Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-11-18
EDUCATION AND POLITICS.

There ia a great deal of friction in orr
politics, and it is largely if not altogether
due to defective popular education. Per-
haps two-thirds of the hardest work done
in poIitical discussion is devoted to COM
batting misapprehensions and exposing fall
lacies propagated by demagogues, but
which never could have obtained any hold
upon the public mind had the latter been
prepared to appreciate the value of ele.
mentary laws in all the departments of
government. BY far the greatest part of
the bitter feeling which SO constantly crops
out in our political contentious may be
traced to erroneous conceptions of princi-
pies which in themselves afford no more
ground for such sentiments than do the
laws of physical science. The most potent
work of the demagogue is done by per-
suading the ignorant that whatever propo-
sitions it suits his purpose to oppose are adj
vanced with sinister intent. By ascribing
selfish or malignant ends to his opponents,
he excites the prejudice of the unthinking,
and SO incapacitates them for judging Is
sues fairly. From the moment they be-
gin to believe in the reality of the alleged
selfish purpose of the accused, they
cease to be open to rational con-
viction, and thenceforward are the
blind thralls of cunning impostors. 1t is
| j.. I'D aa,,IJ ha fbn I
the people were enabled, by broader and
larger education, to discriminate between
scientific laws and principles, and the
| interested inventions OF self-seekers. II for
example our schools taught sound doctrine
in relation to the science OF government,
finance, fiscal policy, and so forth, it
would be no longer possible for partisans
to play with these subjects as they do, and
to delude the masses so easily by putting
forward the most crude and even prepos-
terous theories on all related questions.
There are some topics in regard to which
the possession of constitutional definitions
| is by no means blessing, moreover, for
the habit of setting up the constitution as
the be-all and the end.all of human wis
dom tends to cramp and narrow the
understanding, and to prevent men from
seeking the best methods Of doing what
ever has to be DONE Obviously, in order
to ascertain what is best, in governments in
everything else, the broadcast generalizations
ought to be taken. The history of man.
kind should be studied, and illustrations,
examples and warnings be drawn from the
worlds archives. But constitutional
standard may frequently confine discussion
to itself, and as result retard the devel-
opment of higher methods than could have
been attainable at the time the constitu-
ton was framed. 1t is, however, in con-
nection with the great questions of the
time that the need of fuller education is
most clearly manifested. We go on dis
putting over settled points, simply because
the information of large element of our
voters is so defective that they do not
know the points are settled. This element
insists upon dealing with everything as
new and undetermined, and It'll encouraged
by demagogues to believe that it is justified
in so doing, and is deferred from accepting
the assurances Of the better informed by
being told that they are inspired by self
ish motives.
!