The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-01-11
THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF
POPULAR GOVERNMENT.

age, gays gentleman who has to
deal officially with aged people, are
very different from the reality of
weakness, irritability, personal
and sickness. 1t is the
old gap between what should be and
what is, or what we call the real
and the ideal. Tkis contrast was
doubtless suggested to some musing
spectator at the closing centennlals
of the great Revolutionary series at
Newburgh and in New York. When
the retiring British fleet, after
firing the last shot of the Revolu-
ton at the Staten Island patriots,
who shouted with derisive glee
and vanished beyond Sandy
Hook, and British authority was
completely overthrown in the old
colonies, doubtless there were honest
patriots in the city who breathed
freely and joyfully IN the conviction
that now the American people,
chastened by long and sharp expert
ence, would select the best citizens
for the chief officers, and make in-
telligence and public virtue the
foundation of the new government.
A few years later, when Washing
ton stood where the new statue of
him in Wall street stands, and took
the oath to discharge Loyalty the
great Office to which he had been
unanimously elected, those honest
patriots might well feel that their
anticipations would be FUTILE 4, and
thrt the new republic would in
dictate its character by the selection
of men of the Washington mould for
its official leaders. But if one of
them should stray into the city to-
day, and express the same simple
expectation, would he or would he
not be regarded with the amused
surprise which greeted the awaken
ing of Rip Van Wrinkle, and would
or would not his questions and his
amazement seem as Anticipated and
strange as Rips dazed inquiries to
his old companions, and his ragged
and quaint attire?
Let any reader turn to Mrs.
Lambs admirable and pleasant his
tory of New York, and look at the
men who were foremost in the city
government and In the city repre-
sentation to the legislature hun-
dred years ago, and then contem-
plate many of the corresponding
dignatarieS to-day. Would he not
be conscious of the difference be-
tween the real and the ideal, be-
tween the theory and the fact :?
Obliged to ask himself whether the
best men in the community were
usually selected as it's representa-
tives, would he be able to answer,
simply and directly, yes? The Easy
Chair could show him a community
in which in honest, able, intelligent,
experienced and admirable repre-
sentative was lately superseded in
his own party by political jObber,
for no other reason whatever eX-
cept that the honest and experienced
man was disliked for the same
reason that Aristides was ostracised.
Doubtless the reader smiles as he
proceeds, and remarks that he could
show the simple old Easy Chair
plenty of such instances. And if
he should do so, would it or would
it not tend to show that the real
operation Of popular institutions is
somewhat different from the ideal !?
The moral which the simple old
Easy Chair desires to spring upon
the smiling reader is that republics
will not work themselves. The
"good men" will not appear in the
high Offices merely because in a re-
public, or a government of the
numerical majority, it will be al
ways the interest of the community
to select honest and competent
officers. It is the interest of drivers
to treat their horses kindly, but
horses are often fearfully abused. 1t
was the interest of slave holders to
treat their slaves well, but read the
story of slavery. 1t is in the inter
est Of men to pc temperate, frugal,
self. restrained. Does the smiling
reader know any men who are not
so? Interest is very powerful
motive, but it is not the strongest.
Passion of many kinds is stronger.
Principle is stronger. 1t is un-
deniably the interest of the com-
munity to select its best men for
its officers; but that interest will be
overborne by passion. by ignorance,
by brutality. Professor Ely shows
us that the defect of our political
economy has been its overestimate
and excavation of the power of
self.interest It is as true in the
political as in the industrial sphere
No man, therefore, has right to
complain that the reality of p lpular
government is very different from
It's theory until he has done
his share in supplying that
active practical participation in
it which the theory presupposes.
The theory of popular government
is not that few mercenary politl~
clans will select the best citizens for
once, but that the whole commu
nifty will do so. Ii the HONEST early
patriots who watched the evacua-
ton of the city and the inaugura-
ton of Washington supposed that
the whole community would arouse
itself at the appeal of every election,
they were mistaken. What it eau
do when it does arouse itself, the
overthrow of Tweed showed. What
epormouS risks of every kind it