The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-12-12
"a SERIOUS QUESTION"

some comments by q Correspondent.
To the Editor:
The Representative of the 28th happened
to fall into my hands and have been read
Ing 1t with interest It proved to be an ex-
cellent number. Its article on "a Serious
Question" is none too serious. Never be-
fore have the American people been so
completely placed upon the brink of a
boundless chasm as at the present moment.
We may decide if we choose that the con-
stitution of the United States is the most
imperfect instrument ever devised by man,
1t is still true that it is the only cohesive
force Of which we are possessed, and the
culture that destroys that force (and let
the dinerence between destruction and prop
err change be emphasized) is more treasona-
bic than was Judas, although he was clear
ly one Of the disciples
Allow it to slip from our feet without
struggle and we are in the position of Asia
Minor, and % years or less time will bring
about their conditions. No amount of mill
hary force or victories in the field can
mold the voluntary allegiance of 7O,0O0,OOO of
people to a system of organized force I'M
posed upon them. Silence may mean quiet,
but never consent. The faith in the sta
DIRTY OF things can never be restored. The
American people will become scattered so
FAR as voluntary cohesive force is con-
cerned as are the grains of sand in the
river current. Military force will act just
as does the current upon the sand banks.
Today 1t builds a bank. tomorrow a flood
and the bank has disappeared. 1t is
force from without. Such a struggle
makes of society compound of forces like
those embodied in nitro-glycerine and high
explosives generally. OF stability there is
none, and the gathering together again of
the human forces scattered over the area
Of the United States into one compound,
voluntary whole. once they have been shat
tered, does not seem within the realm of
possibilities. And these elements that show
miStakably in the articles quoted from
them in the Representative such trend
emphasizing everywhere the fact that they
consider themselves the cultured and in
telligent classes-colege professors, editors,
political economists. AS to culture-the
pickpocket possesses a culture. Everything
in the form of organized humanity possess
es culture. The bandit, the pirate, the
gambler succeed by reason of their culture.
VIII an intelligent man devise scheme
or knowingly become a party to any scheme
that is certainly self-destructive? Our
called business men in this position
this want of confidence over which they
moan so YEARLY. Well. unless we return
to the constitution and it's methods of
bringing about changes. become a perma-
nent factor it will intensity time goes
on. Was an intelligent animal ever known
to commit suicide? What is it that bus
mess men have been schemng for years
in combination with the cultured classes
to accomplish If not this? Have they ever
showed themselves at any time here or
elsewhere possessed of horse sense-but they
are cultured. Those Of them who have
Travelled abroad, and intelligent cult
ured classes usually have. and fingered in
the land of the dolce far niente, and adj
mired the wonderful polish of the Lazzoth
and also developed sympa thetic but sneak
ing admiration for the polish Of the fakir
and horse trading gypsy, these are the in
telligent and polished classes of Europe
and they have studied them to purpose,
therefore are they cultured.
But there is also another very important
type of European to be studied. 1t is the
great ruling classes, with a long string of
ancestors, some of whom. if let alone by
their descendants, give some evidence of
having been possessed of horse sense: but
their descesdants, coming down through
pools of corruption that have in the past as
we'll as the present "smelled to the very
heavens and only goes to show that the
heavens are unoccupied by anything possess
ing intelligence. e.