The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-03-07
THE DAILY BULLETIN.


the strongest fabric TO the ground.
When speak Of republican govern
mcnt rs being one Of the two extremes, 90
! speak correctly; ! think ! do. For
has it not been conceded that
1t il il the best form OF gov
crnmont in theory at least, that has eve.
existed or been DEVISED The chief obje2-
ton to it mas always been that it was good
only in theory, that il was ntopian, that it
claimed too much for the individual, that
It's theory vas an assumption Of mans be.
ing much better than he really is; that
practiCallyit would be found weak, that
where everybody ruled, soon nobody would
rule, and hence, anarchy. Bur time, the
oyer-tlrnei Of theories, is happily the cstab-
Usher Of tAcories also; and time becomes
history, and history tells US, think, that
these fears and prophecies Of weakness and
disintegraion are not well founded. For
while We must judge the future by the
past, we must remember that only
like causes can produce like results; and if
you can fad people exceptionally sit
uated, exceptionally advanced in intel.i-
ceuce, il morals, in recognition II the in.
a.icnabIe rights Of men, is il too much to
expect an exceptional result?
Having thus noticed our situation, our
surroundings, our advantages and oppor-
tuniiics, and Also 70 some extent, the phil
osopAy nj our government, let US consider
for while what the philosophy Of history
teaches Us as people
!ttcaches Us that without intelligence
and morality We can expect no permanent
success. This IS not only the teaching
and, therefore, the philosophy Of history,
but il is also the philosophy Of the system
Itself.
Other forms Of government are not con.
s'ita'ea, Ike ours, upon the principle that
the government is to be by the people, In
other forms, IN proportion as the people have
lc., yoccin the administration OF public az
i4iT,, there is the less need Of intelligence
and morality among them. Indeed, in
proportion as intelligence and morality are
required in the one form, in the same pro-
portion is their absence required in the
other forms. So, in the descent from re-
pubhcanism 10 absoutism, you will find
light and knowledge, virtue and morality
declining and coming TO nothing at the
foot Of the scale. The genius of
abso,utism is power, and that rests
upon ignorance. The absolutist endeavors
10 preserve his power by perpetuating igno-
rance, Absolute power in the prince is
CONSISTENT only with absolute ignorance in
the subject, They are twin allies; the one
is never about without the other; the one is
never found without the other.
Can anything be more conclusive than
tins fact, that as we ascend from the lowest
10 the highest, from the monarchy, in It's
old and exact sense, TO the republic, intel.i.
gcnce is found 10 increase. lis presence in
the one and absence in the other has all the
force Of demonstration.
But are We sufficiently convinced Of this
fact to-day: Do we look upon
our government as one log
ically requiring the recognition
Of this truth in all its amplitudei Do we
look upon our government as logical
system, as one constructed upon principles
the disregard Of which must be traught
with danceri | fear we do not,
No system can stand regardless Of the
foundation upon which it is built. The
foundation of our system IS the intelligence
and morality Of the people. couple in
tclhgencc and morality morality
in its broadest sense. In a republic they
are as inseperably necessary as are abso.
lutte power and ignorance in despotism.
Do not say to me, this is all very well,
but it is all very common place every
body talks that way; there is no
end to the writing and speaking
and printing of our intelligence, education
morality and all those concededly good sorts
of things; they are good enough perhaps,
bur they are old and very stale give Us
something new, or if you cannot, then give
Us something old but dress it up or de.
scribe II so that we will think il is new,
and never mind the imposition.
What a miserable mistake. The Ath.
enians went up and down the streets Of
their city inquiring for something new,
But they were eXcusablc; for the world
was then very small, and Greece was
thought to be the principal part OF it, very
much as Americans once thought of our
country.
What is needed among US, upon
tins subject, is not state.
ment Of new thoughts, If they can be
found, nor restatement of old ones II
some new or disguised garb, we need rather
the statement of the truths themselves,
with such emphasis as will reach the con.
seriousness of men, such statement Of
them as vii! not only obtain the mental as.
sent of men, but obtain from them such ac-
tions as will show their conviction Of the
truths themselves.
We are greatly mistaken if we suppose
that we are the only people who have at
tempted the formation and maintenance of
Republican form of government. His
tory tells US Of the wrecked and stranded
nations and people, who, regardless Of the
elements, or lack of elements, they pos.
sessed, have reached out in convulsive
agony after that of which they
we're not then worthy, or for which they
were not then prepared A few rays Of
light piercing their almost impenetrable
ignorance as they lie under the heavy iron
hand of power, they rise in their throcs
of desperation, but they rise only to de.
strov They rise bnt il is in their irnor.