New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-12-30
$1,000. eS Government upsn the LaSsriss

l,suesee Of Gsvernncnt upsn the Lassr"s
Classes.
~ HON. JOHN A. DIE.
The second of the course Of lectures before
ne Nechsnics' Institute, was delivered on TUESDAY
pieht b. Hon. yoHS A. DIX, his theme being "1ne In
auence of Government upon the Labor'ns Ciasses'
The lecturer commenced by stating that the spirit of
e,seryrise and activity by which the present age was
dstineuhhed had tended greatly TO the development
Of art and had conducedt 70 the spread OF csnzanon
Everything was now done with scduous haste and IN
dustriously performed; railways and cities had been
begun and 6uished In comparatively shorperiod and
the ocean too bad been made obedient as well as the
land and by Of both trade and commerce, four
ished The telegraph wres-stnngs stteuuated tina,
thew could scarcely be percevedhad contributed to
form this distinguishing feature of the age and convey
ed with the rspdy of lightning, Joy, and intel
hgence on every subject, whether Government or
social news and that al these served to develop the
mind, and added a. well to our intelligence as
our Injuries The social condition of could
not rest In its present state and under such cir
custspces II not progressive there must be reaction
Whether this spirit win be retrograde or progressive
depends not on government but the principles on
which government is founded and in these principles
being carried out In proper spirit as political princi-
plos VIII have mighty influence on social action The
extension of the representative system the abolition OF
the laws Of prmogeniturc the granting Of franchises
70 corporate bodies on fixed and certain conditions,
and special laws not by voluntary grant or exclusive
privileges and then TO bring the social az near to the
political syacm as possible. By the abolition OF all
privileges and excusvepess in social and political re-
lations an classes would assmilate and be drawn
closer TO each other, and al would work with more
harmony in their proper sphere. No Government had
come near this but our own and although he (G.n.
Dix) did not want to draw any comparison which
would be thought indecenty TO reflect any form of
Government yet those which professed to have the in
tereet of mankind most at heart by protesting to act in
the of liberty had done very little to benefit the
industrial classes, who were the majority Of mankind.
To begin with ancient governments. In Greece
the people were in a great measure excluded
from the administration of public affairs, which
was mostly in the hands of the rich. In Rome
the poor were more degraded. The people were not
allowed to fill any office of trust honor, and from
any direct participation in the administrative functions
Of the government they were entirely excluded. All
this was in hands oil privileged class, and among
them were the Offices divided Industry was indeed
looked on then with contempt and any Of the cangs
connected with 1t were for the most part exercised by
strangers To this may be chiefly traced the
reasons why the latter became subject to tyranny and
the former fell under the rule of strangers In this
they differed from own Government, for here the
great body of the people all subjects and
become candidates for any Office for there is here no
exclusive Glass; with eny peculiar distinct privileges
nor NO grades Of classes to distinguish social sys
tenn. After the destruction OF Rome came the feldal
system and it is hard to conceive any form Of govern
ment more opposed to the welbeing OF the masses
than this was. From it sprung the system OF cent -
isstion which, however wrong 1t may be in ITSELF yet
in this done some service, as through it the
free towns and boroughs were called into exist
ence, which were the first great step toward the
enfranchisement of modern Europe from the en-
cessive tyranny under which it groaned. no.
biity class with large possessessions and exclusive
privileges existed all the European countries and
this prevented any extension Of liberty the greaboty
Of the inhabitants, any consideration in the State
Even In Great Britain, whore the people enjoyed
greater measure Of liberty than in any other country in
Europe, the proportion Of those who entitled to
vote for Representatives for their Legislative Assem-
bhes, very uihing being scarcely two hundred
thousand to twenty millions of inhabitants, and then
for members of one branch Of their Legislature only,
viz: the House of Commons In Russia the people
were of no confederation at ALL they mere slaves
-serfs attached to the property and bought and sold
with the land Notwithstanding all these dsadvan-
taees the progress of human liberty has made great
bound in Europe within the last six years, and that
though they had returned to the old system, yet a
something remained which would yet work in the right
direction. Freedom has been overhrown aud the alb
soute will Of usurper had been established in its
stead and thus had every vestigc Of Constitutional lib
crty been destroyed
This might extraordinary particularly
In Francc where the number Of landed propretors in
proportion to the inhabitants was far larger than in
Great Britain liberty considered to flourish best
where such description ofprorety was in the hands of
the greatest number Of persons. Arthur Young, him.
sefan Englshman remarked this great disparity and,
though late events In France would seem TO overturn
what wac considered axiom Of liberty, yet 1t only
taught that not tc the land the SOIL in its
being distributed In one or any way or perhaps even
to education alone that they to look for real lib
erty, but TO the spread Of true principles ard the
knowledge Of selfeovernment. II certainly very
Encouraging to all lovers Of freedom to all their
hopes thus ovcrthrown by the late usarpaton
and which by the vote of the country assumed the shape
Of authorized power 1t fact that far greater
number Of the French people gave their SURFACES for
the Empire than there did for constitutional Presi
dent. This is the first instance that ever had been
known ola great people having voluntarily surrendered
their liberty and renowned their freedom to the ire
sponsble win fusurped authority And this surrender
oftheir liberty by the French people must be looked
on vote against free discussion for the yrant had but
just by an arbitrary decree suppressed less than
seventy Journals, which opposed the courschc
was pursuing l do NOT, however condemn the French
people for th Their conduct IL 20 be attributed to the
school In which they were educated endt that system
OF civilization under which proper appreciation of
liberty Is unattsnable This ought to induce to ap
S.eciae the more our own mode of local Government
and we should respect and support the General Gov
eminent but yet confne it to It's proper center 10
this wreck of liberty there is consolation left,he
doctrine of the divine light Of kings has been re-
pudised and the right Of the people to choose their
own rulers maintained but how far the people viii be
able time hereafter hi. rirbt s