The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-07-18
THE TENDENCY OF pEnocnACY.

THE TENDENCY OF DEMOCRACY,
In The Round Table for Juno 3, We find n very
well-considered article on this subject, which
so entirely acoords with our own sentiment
and with the views we have often presented in
these columns, that we are tempted to give our
readers the benefit Of It's leading points. The
letter recently published in Cincinnati Jour
nal, and widely copied everywhere, concern
ing Mr.. BENJAMIN F. WADE, furnishes the
Round Table with text. Allusion hus alrea-
dy boen made in our paper 10 this letter, and
| our readers may perhaps rcmembcr it when we
tell them thut this is the same biographical let
| Ter, which acqunints tho public with the very
| important fact that WADE cannot eat any but
| ter; II docs not agree with him; and that Mas
| by and "Mother Goose" furnish the means
| whercwith he brguiles his literary leisure The
Round Table says; "The lcttor, by reason Of
| its apparent vacuity Of conception and impcrli-
| nent profusion of detail, is we'll adapted for
popular perusal and acceptance, whilo in its
character of opening wedge, it has been read
with interest by some to whom its obvious in
tention was distasteful. This intention is rs
! MIN +. WADE is remarkably coarse. minded
and vulgar sort Of person, whose carly pur-
suit were Of very humble and sordid dcscrip-
tion; and That in virtue Of this fclicitous COM
bination of experience md personal attributes
tho Hon. BENJAMIN F. WADE is admirably
adapted 10 bo tho next President of the United
States"
II has been the boast Of our race that, under
the institutions it has gradually matured, men
could climb 10 distinction in despite of cnrly
disabling circumstances Of birth, breeding or
property; and the boast has been just one
In England cobbler's son mny rise to tho
wool-sack just as with us O rail-splitter may
| become President. With US the ascent is
| easiest, and in so far rs il bcstows merit upon
those who deserve it, we heartily approve this
| change. We have nothing 10 cay against rail
| splittcrs or tailors cambering to the top of tho
political cdifce, if they have the pluck and
talent TO get there; but wo have serious OBJ
jeotion, says our censor. to seeing men made
candidates for high Office, not in spite Of, but
because they have been rail-splilters and
| tailors. There is nothing necessarily degrad-
ing about splitting rails, or making breeches,
OF small shop.keeping, or even about cleaning
out sewers. All these things have 10 be done
by somebody; and that man should have
done one or all of them, and afterwards achiey-
ed the highest political rank in his country is.
from sOmo points Of view, an excellent thing
But that men should be exalted and praised
merely because they have dug bitches, cleaned
| an,ps-s nsIlt,laa --.-L--, .e, In ~.
ignorance, a very silly and contemplate thing
and one which is sure, in tho long run, to de-
stroy that democracy which it now appears TO
nourish and ostentatiously aims to propitiate.
We must observe that the whole pith and force
OF this cherished popular antithesis-
for example, tinker into President-must
lie IN the Tastness Of the chasm, which sepa-
rates our social position from the other. Now.
If we wore to continue, as a habit, to make
Presidents Of tinkers, what becomes of tho
antiihesis, and where is the chusm! It
is clear that there must be limit somewhere
to this preposterous worship Of the groyelling
and low, which is tho fanaticism of democracy.
If NO conceive Of o society In which oil wLo
are not already ignorant and vulgar pretond
to be 30 for the sake of getting on or succeed
ing In life we arrive at tho ultimate ideal
which such fanatcism brings about. We also
discover that suoh state of things must he
IN manner self.destructive. Competition, in
such case, must work contrariwise to it's
usual course, since it would destroy trade.
fhe lowest depths would soon be reached, md.
after enjoying the improving sway of sue
cossion Of rulers whose elevation had arisen
from their demonstrated pursuit in previous
life Of the most sordid and paltry avocations
that could possibly bo practised, the entire
community, by natural gravity, would sink
10 level whereupon such distinctions would
become imperceptiblc. History furnishes
some tolerablo examples of the results of a
career like this and our great republic
il in fair way TO supply in time stuoen-
dous analogue.
There cnn bc little doubt that tho monotone
TO which democracy inevitably tends, must us
inevitably become the corrective of demoeraov
at prognoslicable periods. Variety is indeed
the spice Of life, and, although oil men may be
born free nnd equal in theory, IL is yet certain
that the chances for inequality in practice as.
ford the keenest zest to most mems lives. The
eeif-worship Of mob, which finds expression
in hailing as leader the type Of its own lowest
qualities, will turn to q different sort Of hero.
worshiP, when the perfection of uniformity has
removed the possibility Of distinotiyeness. In
time, the at present irresistible faoinations of
having chopped logs, kept a country "store, !"
driven team, or going about in shirt-sleeve
OF oursing and chewing freely, Of telling dirty
stories, Of not knowing how to behave like
gentleman in drawing or ballroom, Of hay
ing darned littlo boys trousers, and all the
other endenring experiences which, as we have
seen, 60 so far towards making American
Statesmen, will lose their seductive charm nud
can be depended upon no more The democrs-
oy which relies on these weapons, can only ex-
ist with at least the traditions of ari.tocraov.
and In their complete absence It must perish.
1t feeds In this country to-day upon the rem
n.nts of feudalism, the rags and tstters Of
privilege and olnss distinction which come Of
our English blood and English law. But de-
mocracy cannot, like the chameleon, make the
meat 1t feeds upon. The glory Of resisting op.
preston, tho virtue Of conquering weakness.
the heroism Of mortifying desire, can only ex-
.I.A. Il