Danger in the Dark - ZseZse

DANGER IN THE DARK. 131
"Stop now, my friend, and look at it dispassionately
for a moment: if legislative bodies, in this country,
once begin to infringe the inalienable rights of the
people, where will they find a stopping-place ~ Such
l\ law as you speak of, would be tyranny-and as soon
as enacted, open the door to despotism I"
"All reasonable men know, and will admit, that
individual rightS must sometimes be sacrificed for pub-
lic good: no considerate and virtuous citizen will at
any time hesitate to waive his individual rights,
where he sees that the same will be productive of
adequate public good. In the operations of society,
the greatest good to the grell.test number is the leading
aim. The governmental operations of society are
based upon the sacrifice of individual rights. To
assume that individual rights are infrangible, and
must not be yielded in any case, is to paralyze all
governmental action, and reduce us to the condition
of barbarism. In such a condition as that, the rights
of each individual are continually violated by the
laWless impulses of the unprincipled; and he is
liable to greater injuries and oppression from the
nnprincipled, who are always in the majority, than he'
would suffer from any form of organized government.
Then to protect our rights to life, liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness, all should be willing to surrender
a POrtion of their rights to organize a government in
order to preserve the remainder-which, without such
a Surrender can have no security."
"But come at once to the point: we want no long-
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