THE GOVERNING AND THE GOVERNED.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 27, 21 October 1843, Page 2

THE GOVERNING AND THE GOVERNED.

This appears to us to be a subject upon which a good deal of misapprehension exists in this colony at least. Neither of these parties seem thoroughly to understand their relation towards one another, and from this have most likely arisen many of those unhappy circumstances which have engendered so much ill-will and bad feeling on both sides. The governing and the governed are under certain mutual obligations, and have certain duties to discharge towards one another ; each has its own proper sphere and proper place in tho social system, and if either the one or the other, or both misapprehend the nature of their duties, and walk out of their place ; confusion, disagreement, and displeasure, inevitably follow. It is not in the nature of things that it should be otherwise ; and if, us is likely to have been the case in this colony, both parties mistake their proper relation, still greater confusion, even mischief and ruin to the community at large, [ will be the result. What then are the. rela- \ tions of the governing and the governed, and what are the duties which they owe one to the other? Tho principles of political economy, as well as those of social happiness, are generally speaking, little known to the governing, and .as little understood or appreciated by the governed. The former too frequently find themselves from circumstances, placed in situations for which they have no -previous education, and which they are in consequence incompetent to fill with comfort to themselves, or with satisfaction to the community. The governed on the other hand, discover many' changes, errors, and faults, which are perhaps more to be attributed to altered circumstances than to any mistakes on the part of those who are in authority ; but from their incompetent knowledge of social Government, all evils are imputed to their rulers. But while the people may in this respect labour under a mistake in both blaming too much, as well as in expecting too much from those to whom the Government is committed ; it must nevertheless be acknowledged that in the majority of cases, the rulers are in reality at fault, and have either ignorantly neglected, or willfully sacrificed the interests of those whom they govern. The duties and relations of both parties will, however, bo easily discovered, and easily understood, if we attend to the origin and cause of any system of Government. We can suppose a state of things anterior to any form of social Government whatever, when every man was his own master, perfectly free to act in every respect as suited his own taste, inclination, or judgement ; living under no form of external restraint ; but still, even in this most perfect state of apparent unre

straint, man is iii reality under the influence of a Government and laws, as unsafe to oppose and more difficult to break, than those which society imposes upon its members : he is under the laws and Government of his own nature, which imperatively require of him the most perfect, and the most implicit obedience. An obedience which it is incompatible with his safety, comfort, or happiness, to refuse or to deny. The more cheerful, and the more perfect the obedience to these laws, the greater will be the amount of happiness which will always be in proportion ; and provided the economy of the individual is sound and natural, the requirement will never exceed the natural ability of complying with it. But when the natural laws of a sane constitution are supplanted by others, generated by disease or derangement of the system, then it will be as unwise and unsafe to comply with their requirements, or to satisfy their unnatural demands, as it was in the other case, safe, prudent, and necessary. , ! ■If we apply these simple principles to society or social Government, we shall be enabled satisfactorily to arrive at the answer to the question proposed above. In the individual case, the laws are leftto their own simple operation, under the guidance of the intellect. In the social system, men agree to depute their regulation to a select few, • who come, under obligation to society to use the trust thus reposed in them for the general good. These rulers become | bound to take the natural laws of the individual as the model after which to frame the system which shall regulate the society. Self-preservation is one of the individual ( laws ; it is in extended sense, made applicable to the condition and requirements of society. The natural instinct to avoid dan- ' ger to life is precisely the same as the wise providence of the legislator in establishing an army to guard against a foreign attack, or a police to preserve internal peace. The instinct of hunger, which requires that due ! care should be taken to provide a sufficient supply of food for appeasing this appetite, and preserving thereby the life of the individual, is represented on a larger scale by the wisdom of the legislator in regulating the best method of unfolding the resources of the country, in order to insure a due supply of food to the community ; and as it would be unreasonable for the individual to quarrel with the law of his nature, which made him to feel afraid at the approach of danger, so as to induce him to preserve his life ; or with the feeling of hunger, which compelled him to seek food, for the purpose lof continuing his existence ; so would it be unwise on the part of the community to quarrel with their legislators, while the laws they enacted and enforced, had the same tendency as far as the community were concerned, and if the community should refuse to obey these laws, they would as certainly destroy their own safety, comfort, and happiness, as the individual would by opposing the healthy and reasonable laws of his own constitution. But while it is possible that the healthy and lawful requirements of our nature may be supplanted by vicious and unhealthy desires, which it would be unsafe to obey or to gratify, so likewise it is possible that those to whom we entrust the Government of the social system may, from various unhappy circumstances, supplant the rational and legitimate laws for the preservation and wellbeing of the community, by laws and requirements, obedience to which would entail danger and misery upon, the people; and if in the one case, it were natural and proper for the individual to oppose and to overcome the unhealthy and pernicious lusts which usurped the place of the simple and proper laws of his nature, so also, is it right for society to oppose, and to get rid of their rulers when they discover that they are abusing their trust by imposing upon the people laws, the tendency of which is to destroy their lives, comfort, peace and happiness. It is clearly evident then, that the duty of the Rulers and Governors is to enact such laws, and such laws alone as tend to the preservation j of the life, and to the advancement of the ' Jargest possible amount of comfort and happiness, as far as those they govern are concerned. The instant they forget this object, and attempt to enforce laws that have a contrary tendency, they abuse the trust reposed in them, and cease to have any further claim upon.the obedience or respect of those they govern, and deserve to be deprived of the trust and power bestowed upon them. On the other hand, the people are bound to support and countenance their rulers, while they attend to the legitimate objects of the trust deputed to them. They are bound to obey their laws, and they are criminal if they factiously oppose them. But if the rulers should by any means forget their duty to the people, and seek to substitute laws which have a contrary tendency, then are the people most unquestion-

