Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1860-03-23
southern Literary Messenger.


Sept. 8, 1889.
southern Literary Messenger.
The number Of this MAJ eof March
comes to Us filled with the most interesting
matter. This number of the Messenger is.
we think, decidedly the mostinterestfng which
has been issued for a leng time. The let
ter of Lord Macaulay to Mr. Randall, EN-
bodyiug the distinguished essayist's views
On our government, and for the first time
given to the public, is sufficient, Of its I, to
invest the March number of the Messenger
with peculiar interest to the American read
er.
However much we may dissent g. "a Mr.
Macaulsy's idea Of the instabilit ,our
governmental policy, aud Of its destl1 fail
ure, yet the views Of SC profound 4anker
are entitled to the careful consideration sof
the American statesman. The gist Of Lord
Macaulay g argument is contained in the fol-
lowing extract: I'd:
"You may think that your country en-
Joys an exemption from these evils will
frankly own to you that | am of very diff
ferent opinion. Your fate believe to be
certain, though it is deferred by physical
cause. AS long as you have a boundless
extent Of fertile and unoccupied land, your
laboring population will be far more at ease
than the laboring population of the old
world; and, while that is the case, the JEFF
fsrsonian polity may continue to exist with
out causing any fatal calamity But the
time will come when New England will be
as thickly peopled as Old England. Wages
will be as low, and will fuctuate as much
with you as with US. You will have your
Manchesters and Birminghams and, in
those Manchesters and Birminghams, hum
dreds of thousands of artisans will assured
ly be sometimes out of work. Then your
institutions will be fairly brought to the test.
Distress everywhere makes the laborer mu-
tinous and disconnected, and inclines him
to listen with eagerness to agitators who tell
him that it is monstrous iniquity that one
man should have a million while another
caupot get full meal. Iu bad years there
is plenty of grumbling here, and sometimes
q rioting. But it matters little. For here
the sufferers are not the rulers. The su-
nramc power is in the hands of class, nu-
merous indeed, but select, Of an educated
class, of a class which is, and knows itself
to be, deeply interested in the security Of
property and the maintenance of order
Accordingly, the malcontsnts are firmly,
vet gently restrained. The bad TING is got
over without robbing the wealthy to relieve
the INDECENT The springs of national pros
perity 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 criti-
cal seasons as I 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 deliver
ance. But ray reason and my wishes are
at war; and cannot help foreboding the
worst 1t is quite plain that your govern
ment will never be able to restrain dis
tressed and disconnected majority. For with
you the majority is the government and has
the rich. who are always minority, abso-
lutely at it's mercy. Tbe day will come,
when, in the State of New York, multi
tude Of people, none Of whom has had more
than half breakfast, or expects to have more
than half dinner, will choose Legisla-
ture. Is it possible to doubt what sort of a
Legislature will be chosen? On one side
is a statesman preaching patience, respect
for vested rights, strict observance of pub
lie faith On the other is demagogue
ranting about the tyranny of capitalists and
usurers, and asking why anybody should
be permitted to drink champagne and to ride
in carriage, while thousands of honest
folks are in want of necessaries. Which OF
the two candidates is likely to be PREFER.
ed by working man who hears his children
cry for more bread? seriously apprehend
that you will, in some such season Of adver.
sity az have described. do things which
will prevent prosperity from returning that
you will act like people who should, in a
year Of scarcity, devour all the seed corn,
and thus make tie next year year, not oil
scarcity, but of absolute famine There
will be, fear, spoliation. The spoliation
will increase the distress. The distress will
produce fresh spoliatior There is nothing
to stop you. Your constitution is all sal
ami no anchor. As said before. wher
society has entered on this downward prog
rsss, either civilization Or liberty must per
ish. Either some Cesar or Napoleon viii
seize the rcins Of government with a strong
hand. or yoar republic will be as fearfully
plundered and laid waste BY barbarians il
A. twentieth century. as tie Repan En-