Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-07-10
AMERICAN AND BRITISH.


the fourth instant, in Boston, is one OF his best
productions. 1t is clear and convincing vim
dication of our American system OF elective
self-government. The English "Conserva-
tives," as they call themselves, and all others
IN Europe who favor such governments as
suppress popular influence and exalt dynasties
and aristocracies, never fail TO SANDER republic
can institutions when they have an opportu-
nifty. Their report is that republican nstitu-
tutions are failing in the United States, that
we are little better than disorderly mob,
in which violence reigns over law and
order, while corruption murders justice, and
popular sway makes regular and reliable gov
eminent impossible Mr.. Everett's Grafton is
in reply to something of this sort that was said
by Earl Grey in the British house OF lords.
Such things are said by tories and monarch
lists, not so much because they are believed, as
because they are held to be a good defense
against the influence of democratic ideas
Nevertheless, this Grafton would be very
wholesome reading for the ruling classes in
Great Britain.
monarchy in Great Britain would examine their
own political machinery with care, and subject
every part of it to the sharp scrutiny of COM
mon sense, their criticism of republican insti-
tuhons might become little more modest if
not more just. English elections are notori-
ously corrupt, thousand fold more so than
would be possible if the suffrage were nnivers-
al and yet, corrupt as they are, the elective
House of Commons is a far wiser and better
Legislative body than the hereditary House of
Lords. Intelligent Englisnmen know very
well that the growth of popular influence in
the kingdom has been attended by improve
ment in the administration of every de-
partment of the government This popular
influence makes it more and more impossible
for the English nation to have another Henry
the Eighth, or another Judge Jefries, or an
other Bloody Mary" 1t will at length be-
come supreme; and then many other things
will become impossible, most of which British
toryism would gladly make eternal.
Let us look for moment at the foremost
thing in the political system of Great Britain
In the politics of that county, it seems to be a
fundamental principle that no Englishman is
or can be fit to govern the kingdom. 1t is a
notable fact that the present sovereign of
Great Britain has not in her veins a
single drop of English blood nor of any other
blood native to the islands, save in some re-
mote way such that which connects her
with the blood of Noah. She is German
She belongs to the race of the Georges, who,
when first brought over from Hanover and in.
PRODUCED to the refined and proud aristocracy
OF England, were coarse, ignorant, filthy,
and not decently civilized. Queen Victoria
has refinement, and many private virtues,
which command respect. She is a good wom-
an, but she is not English. To match his Pc
culiarity of the British system, we should i'm
port some unwashed dignitary from Brazil or
Paraguay, and transform him into a sovereign
1t would be difficult to get less refine.
ment or less capacity than the English
found in their first George. Our importation
could not fail TO serve the purpose, for, in
making king or queen, after the English
pattern, nothing but alien blood is indispen.
sable; and, to have genuine dynasty" we
must have our sovereign and his descendants
very carefully intermarried with such foreign
ers as are most unlike ourselves. When we
adopt this method, the British people SHALL be
welcome to criticise it to their hearts content.
1t is very certain that common sense would
not consider it an improvement even if it were
a close imitation of the grand popularity of
our British cousins
Prince Albert, Queen Victorias respectable
husband, is, or or at any rate should be, a
rich political study for all Great Britain This
Albert is not a brilliant man. In fact, he is
rather stupid. 1t would be difficult to find
another man in Europe SO little English in his
sympathies and in the habit of his mind, or so
incabable of becoming English He would
make a first rate Austrian, and might find
himself comfortable among the Bourbons.
Therefore, we suppose, the English people re-
gard him as a very suitable person to be the
husband OF their queen. And Englishmen
who accept this arrangement as the highest
style in politics, have the face to utter super.
cilious criticism ON the institutions Of republi-
cansm. We call Prince Albert stupid, not
only because he lacks sharpness and briIlianey
of intellect, but because his persistent Austri-
anism is a stupidity, and because he seems in
capable of comprehending English institutions
and ideas. He seldom opens his mouth in
public without uttering some stupidity, espe-
cially when he touches politics
We republicans can see that such a royal
family is so great folly in politics, that a
greater one does not seem possible. How it
can be endured by intelligence and common
sense, we cannot conceive. With our simple
ideas we should as soon think of putting on the
FOOLS cap and bells, or of parading the streets
in the dress of merry andrews, as of advocat-
ing such folly We are republicans we have
an unbalanced democracy; !" we encourage
universal suffrage; we believe in the people
and terrify the old fogies Of monarchy by al
lowing everything in our political system
to feel the sway of popular influence; and
how can we estimate the value of royal
dynasty? Nobody in this country is aceus-
toned to overlook or underate the good there
is in Great Britain. There should be nobody
among us who can allow himself for moment
to feel that our ideas and our system are not
lmm,asurably superior to anything that is
hkely to prevail in that country during the
lifetime OF the present generation.
lHE PLEURo PNEuMoNIA.--The commits.
siohers, organized under the new law made an
oincial visit, last Saturday, to the infected