ably to blame if they submit. In this case, it will be a tyranny and a slavery, and both will be wrong. Our readers will doubtless demand a still further application of these principles, perhaps they will require us to justify our own opposition to the Government of this colony in accordance with them ; and that is precisely the object we had in view. But we must in the first place state, that there is an anomaly in the case of New Zealand, which will not permit of our exactly applying these principles to it. New Zealand is neither a well-regulated, nor a natural Government inasmuch as the rulers have, and exercise their power and authority independent, and in spite of the people. Our Government is in its very nature a hateful tyranny or despotism ; the power or the authority has never been by us deputed to our rulers ; and the obedience must in that case be exacted from us, not voluntarily given by us ; we cannot help ourselves, the unnatural lusts hold us captive. Viewing our Government in this light, we have no obedience to give from any natural claim which the Government can have upon us. We have never deputed any of our natural rights or privileges to the Government of this colony ; they are all usurped, taken from us whether we would or not. We are in truth slaves, as much so, in principle at least, as any of the subjects of the King of Timbuctoo, or any other African or Eastern despot. But to arrive at something like the proper line of duty, let us forget our absolute slavery, and suppose ourselves free-men ; with our free-will deputing our authority to Mr. Shortland, or any other head of the Government. We are in that case, and even as it is bound to obey his laws, and to assist him in executing the same, so long as they are in accordance with the safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people. But we have been opposed to Mr. Shortland because his Government had not this tendency ; and we may perhaps be opposed to his successor on the same principle. We had no desire whatever to oppose even Mr. Shortland, had he manifested any desire to promote the general good, we should have cheerfully assisted him. We would even now do so, could we perceive that he deserved it. As men, we care nothing about him, or any other Governor ; if they act by the principles we have laid down, we are ready to support and to promote their views. If they are opposed to these views, we are opposed to them. We are fully aware of the great evil which must necessarily ensue when the rulers and the ruled are opposed to one another. We have regretted the existence of this evil in j our own colony, but we could not change our rulers, we could not teach our senators wisdom, but they have been punished for their folly, and we trust that those who succeed them will profit even by their suffering. We have had no pleasure in the pain necessarily inflicted on Captain Hobson and Mr. Shortland. We could not help the probing of the wound, it existed independent of us ; we merely endeavoured to heal it by the occasional application of the cautery. We trust the new Governor will be of a more healthy constitution ; we shall in that case have less pain to inflict. If he seeks to promote the good of the colony, we shall heartily lend him our aid. We hope he will — our labour will then be pleasant and light. We love not to expose the faults of men, though we have often been accused innocently of indulging in this malicious pleasure. J