East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1914-03-13

| that IL is menace to the pub
lie good, then upon the principles
of common law il has not a right to
live. If we found it to be an outlaw
and crime, then to license such
would be lawful lawlessness and a
legalized outlaw.
/. First. DR.. blackstone says.
| That law is a code OF civil action in
stituted by the supreme power of the
state, and commanding what is right
and prohibiting what Is wrong"
There are two things. ladies' and
gentlemen. in that statement which
wish to call your attention to. First.
that law is two-fold lin its nature. 1t
, must prohibit the wrong. but it can
not stop there. hence law would be
merely negative, but it must COM
mand the right Destruction OF the
one and construction for the other.
Another thing must be said about
law; it is instituted by the supreme
power of the state, the state which
alone is sovereign. In all the Ques-
tons of local option or local self gov
ernment aobut which the whisky men
make such great ado when whole
states are going dry they institute the
great argument of local elf-govern-
ment that the state has no authority
on this question. but the county must
settle it. But they are insincere in
ant when they speak. The county is
the child of the state. it's the creature
of the state, the state alone is sover-
eign. and federal government is the
creature of the state. and il local op-
ton and local self-government
in the country is good thing,
if the child should be sober
and abstain from the jamning
dangers of whisky the old dad
himself should set the good example.
And as the federal government is the
creature of the state, God speed the
day when the representatives at
Washington ask for our support that
they be made to declare and pledge
themselves on the question. looking
toward a prohibitory law forcing the
federal government to go out of the
liquor business. 1t isn't right for
Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North
y d.
God given right of franchise to drive
the liquor from her borders and then
let the government at large give the
right to ship into or across that state
the damnable stuff that has been vot-
ed out. The sovereign right is in the
state. and when she declares herself
that declaration should be respected by
all her creatures whether it be the
county or federal government. DR..
blackstone lays down principle num-
Der two
3 That government is without op-
ton in all matters of right and
wrong. The government must do
right She may have the right to fix
the penalty and choose the amount
OF penalty for the violation of her
laws. but she is entirely without op-
ton in matters of right and wrong. A
government must do right The great
teacher of Nazareth evidently had this
in mind when he said, BE loyal to the
power that are, for there are no
powers but those ordained of God"
He was not asking you to be loyal, to
a bad man in office, but to the office
and principles for which that office
stands. Government must do right
1t ceases to be civil government when
it fails at this point.
3. The third principle that DR..
Blackstone deals with is with the fact
that civil government is one who acts
in Gods stead. / use the illustration
of a governess. Suppose you were
sick and not able to control your fam
lily. your wife is in i'll health and must
travel. and you hire governess to
govern the family. Does she govern
in any way that suits her and teach
that family anything she may choose? =?
No. She governs in your stead. and
therefore will represent you in that
home and carry out your ideas and
your principles. AS civil government
acts in Gods stead. and God is right,
and must do right. SO civil govern
ment. the governess of the Almighty
must govern right.
4. The fourth principle. civil gov
ernment must safeguard and main
tain three pillars of civil government
az il civil government was grea,
reservoir resting on three mighty pill
lars. Dr. blackstone says, Morality
Religion and Education, these three
are the pillars upon which civil gov
ernment rest. Civil government can
not be immoral. The people to bt
governed must not be ignorant and as
civil government is Gods governess
to be a success. she must govern God.
ward, she must recognize the divine
sovereign, hence her religion. Now
we can see at glance, dear people
If these three pillars must be pro.
tected. civil government cannot allow
barnacles on the pillar. She canno
safeguard the pillars of civil govern
ment. and safeguard the enemies and
protect the enemies of civil govern
ment by the same law any more thar
you can raise rattle-snakes and babie.
in the same garden or the same house
at the same time.
6. The fifth principle from the per
, and brain and heart of the grea
blackstone now finds its proper ant
: logical place. legislature cannot bar
gain away the public peace. the pub
lie health. or public morals. neithe
can YOU, nor your agents" And a
civil government is Gods agent ant
is to serve God. and to serve the gov
erned. you and me, she cannot sci
out thing that I cannot sell out my
self. No man can sell his health. n
man can bargain away his peace ant
no man can trade off his morality
Now you see we came to the principle
~ la< nyl q %