The Van Buren press., 1873-11-04
Prom the Christian Union
The Want Of a Displaced Element il
Our Ringpu5lic.
NJ ELInU nuRHIrr.

| 1 Ne stcuitnN ttuiSioi iphtp' W V"' ~
public into ringpub.ic may be ascribcd,
in no small degree, ~ the displacement
of an element in the body polite which
was never appreciated at its true value in
the better days of our national virtue IL
was then dec,ied and almost hated by the
New England aud nearly the whole
Northern mind. Tho same mind now
seems to think that the suppression OF
that element has been triumph. for tho
cause Of freedom, truth and purity. In
deed, its entire extinction Is regarded as
a consummation dcvou,ly to- be wished
This sentiment has become so prevalent
that it may sub;ce. one to the charge OF
disleyalty To regret that an influence
which wrought SO powerfully In shaping
the character of the republic In its first
and best years has been displaced by an
other more popular Down With the
aristoorscy !" is the watehN ord of the So
eai democracy, both in England and
America; and the same cry is passing
through other countries This cry does
mot mean down with men who have made
themselves richer than the hereditary ar
istccracy by sweating out vast fortunes
from the tSil and industry of single
generation, but down with historical or
old families Of the coustry, who have re
tained in their possession estates pur-
chased centuries ago at "a shilling or two
an acre, and to which every century has
dded an increased value. Down with
mcn who have come to large fortunes 10y
this slow process Of aecretion, and have
not jumped into great wealth by specu
laton in stocks, or by trading or mann
featuring enterprise like the great major
ity Of rich people.
Now, the worst sin Of a ianded or her
editary aristocracy. in popular estima-
ton, is :her esprit de corps, or that pride
of order which leads them to feel il de
roga,ory to their dignity to engage per
sonally in trade or in those enterprises
which other men of wealth pursue Then
this feeling becomes additionally obnox
ious by stimulating what they call
high sense Of honor. kind Of horror
or contempt for small and mean acts and
WAYS Of life and thought, for traiilick
ing spirit and habit of misd, and for the
everlasting talk about the irreprcssibie
dollar. 1t is these pretonsions, this car
riage and pose Of mind ami life, more
than their absolute wealth, that render
an aristocracy of this order so rcpngnant
to the popular mind especially in Amer
lea For thore is no country in the
world where men compass sea, land and
fire with moro avidily for the aristocracy
Of abstract wealth than among US. Our
railroad kings and merchant princess,
stock jobbers, and other potentates In
our moneyed world, constitute an aris
tocrasy as rich in dollars as the nobility
and gentry OF England. And these en-.
joy public estimation and exert an in.
huenca which fire thousands with the am.
bition to attain the same position by the
same or mora questionable means. Thus
an aristocracy of sheer wealth, however
acquired short Of absolute crime, is the
most popular order in American society.
And the more this aristocracy retains
and exhibits the spirit OF what the French
call 6ourgeoisie, tho more popular and in.
tuontial it becomes, because it remains
in alll.ity, and on the same level OF
thought and purpose, with tho great mu
titudc Of money. seekers.
Now. to a thouchtfnl. Qbservant mind.
nothing can he more evident and more
disquieting than the fact that this kind
Of arstocratic bourgeoiyie has come to
the front as ruling power in this coun-
try 1t is monied aristocracy that
thinks, plans and acts in tho spirit Of
bourgeoisie, without any prcteasion to
that high sense Of honor or punctilious
esprit dc corps which governs the deport
ment Of aa hereditary or landed gentry. |
And it is a hard thing to say or believe.
but an honest mind must believe it true,
that this boargcoisie" regime only came
into power at the suppression of that
Soutn-.n aristocracy cslch re so encr
cetically denounced when II existed in
the full strength Of It's influence Sehrecly
anyting was or could be more distaste- !
fu or even hateful to lis than the car
riagc, sentiment and self arrogated posi-
ton Of that proud and pretentious aris
tocracy which adopted the spirit and de
pertinent Of the English nobility and
gentry. Blu, one who locks back over
the history of the country from its birth
as a nation must now see and own that
the influence Of this Southern aristocrx
cy was an element Of immense value in
shaping the character Of our public men
and political life. The existence Of many
things is only realized by their Temporal
ry absence. For nearly ten years the
South, as n political r>..r mas been with.
drawn frc n tho Union. 1t has been rul-
ed, rcpresscd and stined IN its old char.
acter and influence by the worst kind OF
carpet bagging bomyeoisie. During this
demo raliziDg regime, 1t has been shorn OF
all the locks OF its power on the national
sovernmen, and public men of the coun- !
try. 1t has not sent to Washington q
single representative Of its old historical
families, no Calhoun, nor Clay, nor Ben.
ton, nor Bsrrisn. None Of its old names
have answered 10 tho roll.call in either
House at the capitol. None OF its old
chivalry, its high sense Of honor, has been
represented by the newly imported men
who hare pretended to answer for the
South The spirit which she boasted,
and which we denounced, has ceased to
act on the political morality Of the ma.
ton. Perhaps the whols Northern mind
rejoices at this emancipation. We arc
now showing tho world, and proving TO
ourselves. what We are doing and eau do
without the influence OF Southern aris-
tocracy, an we called it,
Yes; we have shown to tho world and