Can anybody help me with this? Why does Edward Gibbon have this opinion? What does it mean?

How might a utilitarian person respond to the magistrate and the mob?

The battle of sabine pass is important because? a) it was a stalemate between union and confederate armies. b) it resulted in the largest confederate casualty in the war. c) it marks the failed attempt of the union army to invade the confederate state of texas. d) it was won by the union soldiers and marked a turning point in the western front of the war.

The current laws today protect the rights of people with disabilities.    a.  trueb.  false