New-York daily tribune., 1866-04-07
academy Of a department Of letters which every
cultivated age and every polite nation have rec
opnized
A Low IDEA OF GOVERNMENT.


inventive anti-Reformers in the British Parlia.
ment-we mean that class of thinkers who, in
short, are opposed to popular thoughts well
illustrated in Mr.. Robert loves idea of govern
ment. First, as to the English franchise, says
Mr.. Lowe:
"You should not argue the Reform question as " the
franchise boon which you had at yonr disposal
and of which you should make an equal distribution
You should not deal with il if it the Banda and
kirwee prsemOney which you were going 10 dis
kind you should govern great empire The franchise
is not 10 be given on an priori principle OF justice
This is not question TO be decided Pr,or or on what
gentleman can evolve from his own mind IL Is
question of practical experience Of the working OF our
awsoDe TO the best machinery We can have for the
work we have TO do
And the best machinery is justice, of course
That is not the British doctrine, however, which
has ever been the allowance Of minimum of
fair-play with the people for the maximum of
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT with clasSes-two things which
do not square well. But here is Mr.. loves
oblique idea of the common peOple:"
when the common people are told that there is any,
thing TO be got they think that in the 8dminlsra
tion of Justice there should be equality to al They
think the Government ought TO disribnte everything
equally If something was TO be divided between CO.
partners But that an entire MISUNDERSTANDING OF the
real business of government. Government does not
deal with justice. Ii deals with eIpedency. The OBJ
ect to construct the best machinery for the purpose
10 which IT is 10 be applied We may violate any law
Of symmetry. equality disributye justice. in pro
ydng the proper machinery enable US 10 do what Is
required Of us. Hear, hear.l
There, in brief, is the whole Tory doctrine,
set down in maxims. The people are right, no
doubt; but government (says Mr. Lowe) does
not deal in justice. What is required is MILL
and something to keep it going, whether the
people are ground or not. BE Mr.. loves ar
gument ever so specious, the inference cannot
be avoided that the government which he de-
scribes is, however ingeniously contrived, still
a very badly contrived and absurd negation of
the people. We do not object to his definition
a. applied to the Government Of Mr.. Louis Ma
poleon, or Her Majesty's in Ireland, as one
highly congenial TO all the Pumblechooks,
Gradgrinds, Barnacles and POdsnaps in a ma
ton which suffers itself to be ingloriously ruled
by its Philistines and Fogies; but that is no
definition Of true government. Expediency"
has become a word odious from its mal-applica-
ton; but the highest expediency is justice.
in its best meaning, is justice also;
but British government and French govern
ment may be anything that English and French
rulers, governing badly, may choose to make
them. according to those specious theories
evolved from malpractice. Franchise (says Mr.
Lowe, in effect is not intended for the sake OF
franchise; but, on the other hand, government
is directly and ultimately intended for govern
ment's sake, and nothing else. To cap this ab-
surdity, ave may" says Mr.. Lowe, "violate
any law of symmetry, &C., in providing the
proper mGchinery to enable us to do what is re-
quired of u.s." Well: what is required Of US
and how is proper machinery to be made by
breaking first principlesl Any farm-boy, who
knows the rudimentary laws of mechanics, could
teach Mr.. Lowe better than that. 1t is hard to
run theory of government against the steam
engine and the multiplication table.
With such premises, Mr. Loves idea Of amer
ga might pass uncommented on:
"Is II the result of our experience looking at Amer
ica and at the democratic institutions there VII ever
merits they may have that the people are jealous OF tle
moral character Of their representatives pIu you
ever hear Of who was OstraolZed nom pupnc NE
in America in consequence Of his having COMMITTED
murder forgery perjury, or anything OF tba' khd'
Hear hear, and sugbterJ
If such man was not ostracized accordingly
(which we cannot admit in Mr.. Loves sense),
il was owing to almost the same oligarchy by
which Mr.. Lowe is buttressed in Parliament.
We are even told by Mr.. Bright that though
the constituency which the right honorable
gentleman" represents consists of ia members,
ssren of whom are uorkingmen, "his real con-
stituency is member Of the other House OF
Parliament, who could have sent here his butler
or his groom" Machinery for mischief in pub
lie life is. it must be confessed, greater conve-
nience in the hands of the Marquis OF Lans-
downe and other titled landlords than our own
politicians. We are content to take the politics
of the two countries in their net results, and
leave the issue TO the comparison. IL Will be
found that while Slavery and oligarchy cost US
much, and while we are put to some trouble to
educate those who escape from English misrule
only to ignorantly adopt just such Tory teach
;pgs as Mr.. loves, yet the difference in our
favor is at last due to the " common people"
SO much note We make Of Mr.. loves
opinions, because he happens to be one OF the
editors and controllers Of The London Times,
whose lifelong philosophy of expedency and
even style Of diction appear reproduced IN his
late parliamentary speech. Singularly, too'
although Mr.. Lowe alludes TO the want OF
ostracism in American politics, he is an ardent
.,or,;.on of tho South and admirer OF President