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CHARGE TO GRAND JURY. 481
Nations are, in respect to each other, in the same
situation as independent individuals in a state of
nature.
Suppose twenty families should be cast on an
island and after dividing it between them conclude to
remain unconnected with each other by any kind of
government, would it thence follow that there are
no laws to direct their conduct towards one another ?
Certainly not. Would not the laws of reason and
morality direct them to behave to each other with
respect, with justice, with benevolence, with good
faith—would not those laws direct them to abstain
from violence, to abstain from interfering in -their
respective domestic government and arrangements,
to abstain from causing quarrels and dissensions in
each other's families ? If they made treaties, would
they not be bound to observe them ? Or if by
consent. expressed or implied they gave occasion to
usages mutually convenient, would not those usages
grow into conventional laws ? The answer is
obvious.
In like manner the nations throughout the world
are like so many great families placed by Providence
on the earth, who having divided it between them,
remain perfectly distinct from and independent of
each other. Between them there is no judge but the
great Judge of all. They have a perfect right to
establish such governments and build such houses as
they prefer, and their neighbors have no right to pull
down either because not fashioned according to their
ideas of perfection ; in a word, one has no right to
Vol. Ill—31
| Title | The correspondence and public papers of John Jay - 3 |
| Creator | Jay, John |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Place of Publication | New York, London |
| Date | [1890-93] |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000516 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | CHARGE TO GRAND JURY. 481 Nations are, in respect to each other, in the same situation as independent individuals in a state of nature. Suppose twenty families should be cast on an island and after dividing it between them conclude to remain unconnected with each other by any kind of government, would it thence follow that there are no laws to direct their conduct towards one another ? Certainly not. Would not the laws of reason and morality direct them to behave to each other with respect, with justice, with benevolence, with good faith—would not those laws direct them to abstain from violence, to abstain from interfering in -their respective domestic government and arrangements, to abstain from causing quarrels and dissensions in each other's families ? If they made treaties, would they not be bound to observe them ? Or if by consent. expressed or implied they gave occasion to usages mutually convenient, would not those usages grow into conventional laws ? The answer is obvious. In like manner the nations throughout the world are like so many great families placed by Providence on the earth, who having divided it between them, remain perfectly distinct from and independent of each other. Between them there is no judge but the great Judge of all. They have a perfect right to establish such governments and build such houses as they prefer, and their neighbors have no right to pull down either because not fashioned according to their ideas of perfection ; in a word, one has no right to Vol. Ill—31 |
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