The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-03-15

tion, but such tendency towards democracy,
Is clearly discernibe in the history and
evolution Of all civilizations, ancient or
modern. Vigorous thought and enter
prise, knowledge and invention, dominG-
tions Of genius and Developments Of
governmental and social organizations,
have become worldwide growths; and no
kind Of progress, intellectual, industrial,
governmental or social, can be kept within
It's former narrow boundaries; 1t crosses
the seas, lt penetrates tAe mountains,
geographical and political bt undaries arc
no longer obstacles to the potential march
Of evolutionary progress In the history Of
civilization. The world--the wide, Wide
world is now the true domain of know
ledge; and IL each nation displays some
special capacities in some special branch,
the various capacities Of different nations
compensate one another, and the advant-
ages which could be derived from them
would be only temporary. The fine British
workmanship in mechanical arts, the
Yankee boldness for gigantic enterprise,
the French systematic mind, and the
German pedagogy, are becoming inter-
national capacities.
It is needless 20 say, that these facts,
with others, distinctly indicate a strong
current, in a large stream, towards decen-
tralization and a purer democracy; and
that in the same ratio, all things being
equal, Government everywhere tends to-
wards paternalsm. And If the ideal
"Paternal Government" means, to more
completely minister TO the wants and
needs Of the people; why should IL not be
encouraged If it tends to do this, il is
the grandest and sublimest ideal TO strive
to get into practice.
Woodrow Wilson on Congressional
Government" page SO, etc., emphasizes
this tendency, by drawing striking con-
trast between two seemingly opposing
tendencies, TO wit: between Capitalization
and paternalism. He we'll and forcibly
says: There are voices in the air which
cannot be misunderstood. The times
seem TO favor a Capitalization OF Govern
mental functions such as could not have
suggested itself as possibility to the
trainers of the Constitution. Since they
gave their work to the world, the whole
face of that world has changed. The Con
stitution was adopted when it was six days
hard travelling from New York to Boston
when 10 cross East River was to venture a
perilous voyage; when men were thankful
for weekly mails; when the extent of the
cOuntry's commerce was reckoned, not in
millions, but in thousands of dollars; when
the country knew few cities, and had but
begun manufactures; when Indians were
pressing upon near frontiers; when there
were no telegraph lines, and no monster
corporations. UnquestionablY, the press
ing problems of the present moment regard
the regulation of our vast system of COM
merce and manufacture, the control Of
giant corporations, the restraint OF
monopolies, the perfection Of fiscal arrange
ments, the facilitating of economic ex-
lo1,o ,,,I H.. -
Germs, amongst which may possibly be
numbered the question of marriage and
divorce; and the greatest of these problems
do not fall within the enlarged sphere OF
the Federal Government; some of them
can be embraced within its Jurisdiction by
no possible sIetch of construction, and
the majority Of them only by wrestling the
Constitution to strange and as yet un-
imagined uses. Still, there is a distinct
movement IN favor of national control of
all questions of policy which manifestly
demand uniformity of treatment and power
of administration such as cannot be realized
by separate, unconcerted action of the
States; and it seems probably to many that,
whether by constitutional Amendment, OF
by still further flights of construction, yet
broader territory will at no distant day be
assigned TO the Federal Government. It
becomes matter of the utmost Importance,
therefore, both for those who would arrest
this tendency, and for those who, because
they look upon 1t with allowance, and not
with positive favor, would let it run Its
course, TO examine critically the Govern
ment upon which this new weight of re-
sponsibility and power seems likely TO be
cast, in order that its capacity both for the
work it now does and for that which II
may be called to do, may be definitely
estimated"
IL may safely be asserted that the ten.
dency of Cove "nment is everywhere to
wards demo" acy more strongly than ii
eyer has been at any period of the worlds
his ,ory; but this tendency does not
warrant the conclusion in that unqualified
sense in which the anti-paternal' st teach .
the democratic maxim that that Govern
ment Is best which governs least. 1t is
goHd democratic doctrine that least Gov
ernment is best Government. This must
not be taken however, IN an absolute
sense, but it means least under the cir
cumstances. If this were not so, that
would be the best Cove lment which
allowed every man to trampls upon the
rights and libert es of other men; and the
ideal Government of democracy would be
one that permitted all sorts of wrongs and
injuries without remedy. But what is
the difference in principle between such a
Government and one that permits indIvid-
uals or corporations to harass and plunder
the community through their control and
management Of such public concerns as
are naturally monopolies? Whenever the
alternative occurs, whether the people
shall be governed by individuals, Or by
themselves, the vital principle of democracy
comes forward-and no matter what mere
general rule Of democracy adapted to other
circumstances may have preyailed-aud
declares that the people shall govern them
selves. But the opponents of so-called
"Paternal Government" forget that
democracy is based upon principles which
must be adapted to conditions, and not up
on infleXible rules. They apply democratic
rules a century old. TO the conditions of to.
day, wholly ignoring what the majority OF
the people are beginning to see, that in OBJ
serving the rule, they repudiate the princi.
pie. W. NJ. RAPsHER.