The Northern Pacific farmer., 1882-10-26
buried near those of Webster at Marsh6eld.:
Mrs. .Scoville's insanity is now under dis
Sellsstoniin a Chicago court. Sas s
y, Archibald Forbes made $4,000 on bis
Aurtralian lectllring tour. = E}$
4 APH1LOsOPHER's OPINIONS.

y ~ AHHllNJSOfHEftS . O1ANAONo.
Herbert Spencer at Last Breaks His
Long Silence, and Expresses His
Wonder at What he Has Seen in
tho United Statcs-VieWsO of Amer
lean Politics and Society.
New York, Oct 2O.-Herbert Spencer,
the English metaphysician, has at last con-
sented to a public interview. 1t was made
by Prof f. l.. Youmans, and by That gentle
man given to your correspondent. Mr..
Spencer said that what he seen in this coun-
try had farexcee'ed his expectations. Moth
ing he had read had given him an adequate
idea of the immense developments or the
material civilization which he had e very
where found. "The extent, wealth and
magniicence of your cities and especially
the splendor of New York, have altogether
astonished me, and some Of your
minor places, such as Cleveland,
have sufficiently amazed me by
the marvellous results Of one generations
activity. After pondering over what | had
seen was suddenly reminded of the Italian
republics of the Middle Ages. and recalled
tie fact that while there was growing up
in them great commercial activity, their
people were gradually loosing their free
dom. You retain the forms freedom, but
so far as can gather there has been con-
siderable loss of the substance. 1t is doubt
less true that each of your citizens votes for
the candidate he chooses for this or that Of
fee, from president downward, but his hand
is guided by a power behind which leaves
him scarcely any choice. Manifestly who
framed: your constitution never dreamed
that 20, 900 citizens would go to the polls led
by "boss." America exemplities at the
other end of the social scale a change anala-
gous to that which has taken place under
Sunday despotisms. Here it seems to me
that the SOVEREIGN people" is fast
speaks as wire pullers determine" Mr..
Spencer by no means thinks republican in
stitutions a failure, but thirty years ago he
had said that the Americans got their form
of government by happy accident, not by
moral progress, and that they would have to
90 back before they could 90 forward.
What has since happened seems to him
justified that view, and what he has now
seen confirmed him in it. America is
SHOWING ON A LARGER SCALE
than ever before that paper constitutions
will not work as they are intended TO work.
Within the forms Of your constitution there
has grown up all organization ofprofessiona]
politicians altogether uncontemplated at the
outset, which has become in a large measure
the ruling power. Education and the difu-
sion of practical knowledge, he went on to
say, would not fit men for Tree institutions.
ut is essentially question of character and
only in q secondary degree question of
knowledge. Are not the 1nen who officer
and control your election organizations and
manipulation Of your cauc1lses and conven-
tions, and run your partisan campaigns, all
educated men? And has their education pre-
condoning the bfiberies, lobbyings, and 9TH
er corrupt methods which vitiate the actions
of your administration? III understand the
matter right, your civil service reformers are
attacking as vicious and dangerous a Sys-
tenn which has grown up under the natural
spontaneous working of your free institu-
tions are imposing vices which educated
has proved poWerless to prevent. Free in
stitutions cun be obtained only by citizens,
each of whom is instant to oppose every il
ligitim ate act. every assumption of supre-
macy, every official excess OF power, however
trivial it may seem. Ifthe American pauses
to consider whether he can afford the time
and trouble, whether it will pay, corruption
is sure to creep in. One trial refer to is
shown by the disrespectful manner in which
individuals are dealt with in your journals.
There seems to be a notion that tie public
havea
RIGHT TO INTRnDE ON PRIVATE LIFE
as far as they like, and this I take to be a
kind Of moral tressrassing. Then III a
larger way the trait is seen in this damag-
ing of private property by your elevated
railways without making compensation, and
it is again seen in the doings of railway
companies not only when overriding the
rights Of shareholders but in domination
over the courts of justice..and state govern.
ments The fact is that free institutions
can be properly worked onlY;> by each Oi
whom i5jea!ous Of his own tights and also
sympathetically jealous of the rights OF
others. No one can form more than vague
and general conclusions rs to the future OF
this country; the factors are too numerous,
too vast, too far beyond measure
in their quantities and inten-
sites. The world has never before
seen social phenomena at all comparable
with those presented i'll the United States.
That hereafter troubles of various kinds,
and very grave ones, seems highly probable,
but all nations have had and will have
their troubles. The American nation will
be long time in evolving to it's ultimate
form, but its ultimate form will be high.
think that whatever difficulties they may
have to surmo,,nt, aud whatever tribula
! tiOns they may have TO pass through, the
| Americans may reasonably look forward to
a time when they will nave produced a civ
ilization grander than any the world has
ever produced