The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-06-07

explanation. Vested rights. to which
the nephew objects, explained and de-
Tended by the uncle.
BE that as it may, it is nothing to
our present purpose. The question re-
lates to the rights of the incumbent of
the office. Now that he is elected TO
fill that office, and during the term for
which he has been elected, has not
General Pierce certain vested rights
which no other man in the world has
certain exclusive rights, which during
that period no other man may claim or
exercise? If YOU say no, you deny his
exclusive right to officiate as president.
and deny all civil authority and ali
civil society, even democracy ITSELF
for democracy asserts the right of the
people to choose representatives to act
in their name and to clothe each of
them with certain special and eXclus-
i've powers. If you say yes, you must
cOncede class of rights not included
in the simple natural rights of man as
man, that is, civil rights, or, in gen.
eral terms, vested rights. Now, is there
freedom in any broad and adequate
sense of the term, where there is no
security for the free and full exercise
of these vested rights?
81. You know, my dear, uncle, that
we democrats are opposed TO your old
fogy doctrine of vested rights. 1t is
in the name of vested rights that ty-
rants reign, and all abuses are perpetu-
ated 1t is precisely against what are
called vested rights of kings and no.
bilities that we rebel, and have sworn
eternal hostility. 1t is in the name of
vested rights that the people are en-
shaved, that social progress is arrested,
reforms are resisted, and the noble and
the generous friends of the people are
martyred How many of our brothers,
free and noble spirits, who lived but to
emancipate the people, have fallen VIC
tins to this bloody Dagon of vested
rights! Their blood cries to us from
the ground to avenge them, and avenge
them we will, or die in the attempt
BE that as it may, it is nothing to
our present purpose. The question re-
lates to the rights OF the incumbent OF
the office Now that he is elected to
fill that office, and during the term for
which he has been elected, has not
General PIERCE certain vested rights
which no other man in the world has
certain exclusive rights, which, during
that period, no other man may claim
or exercise? If you say no, you deny
his exclusive right TO officiate as presi-
dent, and deny all civil authority, and
all civic society, even democracy itself;
for democracy asserts the right of the
people to choose representatives to act
in their name, and to clothe each of
them with certain special and exclusive
powers If you say yes, you must con-
cede a class of rights not included in
the simple natural rights of man as
man, that is. civil rights, or, in general
terms, vested rights. Now, is there
freedom in any broad and adequate
sense of the term, where there is no Sc
curity for the free and full exercise
of these vested rights ~
You know, my dear uncle, that swe
democrats are opposed to your old fogy
doctrine of vested rights. 1t is in the
name of vested rights that tyrants
reign, and all abuses are perpetuated.
1t is precisely against what are called
vested rights of kings and nobilities.
that we rebel, and have sworn eternal
hostility. 1t is in the name of vested
rights that the people are enslaved,
that social progress is arrested, reforms
are resisted, and the noble and the gem
erous friends of the people are mar
tyred. How many of our brotheN5, free
and noble spirits, who lived but to
emancipate the people, have fallen vic
Tins to this bloody Dagon of vested
rights! Their blood cries to us from
the ground to avenge them, and ayenge
them we will or die in the attempt"
"All very fine, my young revolution
list. But if these rights really are
rights, is it not they who assert and
maintain them that war against the
liberty, but you who deny and seek to
destroy them. 1 understand by liberty
the secure possession and enjoyment by
every man of all his rights whether
natural or civil, and / look upon the
man who seeks to rob me of my vested
rights whether he do it in the name
of liberty or any other name, as a ty-
rant and deserter inkYke.- EFF, faoNvb
rant and despot in heart and in deed.
You are mistaken, my dear Dick, when
you say that it is in the name of
vested rights, that tyrants reign, for a
tyrant is, by the very force of the word
itself, one who has no vested right to
reign, and one who exercises the SUI
preme power in the city or state in OPP
position to vested rights. Tyrant, as
the word is now used, means literally
uSurper, one who deprives others of
their vested rights, and reigns without
any vested rights to reign. It is pre-
cisely this fact that has rendered this
word universally odious. You revolu-
tionists are laboring to annihilate all
vested rights, and against all such
rights to grasp and WELD the supreme
power of the state, and you are conse-
quently tyrants in the present strict
and proper sense of the word | can
not agree with you any more when you
say that in the name of vested rights
the people are enslaved, for it is no
slavery to be debarred from robbing
the state or individuals of their rights
But your pretended vested rights
are merely usurpations, and in com
polling those who hold them to aban-
don them, we do them no wrong, and
are laboring only to restore the just
and legitimate order of things"
These vested rights are not usurped,
unless they have been illegally as
sumed, or are in their nature contrary
to the natural law. They are held by
authority of civil society, and are not
assumed in contravention of the civil
law, and they are not contrary to the
natural law, unless they violate some
natural right of man, or some precept
of the law of God. What precept of
that law do they violate? To what
natural right of man as man are they
They are repugnant to the natural
rights of equality"
I am not aware of any such natural
right. All men have certain equal
rights, for all are equally men; but it
does not follow from that fact, that
all have natural right to equality in
all things. Even you yourself would
shrink from so gross an absurdity, you
do not pretend that all men have an
equal right to be of the same height,
and that those who are below a certain
standard must be stretched and, those
who rise above it must be chopped off. /"
IF it were so, your head would be
in danger. Neither can you pretend
that all have a natural right to equal
ity of intellect or genuine All have
an equal natural right to property, but
not, therefore, to equal property. All