Daily national Democrat., 1860-11-18
The Slight to Governor Banks.

The Slight TO Governor Banks.
The eastern papers are full of remarks and
observations upon the slight recently put
upon Gov Banks, of Massachusetts,, and la
dy, by the Ball Committee of the "Prince's
BALI at Boston. This committee was con-
s;ituted of Edward Everett, Mr.. Clapp and
some of the most "sold" men of the city. 1t
appears that, notwithstanding the Prince
danced with Mrs Banks in the ball room,
neither she nor the Governor were amcrg
the invited at the supper table of the Prince,
which was the "selectest' part of the per-
formance Mrs. Banks was worthy to dance
a quadrlle with the Prince, but not worthy
to eat with him. The Governor was worthy
of the honor Of having his wife danced with
by the Prince but not worthy of the privil-
ege of mastication in the royal presence. So
thought the committee, at least To make
amends for this slight the Duke of Newcas-
tie, who is the guardian, protector and di-
rector of the youthful innocence of the
Prince, invited Gov. Banks and others of his
class, to take trip with him to Portland
Gov, Banks, it seems, accepted the invita-
tion with alacrity, and went. lie would
have shown more dignity to have declined
the invitation and staid at home.
Well, there are various notions and opin-
ions about this receiving of the Prince. Our
own opinion is that he should in all respects
have been placed upon an equality with any
American gentleman worthy of the name
Upon the soil of America, the Prince of
Wales, or the Baron Renfrew was nothing
more nor less than q man. Whatever res
pect was paid to his position as a representa-
tive of the Government of England, should
have been paid without any concession upon
our part of the dignity of free born Ameri>
can sovereign. We should have shown him,
that while we paid him the courtesy, which
was due to a distinguished stranger, we yet
abated nothing of the character of an Amer
lean citizen. A slight, to the Governor of
sovereign State, by way of doing honor to
British Prince, was an insult TO the whole
American people. 1t was concession that
the Prince of Wales was something better
than the Governor of a State of this Union,
because that Governor sprang from the ranks
Of the people, and was not born to power
No such concession should ever be made
We acknowledge in this country no aristoc-
racy of birth. There are no privileged clas
ses. All are equal under the Constitution,
and the son of pauper may become the
President of the United States or the Gov
ernor Of State. We should teach foreign
Princes and potentates. that such is the char,
acter of our institutions both in theory and
practice, and such the sentiment of our peo-
pie.
We fear there is getting to be a weakness
in portion of our American society for imi.
tating the aristocracy of the Old World
Such an inclination indicates great folly
Unless we change the entire character of our
Republican institutions, we can never have
an Oristocracy, in the true sense of the word
in America Aristocratic distinctions are
built upon laws which divide society into
| certain classes. One class inherit and are
born to titles and property. They are q
privileged portion of the people. Another
class are also privileged, but in less de-
gree, having inferior titles and smaller es-
tates. There are the Dukes, the Earls, the
Barons, DC, &c, DC. All these distinctions
are contrary to the genius of our institutions
and we should be ashamed to recognize any
fictitious superiority which appertains to
them. If our men of intellect and cultiva-
tion, our Governors and Presidents are not
equal to Lords, Princes and Kings, simply
because the latter are born to titles, why,
then, We had better change our form of Gov.
ernment, and establish orders of nobility and
royalty. AS long, however, as we pretend
to glory in Republicanism-not black Repub-
licanism-let us maintain the dignity of
American citizenship, and acknowledge no
titled foreigner as in any degree the superior
of plain American citizen. We very much
fear that there has been a little toadying to
the Prince of Wales in his late visit to the
United States