(tifarious activities Of men
upou this planet-mind and matter, the
world about us and the thought of man,
| or nature and human nature. Both these
| factors are controlled by certain immu-
table and Interchangeable laws which
; have never changed and will never
! change. Natural laws remain. Human
nature is now what it has always been.
1t follows, then, that the laws of hu-
man and external nature cannot be bro
ken without the inf1iction of certain
penalties. Punishment is unacceptable
and inevitable. Man, then, to be hap
Ply, to advance, to live the life intended
by nature, lust obey natural laws con-
trolling both human and external ma
ture. These cannot long be successfully
evaded. 1t becomes important, then, to
know what these are, for no plan o.
betterment can be successful which is
not in strict accordance with them.
To begin, then, it is self evident that
all men have from their Creator, or
from nature, certain rights, powers and
privileges as an inalienable possession.
These are SO many natural gifts, for the
tight use of which nature holds us re-
sponsible. II we abuse them, she vigor-
ously and without forgiveness exacts
her certain penalties. These rights,
powers and privileges with which ma
ture has invested US form the nature of
man. They are inseparable from him.
The proper exercise of these cannot be
denied to man without violence being
done to his nature. 1t is thus self evi
dent that any power which prevents
men from the right use and proper exer-
else of the gifts of nature comes into
opposition to nature. These gifts are ill.,
alienable.
We have right to life. 1t is the free
gift of God, and we are held response
BILE for the right use and exercise Of this
gift. We cannot rightfully ALLEVIATE,
give or barter it away. Nor can any
other person, power or government
RICH. sully deny or abridge this right ex-
cept as punishment for crime whereof
we may have been duly convicted. 1t is
an inalienable right. It is also self evil
dent, if this right cannot be rightfully
denied or abridged, that whatever is
essential to the right is also included,
for otherwise the right is gradually
taken away and denied. Air is essen
tial to life. If air is denied, even in
part, the right to life is gradually de-
stroyed. And SO of all other essentials.
Indeed, it is one of the fundamental AK
IONS of law and equity that grant in
cludes all essentials to the grant. 1t
follows, then, naturally that as the Gre
ator, or nature, has granted us life,
holding us to a strict accountability un-
der the laws Of nature for the right use
OF it, the Creator has also given US as
free gift all that is necessary and essen
tial to the enjoyment Of this grant Of
life, for otherwise we could not be
held accountable for the use we make
of it.
And this also is self evident. In a
state of nature or under the law of ni-
ture all men have an equal right to use
what are calico natural opportunities
that is, the earth in state of nature.
All, i'll the absence of statute law, have
an equal right to cultivate sufficient
portion of the earth's surface for self
support, TO fish in the sea, to delve in
the mine, ETC. This is sufficient for the
preservation of life, and the right to
apply labo. to natural opportunities is
the one essential to life, without which
it cannot Ae preserved, save by the pay
ment IF unjust tribute to those who
possess no warrant from the Creator, or
nature, for its eXaction. That is, this
tribute or payment for the right to live
is unnatural. making void the original
grant. And the eXaCtiOn OF this tribute,
contrary to the laws of nature and Of
God, is the fundamental error in all
progress and all SO called civilization.
This will appear the more plainly when
we consider that all wealth. all that
beauties and embellishes life and
makes it worth the living, is the prod
uct OF human exertion applied to natu-
raj opportunities. Wealth and the means
OF living aro obtained in no other way.
The means Of living, it must be evil
dent, are part and parcel Of the grant of
life, for if the means whereby life is
prolonged are denied the right to life,
Nhich il Is ..I.r,ad l.. i 4