Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-07
PIUrocRAcy AND DEMOCRACY,

II
in speech at Wilmington, concerning the
power of wealth in this country and the
growing spirit of ''plu.ocracy and not de-
mocracy," arouses the dissent of the New
York Sun. That able journal argues that
the power of the Government is retained in
| the hands of the mass of voters, each of
whom "is possessed of the same sovereign
power-that belongs to every other citizen,
whether rich or poor. A plutocracy cannot
rise under such circumstances.
This is indisputable as to the form of our
Government, but still it leaves Secretary
Bayard's view unrefuted except by dogmatic
assertion. Unfortunately the form of our
Government and the letter of our Constitu-
tion do not determine the spirit or the prac-
tice by which laws are passed or admins
tered. 1t is the most familiar lesson of his
tory that governments which avow one form
frequently drift by practice into something
radically different Rome preserved the
nominal pretense of a republic long after
the empire was absolute. France retained
the same name after the military dictator
ship of the First Consul was established be-
yond dispute The English aristocracy
swayed the legislation and policy of Great
Britain for a century and half, during
which time the executive was nominally
hereditary monarch who could do no wrong
because he had no power, and the legisla-
tive power was vested in the House of Com
mons. nominaliy elected by the people, but
actually named by the great mobiles. The
fact that the Constitution designates the
sources of political power does not deter
mine the real character of the governing
power unless the spirit and letter of that in
strument are faithfully and sincerely
obeyed.
What Secretary Bayard said did not dis
pute the power of the democracy as nomi-
nally fixed by the Constitution, but re-
ferred to the spirit which is influential in
governing our legislation and administra-
tion. If great corporations can marshal
their hosts of employees to the polls, to vote
for their selected legislative agents, the
power of the popular vote to that extent
does not maintain democracy intact against
the encroachments of plutocracy. II capi-
tai can shape legislation for its especial ad-
vantage by influencing the representatives
of the people, or if, where they cannot, they
can ignore and nullify the laws that are
passed, the form of government may be
democratic; but the actual governing power
is. as Secretary Bayard says. that of
plutocracy.
1t would be too much to assert that the
power of wealth is the only one governing this
country: but the cases in which it has made
exactly the above encroachments upon pure
democracy are too prominent to blink the
fact that the tendency in that di-
rection is one of the most immi-
neut perils to popular government. The
presence of the issue would hardly be more
manifest than it is in Pennsylvania. When
great corporations are practically nullifying
constitutional and statute law, it is hard to
conceal the fact that the governing spirit in
that case is not the popular power which
enacted those laws, but the plutocratic
power which overrides the enactment.
When candidate for Governor is unable
to perceive anything serious in his own
violation of constitutional provision, it is
high time, if the spirit of democracy is to
be preserved as the governing power, for the
people to assert that the fundamental law
must be respected, both in letter and spirit.
No more vital issue can be presented to
the people of this country than the one
whether the democraticform of our Govern
ment shall be maintained as vital force,
or whether the plutocratic spirit shall be
permitted to sway our elections, legislation
and administration. The outcome of the
present campaign will have decided bear
ing on that issue.