New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-05-08
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M
Since the death Of Lord Hsoanlay, letter which
that gentleman wrote several years. ago ~ Mr.
Randall, Of Philadelphia, has been published, IN
which the distinguished anahor discusses the prob
able durati5r Of popular government, such as
eu,s Il with predictions of its ultimate, Il not
speedv, overthrow Ind downfall
He takes ne position that II course Of time
ths population Win increase 70 such an extent AZ
Is be irconseaently crowded, snd It will then en-
croach rpon HE means Of Subsistence. When
b as1er seizes upon fhe mob, according to Macau-
Iay. there viii Bio no possible check, in popular
! royernn,elt u5,on the ferco win and unbridled
passions II the multitude and revolution and an.
archy MA defiance ~ MI law will be the conse-
queaces
Worry likely there would bio some strength in such
position Il this country were like England, or the
crowded communities III the Continent. we
were huddled together in thicky cities and
towns, with no avenues Of escape, q popular gov
ernment like ours would scarcely be strong enough
fspress the uneasy and truculent spirit Of mob
driven to desperation By the pangs Of hunger.
The artificial snd legal barriers which protect the
rishts efpropeEty would scarcely avail To keep of
ths assaults Of The famished MASSES Maeaulay
may have been right Their afors, mi s general the
wv but Hi particular deduction Ii impaired and
destroyed hy The fact TINT We have an avenue Of
escape from Ill such evils III the immense regions
Of yet unsettled and uncultivntc country which lie
10 The west III ~, and which are capable of furn-
ishing plenty Of bread and meat to our Populs.
ton, no matter how muck itInay increase, for CEN
turtles yet to come II We look At the map Of North
america Ne viii and that not oneshaf Of tho ter
sitssy j. yet settled Or cultivated. That portion
xhIch p already reduced to cuitivationis capable,
ii many places, Of sustaining ii comfort popula-
ten ten times dense il already is. It must be
many centuries, therefore, even with our wonder
full growth, before the dangers unprecedented by
Lord Macaulay win be encountered.
4 But there are other evils attaching 10 too demo-
cratic form of Government which are patent to
us, even at The present day and which, II we do
not watch them closely, will weaken our Govern
ment, II not bring II To ruin And the principal of
these i the tyrannical use Of power By majorites
It u evident, not only from the structure Of the
Constitution, but from the contemporaneous ex
positions of II by the wine men Of that day, that it
the intention to guard scrupulously the rights
Of minorities TINT i was very far from being the
design Of our forefathers to make this pure De-
nlocraey, inFolsing the absolute rule Of the ma
jorify. The composition 81 the Senate, and the
veto power Of the Executive, are two crcumstan.
ccs that establish this fact very conclusvely And
ret We are drifting rather too rapidly into the idea
that the rule Of majoritiea is supreme-and that ii
i the duty Of the minority TO submit, no matter
how much il may be sopprassed. We see this OK
eInpitied ii State Legislatures. which rearrange
the Gong ressionai Districts 40 az to give an i'm
laense advantage 10 the party III power. We see
It n Congress almost every day. in the passage of
bills giving some sectional OF local advantage. at
the expense of other interests equally entitled to
Gongr protection, or at least to exemption
from discriminating burdens. And we are very
much afraid shall see it still more if Black Re-
publicanism shall eyer reign supreme III cur Ma
tionai councils. When the majority shall make
use Of its power 10 cripple and destroy slavery
wherever i can reach it. then we shall awaken to
q fnli sense Of the danger we have incurred In d
recognition of the dogma Of the diyiae right Of
mere majorities to rule as they think proper.
This Is the great defect in our Government, but
II i not an inherent defect. The present state of
affairs was not in the contemplation Of those who
organized the Government, or they would possibly
have provided against II. They proceeded on the
humane old legal principle that every man is pre-.
suned to be innocent until he is proved to be
guilty They ought to have acted ON the idea that,
80 tar a. the future race Of politicians was con.
eerned, the presumption was altogether in favor Of
their dishonesty until they gave practical proof of
the contrary. And they ought either to have put
greater safeguards around the rights of minorites
OF else devised some plan for preventing the safe
guards which they did put there from being knock
ed away and destroyed.
IT Is argued by some writers that the great weak
ness Of our Government is the corruption and dis
honesty Of orr public officials but this il d mis-.
take. Such evils correct themselves very soon--or
are corrected by the people. The extravaganza
and corruption of Van Buren's administration were
overwhelmingly rebuked in 1870 The present ad-
nainistfation, by corrupt MEANS secured the cleo
ticn AZ three Or four members Of Congress Ia pAiIa-
deiphia and New York--hut, what was the result
i lost fifteen twenty in consequence of it, soon
afterwards ID North Carolina, Kentucky and Ten
nessee. Political parties have begun to find out
that honesty Il the best pocy--that IT pays better
to be honest 50 far as money is concerned, than to
he prodgnl and corrupt And thus the evil oorrects
ITSELF. Others assert that the destruction Of the
Independence of the Judiciary, by making it cleo
i've is great element Of weakness in our Govern.
ment. The experiment was a perilous one and has
no advantages over the Old system; but 30 far, it
has not been attended with any very pernicious
results we have carried the idea Of popular
sovereignty too far that is all. And the Chief
danger, as we apprehend, consists only In the
increasing tendency Of mere majorifies- perhaps
accidental majorities to nse tile power they pos
sess for the oppression or tile party, or Of the
section, which does not happen to agree with them
IN opinion
TIE LATE INTERNATIONAL, 4 FIGHT.
We published yesterday full particulars from the
most authentic and reliable sources, Of the great
physical contest in England between the respective
champions Of Great Britain and the United States.
From the accounts given it is evident that the