People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1895 — Restore to the People Their Vested Rights. [ARTICLE]

Restore to the People Their Vested Rights.

All men are declared to be free, equal and independent, and have inherent and inalienable rights; among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these ‘fights and the protection of property, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. This docrlne is In the constitutions of the states, but for some reason was not dneed in the constitution of -he United •states as above worded. But it is in the Declaration of Independence, and that has always been considered the fundamental law of all American government, and as such can not be treated lightly. The fundamental theory of government for the people is the Decaration of Independence. Under all •onstitutions the people are required o delegate their vested rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, md a consent to be goverened, to an igent called a representative. Then* two principles are inconsistent with u heory of self government. Beasous: Lhe powers to use the vested rights t<: life, liberty and the pursuit of happi nets and the consent to be governed are not such powers as are embraced in any correct principles of agency, for this reason: The use of thoee power? properly involve a process of individual study, reasoning, education, judgment It was intended that the individual should have a direct voice in his government, and his consent should be obtained as to the government of all* 7 his being true, the government for all would be the majority judgment of all as to the laws. A delegation of the use of those powers deprives the citizen of all incentive to take personal interest in his government. This takes away the desire to know on what principles his government is running. . The result is, the agent has the natural opportunity to create all monopolized by classes and they have gobbled up the citizens rights, his means of support—the free avenues of labor—and by class legislation the governing classes are running our government with a high hand against the interests of the masie-i. Bodies of free men are always opposed to class legislation. That’s one reason why bodies ought to pass directly upon the laws that shall govern them. would refuse to indorse "class doctrines,” but would indorse the doctrine of "the greater gopd to the greater number.” The state of Illinois has a population of nearly 4.000.00). The legislation is done by -04 agents. It’s'vote is more than a million. The vested rights of I,'XX),OOO men are placed at the absolute disposal of 204 agents with no instructions whatever. The educational features of the ballot box, which should be always foremost in the midst of a free people, are entirely eliminated from the principles of -»- f government, -it well may be the subject of careful investigation whether the ruthless power of the constitutions compelling the citizen to delegate Lh vested right to conseut to his form o government and to protect his right to lif.! and liberty is not the fundamental cause of the conditions of the country to-day.—Lucius 0. Wilson, Guno, 111.