Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-26
M&CAULAY ON JEFFERSON

by mourning beauty crowned
M&GAULAY ON JEFFERSON
The Great EngiishmRRs PrOphee
About American Political InstIIu
lions
The ImperiGliSt newspaper pub
fishes with keen satisfaction the fol
lowing letter from the late Lor,
Macaulay to Henry S. Randall, au
thor of the life of Jefferson, convey
ing in an accompanying paragraph
the impression that it has not beer
published before:
HOLLY LODGE, KEKsINGToN, LON
DON, May 25, 1S57.-Henry S. Ran.
dali, Esq.-DEAR SIR: You are surs
prised TO learn that l have not s
high opinion of Mr.. Jefferson, and
i am surprised at your surprise
/ am certain that / never wrote a
line, and that | never, in Parliament,
IN conversation, or even on the
hustings-a place where it is the
fashion to court the populace-ut-
tered a word indicating an opinion
that the supreme authority in State
ought to be intrusted to the major
ity of citizens told by the head; in
other words to the poorest and most
Ignorant part of society. have
long been convinced that institu-
lions purely democratic must, sooner
or later, destroy liberty or civiliza-
ton, or both.
In Europe, where the population
is dense, the effect of such institu-
tons would be almost instantane-
Gus. What happened lately in
France as an example. In 1S4S
pure democracy was established
there. During a short time there
was reason to expect spoliation-a
natural bankruptcy, a new partition
OF the soil, a maximum of prices,
a ruinous load of taxation laid on
the rich for the purpose Of support
ing the poor in idleness. Such q
system would, in twenty years, have
made France as poor and barbarous
as France Of the .Carlovingians.
Happily, the danger was averted;
and now there is despotism, a 81
lent tribune, an enslaved press.
Liberty is gone; but civilization
has been saved l have not the
smallest doubt that, if we had a
purely democratic government
there, the effect would be the same.
Either the poor would plumber the
lich, and civilization would perish,
or order and property would be
saved by a strong military govern
ment, and liberty would perish.
You may think that your country
enjoys an exemption from these
evils l will frankly own to you
that am Of very different opinion.
Your fate / believe TO be certain,
though it is deferred by a physical
cause. AS long as You have a
boundless extent of fertile and I'M
occupied land, your labOring popula-
ton will be far more at ease than
the laboring population of the Old
World; and while that is the case,
the Jeffersonian policy may continue
TO exist without causing any fatal
calamity. But the time will come
when New England will be as thick
Iy peOpled as Old England. Wages
will he as low and will fluctuate as
much with you as with US. You
will have your Manchcsters and
Birminghams; and TO these Man
chesters and Birminghams hun
dreds of thousands Of artisans
will assuredly be some time
out of work. Then your insti-
tutiOns will be fairly brought
TO the test. Distress everywhere
makes the labOrer mutinous and
DISCONTINUED, and inclines him to
listen with eagerness to agitators,
who tell him it is a monstrOus mi
guilty that one man should have q
million while another cannot get a
full meal. In bad years there is
plenty of grumbling here, and a
little riotin5; but here it matters
little; for hde the sufferers are not
the rulers--the supreme power is
not in the hands of a class numer-
Gus indeed, but select, Of an edu-
Gated class-Aof class which is and
known to be deeply interested in
the security Of properly and the
maintenance of order. accordingly,
the malcontents are firmly, yet
gently, restrained The bad time
is got over without robbing the
wealthy to relieve the INDECENT.
The springs of national prosperity
soon begin TO flow again; work is
= plentiful, wages rise, and all is tran
= guilty and cheerfulness. i have
seen England pass three or -four
times through such critical seasons
as ] have described. Through such
seasons the United States will have
to pass in the course of the next
century, if not of this. How will
you pass through them? Heartily
wish you good deliverance. But
my reason and my wishes are al
war, and I cannot help foreboding
the worst. 1t is quite plain that
your government will never be ablC
10 restrain 3 distressed and discOn
certcd majority For with you the
majority is the government, and ha:
the rich, who are always a minority
absolutely at its mercy. The day
will come when in the State of New
York a multitude of people, none
of whom has had more than half {
breakfast or expects to have NOR,
than half n dinner, will choose f;
Legislature Is it possible to dOub
what sort OF Legislature will b,
chosen On one side is a states
man preaching patience, respec
for vested rights, and strict oh
servance of public faith. On th
other is demagogue, ranting abou
the tyranny of capitalist Insurers
and asking why any body shOul'
be permitted TO drink cham