Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-03-28
1ACAULEy ON DEMOCRACY,
urious Letter from Lord Macauley o,
AmsStSan Institutions and Prospects

'urious Letter from Lord Macauley on
: mss,can Institutions and Prospects.
[Frem the Southern Literary Messenger
The following letter, which we have been
permitted to present to the American people.
IA the pages of the Messenger, belongs to an
occasional correspondence, of some years
standing, between Lord Macauley and Hon.
Henry S. Randall, of New York, author of the
Life Of Jefferson:
HOLLY LODGE, kezsington, London,
May %, 1857.
HENRY s. RS.DALL, ESQ: Dear Sir-You
are surprised to learn that have not a high
Vftninn u Mr. Jefferson, and am surprised at
your surprise. L am certain that never wrote
lne and that never, in Parliament, in con.
'ersation, or even on the hustings-a place
Nhere IL Is the fashion to court the populace-
ever uttered a word indicating an opinion that
the supreme authority in n State ought to be
tntrusted TO the majority of citizens told by
the head; In other words, to the poorest and
most 1gnorant part Of society. | have long
been convinced that institutions pure 1y demo-
cratle must, sooner or later, destroy liberty. or
civilization, or both -
In Europe, where the population is dense
fhe effect or such institutions would be almost
inStanti nous. What happened lately in France
Is an example. In lSiS pure Democracy was
established there. During a short time there
6as reason TO expect a general spoliation. a
national bankruptcy, new partition of the
s,Ii, maximum Of prices, q ruinous load of
taxation laid on the rich for the purpose of
supporting the poor in idleness Such a sys-
ten would, in twenty years. have made France
a poor and barbarOG. as France of the Car
loInglans. Happily the danger was averted;
and now there Is a despOtism, a silent tribune
an cnslaved Press Liberty is gone; but civil
'zation has been saved. have not the small
est doubt tsat, if We had purely Democratic
government kese, the effect would be the same
Either tie poor would plunder the rich, and
oivi;,saton would perish; or order and prop
erty would be saved by a strong military gov
ernment, and Liberty would perish.
You may think that your country enjoys an ex-
emptiOn from these evils. will frankly own to
you that ain Of very different opinion Your
tate believe is certain, though it is deferred by
physical cause. As long rs you have bound
less extent Of fertile and unoccupied land your
ido9ring population will be far more at ease
than the labOrIng population of the Old World;
"nd, while that Is the case, Jefersonian policy
may continue to exist without causing any
fa:al calamity. But the time will come when
New England will be thickly peopled as
Old England Wages will be as low, and will
ucuate as much with you as with US You
will have your Manchesters and BirminQhams:
aud, in those Manchesters and BirminSbams
hundreds Of thousands of srtizans will as.
snredly be sometimes out of work Then YOUR
institutions will be fairly brought to the test
Distress everywhere makes the laborer mu-
;inous and di>cOGtentcd, and inclines him to
listen with eagerness to agitators who tell him
that 1t Is monStrOus iniquity that one man
should have a million while another cannot
have a full meal. In bad years there is plenty
"a gambling here, and Sometimes little riot
ing. But 1t matters little, for here the suffer-
ers are not the rulers. The supreme power is
In the hands OF class, numerous 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
vt order Accordingly, the malcontents are
firmly, yet gently restrained. The bad time
is got over without robbing the wealthy to re-
iieve the INDECENT. The springs of national
prosperity soon begin to flow again; work is
PLENTIFUL wages rise, and all is tranquility and
cheerfulness. L 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 ? 1 heartily wish YOU a
good deliverance. But my reason and nv
wishes are at court, and cannot help fore
hoding the worst. 1t is quite plain that
yeur Government will never be able to re-
strain distressed and discontented majority
For with you the majority is the Govern
inenf, and has the rich, who are always a mi
norIty, absolutely at its mercy. The day will
come when, in the State of New York, mul-
tltude of people, none Of whom has had more
than hall breakfast, or expects to have more
than half dinner, will choose legislature Is
H PoSSibfs tOdOUbt lrtat sort off, LeeisLature
'rfH De chosen! On one side is statesman
preaching patience, respect for vested rights.
strict observance of public faith. On the other
'S demagogue ranting about the tyranny of
capltallSts and usurers, and asking WHY any,
body should be permitted to drink cbamnavne
and ride In carriage, while thousands Of hon
est folks are in want of neccssaries Which nj
ne fIc0 caRdtdatss Is Hkeiy TO be preferred In,
T0T&fng man arhO hears his children err
fOr marc bTea22 | seriously apprebend thai
nPh ol, Il
have described, do things which will prevent
prosperity from returning; that you will act
hke people would In year Of scarcity devour
Hii the seed-corn, and thus make the next year
year not of scarcity, but of absolute famine
There will be, / fear spoliation. The spolia-
ticn will increase the distress The distres.
Will produce fresh spoliation. There is nothing
20 stay you. Your Constitution is all sail and
No anchor. As l said before, when a society
us entered on this downward progress either
'lVihLs'lon or liberty must perish. Either
some CaeS4r or Napoleon will seize the reins of
government with strong hand: or your Re-
fuoiic Will be as fearfully plundered and laid
waste by barbarians in the twentieth century
as the Roman Empire was in the fifth; with
TINS diference that the Huns and Vandals who
rayaged the Roman Empire, came from with
out, and that your Huns and Vandals will have
been endangered within your country by your
own institutions
Thinking thus, Of course cannot reckon
Jtnersi among the benefactors of mankind. /
readily limit that his intentions were good and
ms aoiiioes considerable. Odious stories have
been circulated about his private life; but do
not know on what evidence those stories rest
and think it probable that they are false, or
monstrously exaggerated. 1 have no doubt 1
snail derive both pleasure and information
from your eccount Of him
l have the homer to be- dear sir, your faith
Iui servant B. MAcAuLEY
S~S >>-
IHE AMusEMEMESTs OF OFAMAYoa-The Mayor
OF Cihcinnati lmltiting the celebrated Caliph of
Bagdad nightly prowls about the city disp5ised
In an old slouehed hat and a coat ragged ana torn.
In order that he mi ght the more enectuay satisfy
himself OF the watchfulness Of the pslce force In
these rounds the Mayor will frequently give the
slgnal OF distress and DANCER hr rznnina o., a.