St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-26
GOVERNMENT BY PARTIES.
II, W. SmaIIey Discusses Its Primer
pIeS.-The Labor Question


II. ". smaIIey Discusses Its Princi-
DIeS.-The Labor q question.
II WAS very entertaining as well as IN
structiye lecture delivered last evening In
the lecture room of the Unity church by Il.
V. Smalley, this being the seventh OF
series under the auspices OF the Local
Science club of st. Paul. Mr.. Smalleys
theme was Government by Parties. and he
introduced the lecture with the remark that
what notes he had made had been pre-
pared with the understanding that the
lecture was to be delivered to class OF
Young men, and he feared, as large per-
centage of the audience appeared 10 De
older people, that some OF his remarks
might seem trite.
Mr.. Smalley said that the lines or Pope
For forms of government let fools contest
Whatever's best administered is best,
were misleading and that the old saying that
an absolute MONARCHY would be hest IL an
angel could be ruler was fallaclous, Tor II
would not develop the intellectual power OF
the governed. 1t WAS not always, because
our republican form CT government produced
the best results that we consider IL the Oest'
but because il brings out the best abilities OF
the people and causes discussion OF puoHc
atFairs He compared the European peasant
difference between them, the latter taking
constant part in the conflict OF ponies.
Our presidential campaigns were great
educators, for there was large class OF peo-
pie not living in cities and not in the line OF
constant activity whom il developed. ADso-
utism in government was closely associated
With absolutism in religion. ii a man be-
ieves there is an ABSOLUTE religious power 10
settle all things for him,1to regulate al his al
fairs il is an easy transition 10 apSOluusm III
government. Hence absolute Cover nments
have always favored absolute religion. with
the modern movement in politics came the
reformation in religion. We often forget
thar the form Of our government is pat
termed largely after Holland, where our an
cestors, the pilgrims, spent several years
OUR TOWNSHIP GovERNMENr,
the bass of the whole structure, finds its
model III hUaud, our state governments III
the provinces OF Hollan i.our general govern
ment in the states general OF which the chief
officer corresponds to our president. Gov
eminent by one party is absoiutism and has
its example in Russia, where any opposition
10 the ear is treason. Nowhere else in the
civilized world is this so, and even the bar
barous tribes and our Indians nave carefully
avoided absoluIism. Government by two
parties is essentially the Anglo-SaXon idea.
Pitt spoke of Ibis majesty's opposition" with
great respect, recognizing IT was essential.
The basis of government by two parties Is
that there will be no danger to the govern
ment in transition of power from one to the
other. They differ only in regard 10 affairs
of administration. England is the best eX-
ample in history OF COVE II nent by
two parties-there has always been a
conservative and progressive party. Some
times it happens that neither party has the
courage to take up some vital question,
hence the third party, as the Parnellites.
There are some gCoi examples OF the third
party i'm our government, as the Liberty party
in 1874, Free Sellers of lS4S, Liberal Republic
cans Of 1872 and the Mugw jumps of the
present time. The third party has one
popularity. 1t overthrows one fundamental
principle of our government that majority
rules, for the custom Of eecting by plurality
has been adopted for convenience. The two
notable instances of government by many
parties are France, which is governed by an
assembly in which there ere five or six
parties called after the position they occup
in the house. and in Germany, where there
are Social Democrats, Liberals, Nationalist
Ullramoltand and Polish, such condition
affords wide field for intriguing Statesmen
like Bismarck. There was one time in this
country-never repeated-when six distinct
parties were represented in congress.
MI Smalley gave brief history of po-
litical parties in this country and held that
professional politicians were necessary;
that if everyone took as much interest in
politics as the man who kept a saloon on
the corner the country would be better Off
In conclusion he touched upon
THE LABOR PROBLEM,
which he considered the great question Of
the day. because it reached further down
into the masses and affected everyone ;
private interests. There was at the present
time a great ferment of new ideas all over
the world an attacking of established con-
ditiOns of society. and in this country more
than anywhere else.
a hundred years Of free schools had made
the poor as well educated as the rich, ana
they were more than ever disconnected. The
Door are not worse off than before; they are
much better off, but their wishes have been
uumcasul ably magnihed by their education.
The wOrkingman now wants books, wants his
daughter to play on the piano. his children TO
go to school, wants good clothes and his wife
wants silk dresses, and he goes down town in
the evening 10 attend club and some fellow
half drunk with beer gets up and talks
''blood, blood" The whole system of society
is being undermined by these Sc cret societies
The ggrcgate wants of the laboring classes
are mmc; rably gre alter than the power of
the social organism TO supply. The machine
saves the work of Il thousand men and turns
out its products in the interest OF capital, but
the workingman who invented it gets
little. These men who talk these ideas
are difficult to answer. How shall we
reorganize? This is quest OF thar
may not be settled in our day and it ma
cause trouble. 1t is the duty of all employ
ers and employees to meet this question with
unselfishness and kindness. We must do all
we can to avod bitterness and anger, ana
meet true people of the knighthood of labor
with kindness, liberality and charity, and
thus avoid a great precipice, fall from
which would require century TO recover.
The next lecture of this course will be by
Rev. H. II. Hart on the History of Prison
Ref orm.