Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-01-11
The Rights Of Man.


Reason and liberty in human gov
eminent are what Archemides said of
mechanical power which he asserted
ssif we had place on which to stand,
we might raise the world"
In civil government that place to
stand upon was given to mankind in
the formation of the government of
the United States and in its immortal
declaration of the rights of man as
against the assumed sdivine right
of Kings, princes, potautates and of
all others assuming the right to rule
by divine authority. In Europe, Asia
and Africa freedom had been hunted
until to reason was considered rebel
lion, and the slavery of fear had made
men afraid to think. So deeply root
ed were all the lvernments of the
old world and 50 thoroughly had the
antiquity of habit established itself
over the human mind that no begin
ming could be made to assert the
rights of man except upon the newly
discovered continent OF America.
In casting our eye over the world it
is not difficult to distinguish the gov
ernments which have arisen out Of
society and those which have not.
Those which have arisen out of the
social compact recognize the rights OF
man. All governments that the
world has known have arisen from one
or the other of the following sources.
First, Superstition.
Second, Usurpation, power.
: Third, The common interests of
society, and the rights OF man.
The first was a government OF
priestcraft with pretense Of being
found ID III divine right.
The second, a government of con-
qucrors through the medium of war
and conquest, the usurping ruler as.
sorting his divine right to rule the
subjugated people and provinces.
The third is a governments of reason
that recognizes the divine right O
une INDIVIDUAL man. -
In thee Of Superstition set OF
artfu men pretended through the
medium of oracles, to hold intercourse
with the diety as familiarly as they
now march up the back stairs in
European courts. and mankind was
governed by superstition. Whatever
the oracles were made to say was the
la~,and this 'rtof government lasted
as long as the superstition lasted
After these came rrce of lawgiyeFs
whose government was founded in
power and the sword assumed Tho
name of the sceptre. Government
thus established last as long as til,
~ power to maintain them lasts, blu
that the ones in authority mightayai
themselves of every engine in thei
favor they united fraud with fore
and set up the idol of divine right
Through this the christian religion
was twisted into another shape called
church and state and the key to heay
en- and to the treasury became quarter
ed in the same hands and the wonder
ing, cheated multitude worshiped til
invention.
In tracing governments to thei
origin we shall readily discover tina
they have arisen either out of th
people or over the people. If it ha
arisen out Of the people it will have
constitution defining and limiting ii
power, A constitution is not thin
in name only as in monarchical go,
ernments, but fact. 1t is antece
dent to government and the govern
ment is only its creation. 1t is nc
the act of the government but of tn
people constituting the government
It ignores the doctrine of the divir
right of rulers TEMPORAL or spiritura
and secures to eyerv individual perfe,
religious freedom, and every politic
right not inconsistent with the civ
and political right of his fellow man
1t is too late in the twentieth Gel
Jury for one man to assert the divin
Fiaht to rule over another an
he who attempts it is simpl
wasting his time in attempting to r
give doctrine SO repulsive.
"a