New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-28

THE DANGERS OF DEMOCRACY.
The London Times, never very favorable to our
democrntical system Of government, is not willing
to give us the represe Lord MacsulaS allows US. 10
put off our breaking up or breaking down TIL tue
time arrives when the majority of our voters shall
have had but half breakfast, and shall not know
where to look for even hale dinner, that Journal
thinks, and ato6ably enough, is to give democra-
cy pretty loDg lease of existence. According to
the cid proYerb, that hunger breaks through stone
walls il might indeed be doubted whether any form
Of government would be able to hold out long
against such state of things. But sufficient unto
the doy is the evil thereof liz would be Father rdcu-
Ious 10 frame our government with view to what
msy happen two, three, or fouI centuries hence,
rather than with view to our present condltiop.
In fact, whatever The London Times may think or
Soy to the contrary such B stu tie faith vi our
people, whether well or Iii founded in democratical
instiiuuoLs, that they believe them to afford the
best possible security, 20 tar as government can al
ford ANY, against the mass of the people beng ever
reduced 10 that poverty stricken condition which
Lord Macsulay seems to contemplate as ineY'
table in ell thckly peopled countries.
What the ground OF this opinion OF Lord
Macaulay's is, does not exactly appear.
IL can barely be said that the destitution and
poverty of the English masses has Increased with
The progress Of population. On the contrary 1t Is
notorious tina, the great mass Of the English work
Drmen are far better lodged and fed, and clothed,
than they were when the population was not a
Quarter what it now is. Even those who possess
no property, possess in their labor, the increased
d, and Tor IT, and in the of the great class OF
,khd labOrefs, the vastly Increased value OF It's
returns, neaus Of livelihood just az certain aud
assured as do the holders Of material property.
What is tho value of the farm or the factory unless
they be made productive BY the cooperation of Ia
borng men whose services eau only De had for
wages7 II wages stop, rents AID profits must stop
too. IA 20 the perversiOn of the powers OF Govern
ment to the pIurder of the itch for the benefit OF
the poor, experience goes ID show that 1t is en-
beliasseo capitalists, and heavy debtors, and bold
speculAtors, whose demands upon the public purse
sle chiefly to be dreaded. Accordingly The Lon
don Tunes Thinks and it seems to us with good
Ieasop, that tho dangers attendant upon our
form OF government are much mole imminent
nom mlsbehayior on the pant of the ricn thaa from
oausges UPON properly on the part OF the poor.
II srecifts, as among the signs Of the decay and
approaching downfall Of our democratic iustitu-
tons, the frgh1uly increasing corruption and We
naity Of tie Executive ana Legislatures OF the
" different States, and undoubtedly if our deuO-
cratic institutions to be maintained, it becomes
the psoplsto have sharp eye to the suppression OF
al aouse, of recent origin, but which is constantly
becoming more serious. Another specification is
tho cohten pit into which the Judicial Office has
fallen; bur this can hardly be for the reasoa, as
atattd in The Times, that the judges hold Office for
very short periods, and are elected by very low
fran ch,se. TIE Supreme Court of the United
States is as obnoxious TO this charge IA any court
in the country; but tue judges Of that Court hold
their Office for life, and, instead Of beng chosen by
tps popular vote, are appointed b. the President
The dthculty in their case seems to be that they
have been encouraged BY their liietenure Of Office
10 sregard tho sent mtnts of the lass Of the PEG
pie, and to play into the bandS of the small and
aistoctstlc class OF ,layehOlders, TO which ma
jCrity Of the Judges themselves belong
IA to the danger which, according to The
Times most nearly besets us-,ha. those inst.
tutiors which the fathers OF the present. generation
believed to be perfect, and praised VITA an ardor
corresponding to their belief, the children of the
present generation will Learn TO dislike aud despise
this danger, We appreheLd, is chiefly limited to
the slsveboldlpg States in which dcmocratcl nsti-
tutons can barely be said ever TO hsvs had much
more than a theoretical and nominal existe1ce In
doubedly, there is a strong effort mskiog in that
section Of tee country to bring the whole democrat
ica theory and practice into cOntenps. The doc
time Is openly avowtd there, and the rising geoeg
ation is beng iInoued with il, that not merely
poverty and deprivation OF political rights, but per-
sonal slavery, ia tue natural condion OF the labor
ing Dasses, while political power ought to be con-
cenuattd in the bands Of the wealthy owners of
ttese slaves. We truly sppretAnd a desperate
s,sault from ibis quarter upon our democr4,ical
Institutions; but We doubt Whether the advocates of
ttese new views will be able TO make any psfma
nent or serious impression upon the mS ,rty of our
yoiipg population.