The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-05

planter while slavery existed And the
mobiles themselves we're gradually drawn
within the magic circle of city influence.
They were greater men outside the walls. bat
happier within. At first they honored the
Commune by taking leading part in its
affairs; then they were content to play an in
ferior part; finally, the Jealous spirit of demo-
cracy SO far prevailed as to exclude them
from power altogether, and with many
circumstances of contempt In the mean
time the vassals of these lords-the tilers
of the soil within the Florentine ter
ritory-found their position much i'm
proved from what 1t had been under mere
feudal dominion. Though absolutely without
political rights the Florentine contadino was
protected by the great Commune, improved
greatly in physical condition, and attained
sort of rustic Neutrality-suspicious.. But Flo
renee had only about 200, 600 country sub.
jects; her dominions were hemmed in bv
those OF other Tuscan towns-Pisa. Arezzo,
and the rest these again forming only
minor cluster in the constellation of Italian
cities, which included such mighty States as
Venice and Genos-all reproductions, with
many differences, of the type of which Flo
renee furnished the most advanced" or de-
mocratic specimen.
which is attributed to Asst was to q certain
extent realized. But her civic common
wealtbs were strangely short-lived-all but
the two last named, which had a large ad-
mixture of the aristocratic element. And it
is very noteworthy that their disorganizaton
and fall were not in general the consequence
as might have been expected, of any ''ugly
rush" from the excluded lower classes or from
the rejected nobility. They commonly pro-
ceeded from one or the other of two causes.
The fist was the bitter jealousy entertained
in onio Of oll1 yb,1 oohi H.,
mere popular favor-iealousies far more in
cutable than those which are excited else
where by recognized prerogative: ieal-
ousy, which is just as operative and
as injurious at Washington now as in the
Florence of Dante, though kept in control by
greater solidity of institutions and national
character. And thus the history of Florence
during these two centuries discloses little
| more than q succession of short reigns of
| popular faverites, energetic and wealthy
| citizens, foreign military adventurers, and
now and then plain man of the people, such
as Michael Lando, the honest wool -comber,
who was chosen ''gonfalonier" in a wanton
freak, because he happened one day to be
carrying the standard of justice, and who
| governed for short space more sensibly thar
any of his distinguished predecessors. Fol
| such inveterate disunion there coulC
| be no external cure, because it arose
| from the very nature OF democracy acting
within small sphere. The next aud equal,
jnsuperable cause of failure was to be founC
in the mutual jealousies of the several neigh
Dor cities. They never could agree for an,
object of common benefit, although separate
leagues could be formed from time to time
for the purpose of tearing eacn other to pieces
as Guelfs and GiLellins. The wheel o.
change was continually going round; In on,
city the multitude would rise against self
imposed chief, and ''make themselves people
once more; in another, tired of popular
wrangles men would place themselves once
more under the foot of ''signore;" but, il
the long run, the bias towards absolute gov
eminent was sure to prevail, and one after
the other these noble cities fell under despot
ism and consequent decay.
1t may be scarcely worth while, for pur
poses of political instruction, to draw the pic
ture of past state of things which no power
on earth could reproduce in Europe under
the reign of newspapers and standing armies
But something may be learned by observing
the innate and incurable defects-incurablI
because deeply rooted in the propensities o.
men-which beset the ideal of country com
posedssof a cluster of civic commonwealths
even were it capable of temporary realization