Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-01-18
SDemOcPacy.J

"In every dictionary ever put forth, from
the era of the invention of letters down to
this year of grace 1859, and in whatever
tongue, from ancient Sanscrit to the latest
Aboriginal dialect which has been added to
tue number of written languages, the word
Democrat Implies one who upholds the right
of all men to voice in the government of
their country. while Democracy means the
rule of the whole people. either exercised
directly or through their freely chosen
representatives and functiOnaries. There are
few other terms so significant and important
which have meanings so clear. so settled, so
invariable as these. So, in every country but
this, these words uniformly used in the
ms which lexicOgraphers;unite in af1ixing to
m."-Ne,0 York Tribune.
Whatever the dictionaries may say, if the
Tribune will turn to writers of the widest
reputation and authority on Government,
Politics and kindred subjects, it will find
that the word Democracy, SO far from being
'uniformly" used in one ''clear, settled, and
invariable" sense, is often used in an
ambiguous sense and with different accepta-
tions. The term people" used in the
7ri6unes dictionary definition of Democracy,
ia itself one of varying Specification Some
times it signifies the whole nation, or society,
the populus, including all persons in the State,
from the highest to the lowest whether
governors or subjects, noble or ignoble, rich
or poor, young or old, male or female.
Sometimes it signifed the whole nation
with the exception of the persons composing
the government; or the governed as opposed
10 the governors"
Sometimes it signifies ''the party opposed
TO the aristOcratic party of the day, or the
popular party. Thus at the beginning of the
French Revolution, the tiers edt or all who
did not belong to the noblesse or clergy formed
the pe2Plr or popular party: at later period,
when the state of parties had greatly changed,
the poor. as opposed to the rich, were the
people or popular party"
In using the word people and community
in their widest political sense, we usually
mean all the members Of tie society, except
women and children that is, ouly the adult
males"-free adult males.
BY ",rhole people the Tribune, as the context
shows, designed 10 embrace the bond as well
As the free.
Now, As to slaves, the constant usage has I'M
qI'stIonably been TO exclude their numbers in
determining the question of aristocracy or
democracy; and to attend solely to the distri-
button of the sovereign power among the
eitizeHs, JreemeH or body polite. We make
this statement in the precise language, and
on the authority Of SIR GEORGE CoRSEwALL
LEWIS, the late learned Chancellor Of the
British Exchequer.-
what is curious" says JEREMY BEYTHAM,
sis. that the same persons who tell
you that democracy is form Of government
under which the supreme power is vested in
all the the members Of the State will also
tell you that the Athenian com nonwealth
was democracy. Now the truth is that in
the Athenian commonwealth upon the most
moderate computation, it is not one tenth
part Of the inhabitants of the Athenian state
that ever at any time partook Of the sovereign
power: women, children and slaves being
taken into the account"
At Athens. where every male citizen above
the age OF twenty, had a voice in the supreme
legislative assembly, the number of females,
old and young, and of males under twenty,
HipiI Allht VI tue
male governors; SO that after excluding half
. million of slaves. the Athenian democracy
vas in fact welded by an inconsiderable
minority even of the free population. Yet
Athens. all the dictionaries in the world TO
the contrary notwithstanding, has been. both
in ancient and in modern times, universally |
called Democracy! Mr.. BESrHAN seems to |
A. 10 l.. -
timony TO the fact of its being called aud re-
garded as Democracy, aud established usage |
GU this point eorroborates, If il needed any |
corroboration, the truth OF Sir G. C. LEwfs's |
statement above quoted, that the constant |
usage has unquessionably been to exclude
aristocraey or democracy.
All the dictionaries in the world therefore. |
have been most unaccoGntably and stupidity /
ut fault. IL they have. as the Tribune alleges,
defined Democracy 10 be FUN OF goyern-
rient In which 1.-THE whole people" rule--the |
whole people. inclusive OF slaves aud the
7iribaae itself is greatly and strangely at fanlf
as we have shown, in affirming that the word
Democracy has ''anifosmly" bad one clear.
settled and invlriahle meaning.
Properly SPEAKING Democracy signifies
form Of government In which all the male
adult eitizols, or freemen, have voice In the
sPreae iytsLase Gs,s"bly, and participate dsrsctly
cad IA person m the ereyeisSef tie soUosisn pouer.
Snch were, at ooe time, the governments Of
Athens, Rome. and many other Grecian and
italian States, rs well Is Of come Of the
Italian aud German cities in the middle agvs.
Mr.. HALi.As calls democracy ''ths ahso-
] tie government Of q majority"-that is.
majority Of the adult free males or citizens,
exercising directly the sovereign power. ABB
r"lute 10 must be, In the nature Of things, be-
use and Assse Of POlsied Terms. Psi !