Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1860-05-05
Lord Macaulay's Opinion Of the
United States Government.

The Southern Literary lTesSenger pub.
fishes the following letter, written by Lord
Macaulay to Hon. Henry S. Randall, of New
York. the biographer of Jefferson. 1t will
be observed that Macaulay, like most Eng
ilshmeD, has not very high opinion of the
Democratic system OF Government -
70 HENRY 8. RANDALL, ESQ.,, &c. &c.
HOLLY LopcE, KEysIYGrov, LoLpoy,1
May %, 1857.
Dear Sir: = X Yen are snr.
prised to learn that l have not high opinion
Of Mr.. Jefferson, and am little SURPRISED
at your surprise. l am certain that |
never wrote line, and that | never, in
Parliament, in conversation, or even on
the hustings,--a place where it is the
fashion to court the pulace-uttered word
| indicating an opinion that tho supreme au-
thority in State ought to be entrusted to
the majority Of citizens told by the head, in
other words, to the poorest and most gno.
rant part of society. have long been con.
vinced that institutions purely Demcratc
must, sooner or later, destroy liberty, or ciyi.
| lzation, or both.
In Europe, where the population is dense,
the effect Of such institutions would he almost
instaneous In lS4S q pure Democracy
was established there. During short time
there was reason to expect a general spoila-
tion, a national bankruptcy, o new partition
ol the soil, maxum of prices ruinous load
OF taxation laid on the rich for the purpose
OF supporting the poor in idleness. Such q
system would, in twenty years, have made
France as poor and barbarous as the France
OF the Carlovingians. Happily tho danger
was averted and now there is a despotism
a silent tribune, an enslaved press. Liberty
is gone civilization has been saved. | have
not the smallest donbt that, if we had q
purely Democratic Government here, the
elect would be the same Either the poor
would plunder the rich, and civilization would
perish; or order aud property would be
saved by strong military government, ond
liberty would perish.
| You may think that your country enioys
an exemption from these evils. will frank
ly own to you that | am of very different
| opinion. Your fate believe to be certain
though it is deferred by q physical cause
AS long as you have q boundess extent of
fertile and unoccupied land, your laboring
population OF the old world and, while that
IS the case, the Jetfersonian polity may con.
tnue to exist without causing any fatal
calamity. But the time will come when New
England will be as thickly peoped as Old
England. Wages will be as low. and will
huctuate as much with you as With US
You will have your Manchesters aud Bir.
minghaus and, in those Manchesters and
Birminghams, hundreds Of thousands of arti.
sans will assuredly be sometimes ont of work.
Then your institutions will be fairly brought
to the test. Distress everywhere makes the
laborer mutlnous and discoutented, and in
cines him to listen with eagerness to apita.
tors who tell him that it is a monstrous
iniquity that one man should have q million
while another cannot get q full meal. In
bad years there is plenty of grumbling here,
and sometimes little rioting. But it mat
tiers little. For here the sufferers are not
the rulers. The supreme power is in the
hands OF class, numerous indeed, but select,
Of an educated class, of class which is, and
knows itself to be, deeply intersed 10 the
security OF property and the maintenance of
order. Accordingly, the malconteuts are
hrmly, yet gently, restrained. The bad time
is got over without robbng the wealthy to
relieve the INDECENT. The springs of national
prosperity soon begin to flow again work is
plentiful wages rise and all is TRANQUILITY
and cheerfulness. ] have seen England PASS
three or four times through such critical
seasons as have described. Through such
seasons the United States will have TO pass
IN the course OF the next century, if not of
this. How will you pass through them? |
heartily wish you good deliverauce. But
my reason and my wishes are at war ; and |
cannot help fsreboding the worst. 1t is
quite plain that your government will never
be able to restrain distressed and discon.
tented majority. For with you the majority
is the government, and has the rich, who ara
always minority, absolutely at its mercy
he day will come when in the Stals of New !
York, a multitude of people, none of whom
has had more than half "a breakfast or ex. |
poets to have more than half q dinner. will |
choose legislature. Is it possible to doubt |
what sort Of legislature will be chosen On |
one side is a Statesman preaching patience,
respect for vested rights, strict observance |
OF public faith. On the other is q dema.
gogue, ranting about the tyrany of capitalists
and usurers, aud asking why anybody should
be permitted to drink champagne aud to ride
10 carriage, while thousands of honest folks
are in want Of necessaries. Which of the
Two candidates is likely to be preferred by
working man who hears his children cry for
more bread ! seriously apprehend that
lou WILL in some such season Of adversely as
have described, do things which will prevent
prosperity from returning that you will act
ike people who should, in year OF scarcity |
ievour oil the seed corn, and thus make the {
lext year year, not Of scarcity but of abso- |
ute famine. There will be, fear spoliation. I
The spoliation will increase the Distress
Tbe distress will produce fresh spoliation.-
Nhaza ia nNthlnQ IN stnD vOQ HOuF COUStl. o