self-government, political control

home rule

self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle or rule

taken for granted

to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely

broadcast, trumpet

a warning or caution to prevent misunderstandings or discourage behavior

admonition, word to the wise

fair, just, embodying pronciples of justice

right, reasonable, evenhanded

to free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effore

disentangle, extract, disengage

to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts

pilfer, purloin, swipe

to mock, treat with contempt

scoff at, sneer at, snicker at, scorn

tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable

 refractory, recalcitrant, peevish

a rule of conduct or action

principle, maxim

beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome

salubrious, curative

bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm

searing, harsh, ferocious, savage

to whip, punish severly; a cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism

flog, beat; bane, plague, pestilence

funereal, typical of the tomb;  extremely gloomy or dismal

doleful, lugubrious, mortuary

tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; something that induces sleep

narcotic, anesthetic

extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, puritanical

highly conventional, overly strict, stuffy

lasting only a short time, fleeting; one who stays only a short time

impermanent, ephemeral, evanscent

not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity

cumbersome, bulky, clumsy, impractical

dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in shaprness, flavor, liveliness, or force

insipid, lifeless, colorless