The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-02-03
THE CAPITAL.
The Science of Government.
The Governing Of Modern &ciety Is Get
ting to be an Utmost Impossible
Task-W What is Being
Regulated.
lEdlto.ial corresponding Of the journal. ]

Editorial correspondents of the Journal
WASHINGTON, Jan. I3.-Modern society
is suce complicated thing that to "gov-
err" it is getting to be an impossible task
after the traditional idea If governing.
Every year demonstrates this growing
difficulty. When the governmental idea
took its present form there was nothing
but the Individual man to manage, only
his personal belongings to look after. A
man walked or rode horseback and all his
belongings were the direct formations or
adaptations Of the human hand-manual
labor. To govern then was a mere mat
ter cfdominance and direction. The mill
tarY profession is the remaining best rep
resentative of the ancient government,
the principle which we are SILL acting
upon-the itatute being the present form
Of the ancient order or decree. The mere
IA It that the main work of the world IS
now done by machinery, that we have
steam, the railway, the telegraph, tee
phone, electriclights and motors, and that
thease are matters entering into govern
ment." is all that is needed to illustrate
how Inadequate old methods are to deal
with the new. We want to do one thing
or the other-either change the idea Of
governing or change the method. Or, in
other words, quit governing for to go on
as is impractlcable.
For example, see what we are doing:
We are regulating what people shall eat,
what they shall drink, what form is per-
mitted to light your house, or provide
water and air for your dwelling, how fasi
we shall walk or run, ride or drive, and
when and how we shall communicate
with friends and in business affa rs. And
then what? All these thousand and one
you shall and you shsn't regulations are
enforced by arrest and then by fine Grim
prisonment or both. The representative
of this governing power is symbolized by
a man with a club, who takes you by the
collar and beats you over the head as the
| embodiment of Gods dispensation of au-
5hority to man-to govern" Is not that
about the size of it?
Now, as things are developing as to
human society, there is only one Of two
things to be: Either to assume all these
functions of governing by the people as a
whole, or to remit their management to
individual capacity and administration.
The very conditions that have brought
about the pre- sent disordered relation that
we misname government tell US of the
futility of the latter method. Associa-
ton of labor, opera icn and management
has become the necessity of modern life.
The lesson only tells US that we shall
never Lave order until the same principle
supplants the old idea of government, and
introduces the new form of association
A government of the people, by the peo-
pie, FOR the people, this-it does
not mean government by a party-a part
of the people the agents chosen by that
part. We now have govern nent by the
Republican party or By the Democratic
party, as the case may be-but not by the
people for the people. And we never can
have that sort of government till we
change the governmental consent-by the
will of a central power that orders under
a penalty-that restraints or directs by
penaities-by eoeroing the bodies of men.
Such a method never did, never can,
reach the cause of snything-therefore it
cannot correct it.
[ am led to these reflections by two
things I find in the morning papers: The
one is a remedy as to the present facility
of appeal to the Supreme Court OF the
United States where the death penalty is
involved It is the case of Jugiro, for
murder-like the Kemmler ELSEWHERE
the effect is the notification OF State laws
as to the infections of the death penalty.
The other is the demand of the Farmers
Alliance for the establishment Cf a postal
telegraph. Now, to hang q man is fast