The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1900-12-20
Vol. XIV.-NO. 22.
Paper Read
ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT.

Political economy, like all branches
of science, is too large subject to be
dealt with as whole in single re-
port like this, so the following is
treatment of the ethical phase of pol
itical economy. The first thing prob
ably that strikes one forcibly in study
ing our class book on this theme is the
thorough and exhaustive manner in
which the author elabOrates his ex-
plantations. The professor shows
plainly that it matters little what
scale of existence man may be living
in, he still has certain amount of
self instituted authority or govern
ment over himself to regulate his ac-
tions when he associates with fellows
of his kind. 1t is true that the savages
roaming aimlessly in bands through the
WildS have no written laws, but there
is code of unwritten laws in force
among them that is much severer and
more ironbOund than many written
laws among civilized peoples. The
savage does not cucumber himself
with any red-letter makeshifts, but
what few laws he has are zeaIously
enforced, backed up by the weird and
superstitiOus incentives that nature
imbues him with.
When the inhabitants of the wilds
become too numerous to be supported
by hunting and fishing they have
usually reached that stage where they
are acquainted with the knowledge of
tanning wild animals and raising them
for food or they have become familiar
in crude way with agriculture. At
this stage new policies of government
have to be established among them.
Man under the laws of civilized
government enjoys far greater free
dom from restraint than the savage
at the lower end of the scale, who in
his turn has larger degree of inde-
pendence than the barbarian. The
reasons for this advanced freedom are
so obvious that they are hardly worth
enlarging upon. The savage leads a
life of fear and selfishness, because his
faculties are in such low state of de-
velopment that he is not capable of
discerning the wisdom of keeping full
faith with his fellows; and although
he is always deeply superstitious, he
knows DO other guide for enjoying
hon ho f,,1 70
faction of his five senses, which he
gluts and satiates one day and leaves
hungry the next; who, as the saying
has it, "lives from hand to mouth"
The savage has deep superstitious
awe for the Great Spirit of nature
that pervades the whole working of
his known world, and his reverence
amounts to low grade of religion;
but being destitute of the refining
quality of morality it has no deterrent
effect upon his lusts-and the same is
true of all religious people without
morality
Morality is the foundation of all the
higher civilizations of today, and when
a civilized people allow it to lose its
hold upon them they soon drift back
into state of degraded barbarism.
When nation endeavors to live up
to high code of morals it will
inevitably progress to higher levels of
civilization all the time, as is clear by
the rapid strides the English race of
people are making towards better
forms of government, because they
try to live up to an exalted standard
of morals.
Professor Ely points out that those
municipalities that control the natural
monopolies within their corporations
derive better and much cheaper service
from their own management of them
than they did when the control of
them was vested in private companies.
He also states that municipal owner
ship of natural monopolies has a
strong tendency to promote purity in