Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1869-05-13
DEMOCRACY or tMpYRfe1IsM.

escape II M tfic cNl!s OF DtHtSiaSS VIC
are choosing tie lesser Of the two owls.
We do not claim that an Imperialism
could be cstablishcd on the ruins Of De-
moerncy. Il at should be wholly without.
fault. Perfection 10 not an attribute OF
human nature, nor can We expect TO hnd
4 an att, ;huta Of 49, sarxp Of human gov
crnment But TN lgent lmrc-
rialisn would iusure US F!otc. prosperity
and security. instead Of the corruption
and misrule that row charact-ri1e the
government Of the country, We d. mt
doubt for moment. No change from
the present condition Of affairs in our I'M
hsppy country could be change for the
worse, and to substitute hrm central
goTcrnnen. for the irrcsr on'iblc and des-
potic mob-rule which now controls the
destinies Of the Nation would be to give
our country that which it never yet has
had Government. worthy Of the name.
No intelligent man, whose prejudces do
not blind his eyes to the truth can doubt
this for q La ,,nsnt
We have long been in the habit ofilol-
izing our form Of government; believing
that Of all social~and political systema yet
devised, it alone was capable of affording
liberty, security and happiness to man
kind More than this. we have believed
that society however constituted and or
gained. could enjoy order anil progress
only under the agls of those political
principles sjopted at the foundation of
our government and the corner stones Of
tia institutions and that under the in
fucnce Of Democracy only, could a ma
ton enjoy internal peace and domestic
tranquility. As to the capacity of the
people to govern, no ore questioned It
for moment it was assumed as = mat
ter Of course, and the RI ght of self-goy-
eminent flowed a, . necessary cons:-
quence from that assumed capacity. All
this WIS plausible enough. End as these
fiction. were agreeable to the sense OF the
people, few were disposed to question or
contradict them But experience ha,
shown that the social condition of this
country, more than nil others in the
world IL exposed to pertuybations from
its own organic principles, and that our
Government possesses in itself neither
the elements Of security nor Of perPetul-
ty. Instead Of peace, We Lave had an
unin erruptcd war of parties from the
first, breaking into active hostilities at
the periodical recurrence Of our National
and State elections. and only temporarily
aIlsyed during the intervals, to gather
strength for fcrcer outbreak when
new opportunity offered. Instead of Sc
curity, we have witnessed determined and
persistent rebellion against the Govern
nent, which neither hes been nor can be
wholly suppressed, and which still threat
ems to effect the dismembcrmens of the
Union. In no respect has DEMOCRACY full
filled the prom lse Of its youth, while. on
the other hand it has prevented the at
tainmcnt of those ends by any other
means. When. in the natural course
of events, any doctrine becomes hostile TO
the purr oses it was destined to serve, 1t
is evidently done with; and Tvs end, or
the close of its activity, is near
That she Government. Of the United
States is IS thoroughly corrupt as the
.killtul rillainy Of knave-. swindlers and
thieves, placed in ofhoe BY the will Of the
people, can make it. is fact that none
can deny that we have reached c-isis
in cur national Affairs when the establish
mcnt of pure, strong central government
is essential to :he perps:uity of our ma
tiopal life j, equally apparent. The only
quessnn to be decided il, how can this
change be cfcct0d The people will not
do it, fer they cannot be impressed with
just appreciation Of It's necessity, nor
will they rouse themselves to the csHrt.-
We cannot hope to change in year, or
III generation, the great mass of lgno-
rant and vicious voters into higlminded
and patriotic citizens, nor can re hope
they will defer in the choice Of REPRE-
scntntives" 80 the judsmen, Of the lntel
! iigent aud yirtuous minority who. OF all
the people. are alone capable of widening
the formidable power which has been CIV
en- iuto the hands of the masses There
/ IS but sue resource. The Empre Is
peace" Amen Let US have peace.
We do not hold the theory that an I'm
perialsm would be preferable to Rcpub-
lie, If a republic were in fact what IT Is
in theory. Fer specious and plausible
falsehood, we know of none more a!lur-
ing than the principle. of Democracy
which presuppcse human perfection. and
on the strength of that suPposition. prom
Use sn the ideal good which man could
iraseiae OF desire. In its pra stica} work
iays, however. Democracy has proved \
failur. it has been weighed in the bal
snce and found wanting, and in the inter-
est Of the people we demand that 1t shall
no longer be permitted TO bang Ike a
milestone cund the neck Of the nation
Frustrating is energies and hinderins It's
procrsSs. What we NIGH, ba7e become
during the pAst half century under gov
ernmcn. Ike that which his placed France
as, suorS the nations otshe world, can
cnly bo coniectsvsi. Our progress thus
far has been progreSsIn spite Of, rather
than because OF Democracy. but the time
has come ~hcs ue can no longer ever
look the fact that the destinleS Of the ma
lion must be shaped 10y a strong and skill
fal hand, if we would escape destruction
in the whirlpool OF anarchy toward which
We are drifting.
IT,, H;,b,,op3 I'.,n,r<r saws that the