The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-12-29
voxPoPJz,z.

Governments, like SO many other human in
| stitutions, roll in cycl s. The earliest form OF
government IN air It every people Of whom
we have any record, whether historical or only
! legendary, is either patriarchal or theocratic.
In neither case is there any recognition Of
| the voice Of the people as an authority The
average of mankind were clearly not consider
! ed competent to have voice in public affairs.
| In the course Of time, when the original family
attains to the proportions and dignity Of a
nation, the patriarchal insensibly assumes the
form Of the monarchical government; md as
constitutions and other checks, known at the
| present day, were then unheard Of, monarchy
was synonymous with our modern auocracy or
despotisn1. This naturally, in the course Of
| human infrmity, would, in every instance soon
degenerate to tyranny and oppression, and
rouse opposition Ancient history, beth SACRED
| and profanc, is hence found full Of plots ana
consplracics. Dynasties were of brief dura-
ton, and the assassins knife usually the in
strument effecting such changes. After repeat-
ed trials, when people had at last found that
King Stork was worse than King Log, there
would be general revolution, an! an oligarchy.
or perhaps republic, the result; Ill such
changes, however only effected after long and
bloody internecine wars A peaceablc change
Of dynasty or Of government is rarely found
on the annals,-
The philosophers Of all ages have revelled in
beau ideal Of popular government A model
republic was the dream Of Plato, and of eyerv
sage since his day. But alas for the imperfec-
i'm cfC, TI g.
conceived by the glimmer of the midnight lamp
but seldom is found to have sufficient yicor to
endure the brilliant glare of the noonday sun
The Republic Of the study is q perfect pc -
mechanism; and is not found to .~or1. !, -.
tical life, only because the PHILOSOPHER assnm-
ed as postulates what cannot he concoded -,
the moral perfection Of every citizen. Nodue
allowance IS made Tor human inirmities. And
precisely mere IS the rock on which the theory
OF 0oz popuA de-: splits. History almost
,-ivariably narrates that, after people have
| tried republican form Of government for a
number Of years, they again seek relief in the
monarchy This is the experience Of both
ancient and modern history .
There perhaps never was any country where
! the poz popyi was as supreme as it is to-day in
| the United States Of America Universal Suf-
rage, as the term is here understood, was never
! anywhere the indiscriminate privilege of the
| masses. That all men are born free and equal
is discovery not made till the latter part OF
| the eighteenth century. Every man is as good
as every other man,-as well qualified to be-
stow Office, or to hold Office. This is the theory
Of our government, but inasmuch Us so1oSs.
soLomoNs, PLATos, MoREs and BAcoNs are
not Of more frequent occurrence here than
elsewhere, the Oor popuI in the United States
is exercised very much as it was in Athens, in
Paris, and in many other places where it has
| been tried and found wanting.
| The voice Of the people in our Northern
States, we are told, is the expression Of the in
telligence Of the nation. What are the facts 7?
In the first place, is this population really in
telligent, as is claimed, and properly educated
to an understanding of the privilege of the
franchise, and sense Of the accompanying re-
sponsbility? This is not an easy question to
answer. + we may judge from their expo
nents Of public opinion, the press, the pulpit,
the forum, the village school and distric,
I AADidiy, we EuOIiu unueSlLatlngly say No
But TO least advantage do we see these same
sovereign electors at the hustings. genera,
election anywhere in any State, North or West
is equivalent to general riot, general up.
heaval Of society. For months previous the
demagogue goes from place to place, harangn
ing the independent voters. The speaker may
perchance be well and correctly informed il
| regard to the state Of the country and it's wants
If 50, he will take the greater care to concea
the truth from his hearers. In very many in
stances, however, the demagogue is as ignorant
intolerant, bigotted and narrow-minded as th,
people he addresses, in which case he can tall
the more glibly, and his words must carry sur.
! conviction to the minds Of his intelligent G?
auditors: # VII.
Take, for instance, the late elections for mem
bers to the Fortieth Congress. ,Our readers
have q, general ideas OF some of the means I,
which - the. Radical party resorted to compass
it's ends. They saw the leading New .Yosrrl
journals 4 from time to time. But these; st mus
be remembered, are the most respectable Of th,