The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-10-03
CONVERSATION XII.

and founded in robbery and violence
Theocratic government. then, must be
the only rightful. legitimate, or just
government. But how can we assert
this without denying the great polit-
zeal doctrine of the modern world,
namely the sovereignty of the people,
, and therefore the legitimacy of the po-
litical institutions of this country,
which are professedly founded on that
doctrine? The sovereignty of the peo-
pie, as explained by the most accred-
tied organs of the Democratic party,
asserts that the people. or a majority
OF them. are in their own native migh1
and right the sovereign. So wrote Mr.
O'SuliVan some years since in th,
Democratic Review, and this appears
to be alike the doctrine of the Amerl-
can Democrats and of the European
Liberals Mazzini and his followers
speak of the people not only as people
King or King people, as Virgil called
the Romans. but also as PEO-
PLE-GOD, and go so far as to claiin
for them the absolute and exclusive
authority even in matters of religion.
dogma, discipline and worship. Gan
il be pretended that this doctrine IS
COMPATIBLE with theocracy. or the alb
solute dominion of God, founded on MS
creative act?'
Certainly not" replied Winslow'
"and therefore l regard democracy as
only another name for pantheism or
atheism; AN illuminated hell, as
Fisher Ames called it" :,
1T certainly, wherever it has had
sway. has justified the strong eX-
preston of that most eloquent and en-
lightened of American orators, salu
De Bonneville. It's very essence is 10
make war on the throne and the altar;
l cordially endorse all that can be salC
against democracy, and am the ias'
man in the world to assert that olas-
phemy, the sovereignty OF the peo-
pie"
THE sovereignty of the people. IT
the sense alleged" remarked Diefen-
bach. no Christian, and. indeed. no
philosopher. till his brain is added
can assert. 1t is atheism and bias
phemy. But God, having created man
with an active nature, as cause III
the order of second causes, can deie-
cate to him authority, and can, II ne
chooses. delegate the political power
to the people collectively as well as TO
the king or the nobility; and II you
Only understand that the people holo
their power as a trust from Goa, lhe!
is no more blasphemy or atheism ~
calling the peOplG liloH iit SSAAAA-S
king or nobility sovereign.
Il am" said Father John. mo dem
ocrat in the popular sense of the word
bIt 7 see no incompatibility between
theocracy and the real principles or
constitution of the American state. Inc
assertion of theocracy does not exclude
human governments, in the sense VI
delegated or divinely commissioned
eovernments. any more than the power
given to an agent denies or excludes
fine mower of the principal The SOW
ereigntv of the people, when asserted
AGAINST the sovereignty of Coo, Is dthe-
ism. pantheism. blasphemy; but When
asserted only against the sovereignty
of the king or the nobility, as II was
bv those who first asserted it, and aiso
by the fathers Of the American Iepup
lie. ii is nothing that may not pe
rigbtfuIIv asserted and defended.
then means simply that the politlcal
power delegated by the divine soVer
eign vests in the people or the body OF
the nation, and that kings and nobln-
ties hold from and are accountable -
the nation. 1t Identifies the state anu
tbe nation. denies that the king is the
state. and regards him simply as the
first magistrate of the nation, and JUS
tifable by it. If he abuses his ONCE
perverts it to base and selhsh enus'
enslaves and Expresses the people tte
alton on this supposition has the rishI
tn depose and punish him, as the Eng
lish nation did Charles / and the
French nation did Louis xvi
Il do not" said De Bonneville, 'ac-
cent the doctrine that kings hold from
the people and are justiciable by them
for l hold with Louis XVI that the
king is the state, not simply its hrst
ma gistrate and I could not explain
the conservation of our ancient French
kings with holy OIL if | d1d not. But
# is not theocracy in that it asserts
the dominion of God and that all pow
or is derived from him-for that every
Christian does and must hold-but the-
ocracy in that it vests the sovereignty
IN temporals as well as in splrituals'
in the priesthood, who claim to be the
exclusive oracles of God, and to nave
the divine sanction for whatever they
that the world has very
generally agreed to regard with horror,
and to repulse as a tyranny which
brushes at once both soul and body.
ut would seem. then" said Wins
low. that it is hierocracy rather than
theocracy that is so odious to the
world. But the priestly government IS
held to be odious because it processes
n govern in the name of God. who only
,afh dominion. So the odium. after
al really attaches to theocracy. In |
point of fact, priestly governments are
as odious because they assert
he divine dominion. and the sacred |
ness of power, thus making obedience |
, matter of conscience, and because !
hey aim to govern in reference 10
,nirituaI and eternal rather than in |
,oral good-the very things which !
,hould make them loved and respected! |
2ut God is sovereign, and may delegate |
,ower to whom he pleaSeS; and If he !
chooses to delegate it to the priest |
rood and thus establish a hierocracy, !
What right have you or | to OBJECT! |
Has he not the right to do what he |
yill with his own?"
sThere is no doubt said O'Connor, !
that as a matter of fact the world |
cry generally holds sacerdotal gov
in temporal affairs to be the !
worst governments possible. The world. !
ppealing to the ancient priesthoods
+ Egypt, Syria, Assyria, Phoenicia,
zaul and Brittany, Mexico at the time
# its discovery by the Spaniards, and
q modern India. Thibet, Tartary and |
apan, in justification alleges that
hese governments are opposeu W %
ial welI-being and national prosper
tv: that they oppose the progress of
cience and the diffusion of intelli
-ence. keep the people in ignorance
nd welded to routine. repress all free
hought. and all original development !
f genius, debase and besot the people
nth superstition, and enervate their
cry souls by an all-pervading, vigil
nj and inexorable despotism."
..Tbose were or are heather priest
Goods" answered Winslow, "and it is
of lawful to conclude from them what
re or must be the influences of the
RE Christian hierarchy. Yet even IT
- nn+inns nnentinned do not find