Democratic banner., 1848-05-08

cannot be longer stationary in abuse, whist
reform is sweeping over Europe. Prudencs
and concession can alone prevent revoiu-
ton.
|. The Lond,n Chronicle uttefs The follow
ing sentiments-veiy different ffeia the
s%cornful language hitherto used towards
Republican America. Truly, Democracy
is progressing" and who .doessnot Joy IN
being a progressive" at this eventfvlpss
Rod? ,
We can easily imagine the. exultationef
triumph with which the news ODD month
will be received ON tiIe 0tlier S5des 81 the.
Atlantic. The proved hollownsss 16fsdess
potisms, the liberatienAof inteiEactsthe ms
jestic advance of young demotsaes-we
think we hear. already, the magnificent ney
RODS with which the American ~.scaacuss4P
are by this time ringing on such themes -
these, and TO which each successive msii
will give a louder and loftier tore. Nor
can it be denied that things look as though
the Philosophic vaticinations of Made Toc2
iqueville were about to be realized, dhdtfre
old world were going to learn a nes Polifi.
cal alphabet at the feet of her Transatlantic
offspring. The exiles whom the Europe
of the 18th and 18th centuries disinherited
as prodigal children, planted theft ideas in
a cOngenial soil, and the luxuriancs Of. their
growth is overshadowing and blighting tho
parent tree.
There is TO question, at any rate, as to
(which is the most powerful and prosper
Gus; and America may be allowed tostaks
full advantage of the popular tendency to
cry rde rictis, and shout with the winning
side. a
No doubt it is a good and valid arga.
ment, as far as it goes, against despotism,
that 1t appears to be in its nature evsnes-
cent, and to carry with it the seedsS Of it
own decay; the civilized world seenktos
have ou,grown it so gradually az 20 have
been unconscious of its own pr6eress; I'll,
at a touch from without, the mask FATS 4
and the whole pageantry of arbitrary
er, vanishing 'tlike the ba~seless fabrie Of
vision, leaves not a wreck behindiy.-s
Strength and stability are essentials to bs
considered in deciding on the respectise.
merits of different forms Of governments Rd
1t is useless to prove, on paper, that a GER
tain constitution is the best, il, as a matter
of fact, we find that it cannot stand alone,
when we attempt to realize it. Justnow,
the fact, that if the American people were
polled tomorrow, from the Rio Grande "a"
the St. Lawrence, every single individual
would vote for precisely the form Of gov
eminent which lie now possesses, is un-
doubtedly a strong argument in favor Of
that government.
Dropping, therefore, for the present, the
question between popular and arbitrary
principles Of government, which will not
Re stirred, at least for some time to come,
we wish to draw attention to another great
principle, which we think likely 10 be
brought prominently forward, and to exer-
else great influence principle the exem-
pliication of which, in the fullest extent,
we also owe to the Americans; we mean
the principle of federalism. The most In
portant improvement in the practice Of
modern constitutional countries, as COM
pared with ancient, is the introduction Of
the system of representation.
But it would seem that the idea which
representation embodies has as yet been but
partially and i~nadequately carried out in
Europe, and that we must look for its most
and consistent development to the
United States. We conceive that idea to
be the union of individual participation in
power with an effective combination of in.
dividual powers for common purposes in
technical phraseology, legislative
Capitalization with administrative localiSm.
There is at this moment a very evident
tendency, all over Europe, in two dire ctions,
opposite; to local self-govern-
ment, and to national unity. Thus Italy is
gathering under one name and banner her
estranged and provinciaIized children; the
scatterered and disunited States of Germa-
ny are craving earnestly for union; Poland
is uniting; Switzerland is uniting. 1t will
not, perhaps, be long before we see O Pan
nation constituted in the east Of
Europe. Yet none of these provinces
would like the idea of ceasing to manage
their own affairs, in order to secure
the safety and dignity Of a greater father
land. The question, then, for them to con-
slider. is whether BY an adoption of the
principle of federalism. their wants NAV