On the record
A power that can, of itself, and by its own authority, punish disobedience, can compel obedience and submission, and is above all responsibility for the character of its laws.
Said by
Lysander Spooner
Source
gutenberg.orgLysander Spooner: “A power that can, of itself, and by its own authority, punish disobedience, can compel obedience and submission, and is…”
Editor's note · Context
He argues that a power capable of punishing disobedience is inherently above accountability.
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More from Lysander Spooner
The will, or the pretended will, of the majority, is the last lurking place of tyranny at the present day.
It would be a solecism and absurdity in government to allow such consequences as these.
When two men meet one upon the highway, or in the wilderness, have they a right to dispose of his life, liberty, or property at their pleasure, simply because they are the more numerous party?
And nobody is bound to take the least notice of them, unless it be to trample them under foot, as usurpations.