The Jersey City news., 1892-03-15
DHMOCRACY'S FAILINGS
Cosmos Dimes and Then
Sits in Judgment on
Its Fellow Men.
PAR0CHIAL SCHOOL TILT.
Father Corrigan's Warm Defence
George Records Novel Pri-
mary Scheme.

The meeting of the Cosmos Club on the
new plan at the Hotel Washington last
night proved q decided success. The feast
OF reason was preceded by a dinner at
seven O'Clock. tor which covers for thirty
five were laid. everyone being taken. In
the absence of President Flemming. ex-
Mayor Gilbert Collins was chosen Chair
man, and presented for consideration the
question:-"Have you lost faith in Democ-
racy" An expression of opinion was
given by almost everyone present. all as a
matter of course, favoring a Democracy
In preference to any other form of govern
ment. Mr. Murray provoked a little
breeze over the parochial sch ool question
BY remarking that the evil to be feared
by this Republic was the increasing in
roads of system of schools the teaching
or which was inimical to the institutions
of the country. Father Corrigan, who
was present. defended the schools. He
said that they taught the children to be-
come better citizens, and instilled in their
hearts love for the American flag. The
very politicians of which so much com
plaint is made were educated in the pub
lie schools.
MIR. RECORDS ADDRESS.
The address of the evening was deliver
ed by George Record. He said in sub
stance that the common people, the wage
worker and the farmers could always be
trusted in the long run.
"The country has nothing" he con-
tinued, ito fear from emigrants. They
only form at the most q very small per-
centage of any community. In the cities,
where the Irish chiefly govern, they do
not amount to over fifteen per cent The
main body of emigrants are hard working,
honest people. and whenever they get
chance to earn an honest living they be-
come first class American citizens as a
rule. In Wisconsin there are whole coun-
ties peoped by Scandinavian races, where
the English language is not spoken either
in the schools or in the courts, and yet
there are no finer manifestations of the
civil virtues than in those communities.
Take, for instance, Monmouth county
in this State, Mr. Record continued.
"There Isl no county in the United States
where there is u less percentage of citi-
zens of foreign extraction than in that
county. 1t is q county of native Ameri-
cans, and there is no county in the coun-
try where political corruption is more
utterly shameless than in Monmouth.
They have sent to the Legislature in this
generation the most notoriously corrupt
Legislators Of any county In the State.
These facts prove that liberty thrives or
decays irrespective of the question of the
descent of the citizen.
LESSONS FROM HISTORY.
"All Republics have decayed from the
top. Thers was never any trouble in
handling the thieves, murderers and
ballot box suffers. but society was AL
ways demoralized by the successful
rogues in high places. The crimes of the
masses are not dangerous at all in COM
parison with the corruption of the rich
and respectable classes. Take John
Wannamaker, for instance. He is Super
intendent of q Sunday School and stands
high in the Presbyterian Church. yet he
raises 100000 and gives them to motor
ious defaulter who made a deal with
Hill and bought the Presidency. The
people respect him and he holds high
place in society. In my opinion ballot
box stuffer is mucn less TO be feared than
man of that stripe.
''The trouble is that we ask impossible
things from people. Supposing the
and free silver how is any man who be-
lieves in free trade and not in free silver
going to express his views with single
ballot? The same difficulty exists in
most municipal elections. The average
voter has to chose between an unfit can
didate of his party and the candidate of
the opposing party.
WEALTH SERIOUS DANGER.
"The fundamental cause of the appar-
enu decay of liberty in America is due to
the inequality Of wealth. No Republic
can last long when the masses are
poor and very few are enormously rich.
Perhaps the purest exhibition of Demo-
cracy is in Switzerland in the old country
and Vermont in this. In both these places
a millionaire is scarcely known and
wealth is more evenly distributed"
MIR. Record suggested partial remedy
in municipal matters would be to require
primaries of both parties to be held at the
same time and place on registry day. Let
the primary continue all dy under the
direction of the registry officers and let
the man who can get sufficient number
of signatures nominate himself
on the primary ticket, which should be
printed at public expense. A personal
registry should be required, and as the
voter went to register he would be
handed ticket of both parties, on which
would be names from which he could de
eide which name would be suitable can
didate on his ticket.
The system, Mr.. Record said, was sim
pie, and the choice would be a clean and
respectable man. This would do away
with the present corrupt primaries, and
would break up the power of the bosses
by taking away from them the naming
of the candidates.