Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1900-10-17

such.
The working hypothesis upon
w-ich the democrats base all their ar
guments is the statement which oc-
ours in our own Declaration of Inde-
pendence that Governments derive
their just power from the consent of
the governed" The average man
admits this at once The next step
in the syllogism IS the proposition
that "The United States propose to
enforce a government upon a people
who are unwilling to be governed"
The conclusion is that such a govern
ment is unjust. If one admits the
first two propositions the conclusion
must follow. AS a matter of fact the
conclusion is false and the fallacy
lies in the first statement. The state
ment is true in general but it does not
apply to special cases. There is IN
axiom in political science which says
that the first function of government
is to promote the most good to the
most people. That this is true no
one can deny. Upon this truth rests
the reputation of the statement that
"all just governments derive their
power from the consent Of the gov
erned." -
This is true when the many are
ruled for the benefit of the few; it is
false, absolutely false, when the few
cause the government to be admin
istered in such a way as to oppose
the welfare of the many. This seems
at first sight a mere bubble but we
will explain our meaning by a few
examples. AS an example of the first
statement we can quote our w revo-
lutionary war. A large number OF
persons were being ruled for the ben
eft of a few in England. That the
assertion holds true here requires no
argument.
On the other hand we would quote
a case in which the axiom does not
hold and we defy any n to prove
otherwise. In 1887 n legislature OF
NORTH Carolina found that certain tar
iff laws supposed for the United States
were not to their advantage. Thei1
solution of the matter was simple
enough. They proposed to nullify the
laws and if the government of the
United States dlu not like their actor
North Carolina talked of seeding
What happened? President jackson
Ia democrat by the way) promptly
crushed the notion that North Caro-
lima could take any such action. Here
was a case where the governed die
not consent to be governed. Bu
what was a hardship for them was
great advantage for the majority o
the union and hence the minority wa
Obliged to yield. History unanimous
ly declares that Jackson's suppress
sion of Qualification" was n of tn
most splendid achievements of hi
career.
The war of the south is anothe
example. No one can say that the,
were willing to be governed. 1t Their
anyone living who can deny that tn
northern states were justified in en-
forcing our sovereignty upon them
ANY number of examples might ,
quoted but it is hoped chat those men
toned will illustrate the point.
The only person who could explal!
the meaning intended by the state
ment that governments derive thel
lust power from the consent of tn
governed, is the author, Thomas Jei
- ferson. Let us see what interpreta
ton he puts upon it. .
In 1903 the United States purchase
the Louisiana territory from France
What was MI. Jefferson's idea sabou
the consent OF the governed here?
amounted simply to this. ~
better that a few thousand person
now scattered throughout the territor
should suffer than the progress an
happiness of a great nation embod5
ing millions of people should t
= baked" Perhaps some one will sa
ooh those people were only too gla
i to be annexed and they coRsente
readily enough" Let him read tn
remonstrance sent in to congress b
le the inhabitants whom Jefferso
brought into the United States will
Is out a thought as to their consent.
l. A few quotations from this doc'
le ment show the feeling Of the Peep
D then residing in the Louisiana di
tricL.
GA governor is to be placed e
whom we have not chosen, whom Y
:, do not even know, who may be igno
= ant Of our language, uniformed
our institutions, and who may have /
- - -LLIe---.-x4 NV into