The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-22
CHI A r L E S ON.
.oNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY %, 1869.
England as u Republic.

In the face of the questionable success
which has attended the experiment of popu-
lar government in America, the develop
ment of republican ideas in conservative
England is advancing with giant strides.
Professor Goldwin Smith contributes to the
last number of the North American Review
very interesting paper, discussing this
subject in connection with the future social
and political condition Of Great Britain.
1t is not surprising that Professor Smith,
who has so lately exchanged position of
honor and eminence in his native country
for similar ole in America, should betray
throughout his essay marked sympathy
with the progress Of republican sentiment in
the land he has left Always an advanced Lib
eral in feeling, his natural bias has doubt
less been strengthened by his removal to a
country where, whatever may be the actual
condition of things, the catchwords of Lib
crty and Equality are constantly upon the
lips of men who have just enough learning
in the science of free government to mis-
quote the letter and misapply the spirit
1t has evidently been labor of love with
The Professor to prepare this exhaustive
summary g "the signs Of the times" as
far as they relate to the progress of Libe-
ralism in Great Britain. Admitting ct the
outset that there can hardly be said TO exist,
as yet, an avowesl republican party in Eng
land, and confessing that it is probable that
"even the most advanced radical would dis
"claim the name of republican, he never
thcless finds among his courtrymen deal
of latent republican sentiment, and detects
tho traces of republican ideas and princi
pies in the history of the Empire for the
last ten or twenty years. Strangely enough,
he even finds confirmation of these ideas in
what he calls s'the overthrow Of our South
ssern rebellion" The English conservatives
having sympathized with the "rebcllion" as
o movement against popular freedom, he
holds that its failure has substantially
strengthened the cause of its opponents.
Professor Smith regards the present as q
transition period, bounded on the one side
by go monarc hical past" and on the other
by ga democratic future;" and while he
handles very cautiously the necessarily sug-
gested question of the fate, under such con-
ditions, of the m onarohy itself, and is careful
not to commit himself directly tothe prophe-
sy of its overthrow, his words leave no doubt
whatever about the direction of his hopes
and anticipations. Alluding to the saying
that has become common in England, that
sthe nation would not bear another George
"IV," he makes the significant prediction: ::
sWe may be perfectly SURF that, in the
sscourse of nature, another George " will
come" Much of the essay is devoted to
the consideration of the present and future
character of the House of Lords, and he
expresses the belief that it must inevitably
give way ere long to a body in the nature
of an elective senate. In short, the gist of
this remarkable paper consists in thor
ough recognition of the omnipotence of
what the author calls ':the court of free
"opinion," and of the approaching demoli-
ton of all institutions and ordinances which
will no. bend to tho imperious demands of
the giant of Human Thought.
Professor Smiths views, though tinged
with partisan prejudice, have undoubtedly
great force in themselves, and are presented
with singular clearness and ingenuity. 1t
is hard, after reading his essay, to resist
the conviction that our children, if ot our
selves, are destined yet to behold .repub
lican Congress assembled in the halls where
Tudor and Plantaganet once welded u
sceptre, now, at last, become too weighty
for the punY arms If an effete dynasty.