Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1871-04-19

point for opinions and interest ,ohic
Pie ascendant public opinion Dieles wh
ldttdDor. The only quarter in whic
TO look for suppliment or complotinJ
\ corrective to the instincts Of a Demo
cratic majority is the instructed minor
| ~, but in the ordinary mode of con
stituting Democracy this minority ha
no organ"
And the Senator from Columbia, il
his report to the Scnate.of the United
States, in 1859, upon this subject
atlirms that the system of tho fire,
vote 'will continue members of meri
for long periods Of time in the House
because IL will relieve them and thos,
who support them from the causes o
,snhansa above mentioned They car
be reelected with certainty so onl
as the party whose Representatives
they are desire their continuance ia
service, and it may reasonably be ex
pccted that some men Of distinction
and intellectual power will always b,
found in the House, whose period o.
service, counts by twenty or thirty
years. They will bo the great repre-
sentatives of party, and will give lustrC
and power and usefulness to the
House, while thoy will be the object,
of profound attachment and Of honest
pride in the States they represent
Our present system, admirably calcu
lated to reprcss merit and lift medi
ocrity, will be supplantcd by one which
will produce precisely the opposite re.
suits"
The extracts thus given from the
writings of three of the leading advo.
Gates of minority representation, when
applied to the workings of our insli.
tuiions, necessarily imply
FIRsr. That representative govern.
ment under the rule Of a majority is a
failure,
SECOND. That the term of office OF
our Legislators is too short aud should
DO extended hg
THIRD. That there is a necessity in
our government for an independent
power based upon capacity aud intel
ligenco
The perfect answer to the first OF
these inferenccs is found in the char
acter of our institutions, and in the
rapid growth and continued progress
of the republic.
To the second the answer is that in
government of the people, by the
people, frequent and direct responsi.
bility by the representative TO his
constituents cannot de dispensed with !
that governments with written con
stitutions do not need either heredi.
tary or lifelong officials that in ac-
tual practice men remain in Office
quite as long as the good of the pco-
pic requires that under majority
rule, if representative be found faith
less or corrupt in but q few things, he
VIII not Dc rotatcu Out !; wnfist undcf
the new system he may be uniaithful
in many things, yet if subseryient TO
to the single idea upon which he came
to power, those who deem that idea
the essential in government Sill con.
tinue to re.clect him.
10 the third, which is in effect an
argument for the necessity of an aris.
tocracy of capacity and intelligence,
the words of Mr.. Madison, in the fifty
first number OF the FeIeraliSt, is a
better answer than ] can make. lie
says: "In the extended Republic OF
the United States, and among the
great variety OF interests, parties and
sects which it embraces, a coalition OF
n majority Of the whole society could
seldom take place upon any other
principles than those OF justice and of
tho general good whilst there being
thus less danger to minor from the
will of a major party, there must be
less pretcxt also to provide for the
security of the former by introducing
into the government will not de.
pendent on the latter; or, in other
words, a will independent of the socie.
ty itself"
1t will thus be seen that the theory
ofintelcctual equality is to be changed,
and new rule Of capacity TO be in.
troduced that the change implies a
failure of our institutions, by reason Of
the exclusion OF those more cultivated
and intelligent, and that will inde.
pendent of society (or majority based
upon capacity and intellectual worth,
is to be hereafter component part OF
our institutions.
In actual practice, all recognize the
propriety Of selecting the best fitted
most intelligent and capable candidate
and il is by no means against this sal
utary practice urge my opposition,
but il is against the almost direct
charge made by these writers that the
majority are untitled to select this
class Of men, and the plain implication
that the minority are superior in ca
pacityand intelligence. Why is not
tho majority as well fitted TO do this
as the minority Is the implication
Just referred to a truthful onog II il
be not so why shall We make them 0
power and a will independent Of the
society i,selfg ] would have more
respect for the eloquent and learned
theories Of Mr.. Mill it he were NOR,
pratical than his recent Quixotic ar
gumonts in support Of woman's right'
prove him TO be. Abstract thcoriei
and isolated propositions may be hand
led with great logic and learning, ye
he who argues may be utterly incom
petent to reduce his doctrines to prac
ticc, or to discern their evil conse
quenccs, when applied TO a govern
mental structure framed as ours is
and hence | view with great suspicion
his theory Of an instructed minority
In a monarchy in which an hercdi
tary aristocracy exists, and wher'
there are distinct classes and divided
social interests, such theory as thii
latter one may well be advocated, fol
it is Of the very life of their institu
lions to preserve and perpctuatc thos'
classes and interests, as the checks
aud balances necessary TO prolong ex
istoncc In the elections for the popu
/ lar branch of Parliament, in whcl
"a. .....,.. ,.,.... 81 tl..t~ ..nv,rr,