The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-28
and these inssitut tfons are of the es.
Sence of our system"

spedkdUle uenSeneSS OF JheSe opinions
that there is one plant, and we trust
but one plant, that feeds upon British
arls stOcracy,-the American Tory: and
we assume from the nature Of its
nOuriShment that it is not destined to
stlfle the spirit of democracy. A col
lege professor ought not to be remind
ed that British aristocracy has been
living these many centuries upon the
stalwart and ennobling sentiment of
Democracy abroadiin Great Britain.
The political botanist may farther
enrich his herbarium by plucking tory
specimens from the writings of David
A. Wells, who has felt quite recently
CALLED upon to say: 1.-THE United
States is trying an experiment for
which there is no precedent in the
worlds history. We have entrusted
the selection of legislators and the de-
termination of the policy of the fed
eral and state governments through
universal suffrage, to the masses, who
have little faith in, or knowledge of,
economic principles, and who do not
recognize that hardly a method can
te proposed for the material advance
ment of mankind which has not been
somewhere, or at some time, practi-
cally tried, and that the resulting eX-
periences are worth studying"
We have here bill of Indictment
against the masses for ignorance and
stupidity drawn by a political econo-
mist. He casts reflections upon the
Intelligence of a people that have
built up the mfghtiest nation in the
world, and he attacks the very ele-
ment that constitutes its greatness,
the average judgment of the masses.
In 1>oc
stones of the American common
wealth. Can it be that some of our
educators do not know the primer Of
Democratic principles?
There can be no mOdus vivendi es-
tablished between the classes and the
masses. Sparta agreed at one time to
accept the Joint reign of the two
kings; but a pure democracy must
govern alone or be governed. If the
people make the laws, aristocracy can
not. Ii asistOcracy gains fOot-room in
this republic. democracy will become
but the splendid masquerade of power
paraded TOR the amusement of the
few"
But the most startling exhibition of
the inner feeling OF the aristocracy of
this country is found in an extract
from speech of the celebrated Joseph
Cook, the idol Of the churches, the
pre- acher of a scientific Christianity.
Listen to him:
81 say, come OH with your schemes
OF confiscation, and forced loans, and
graded income taxes, and irrede en-
able currency, under, universal suf
rage, and II you arc sufficiently frank
in prOcIaiming the doctrines of yOur
ring leaders then. aRder military neces-
sny, and even here in the United
States, ace mast get rid of ulurersal sut-
J1age, and ,ce shall. Applause. Rath-
er than allow these things ace sI.aHEare
one Of the .fercest OF ciefJ scars. tPplong-
ed applause.
Observe the applause-thc prolonged
applause-over the prospect of Il civil
war between the aristocracy and the
masses. The Income Tax has been es-
tab1ished in England ever since the
Napoleonic wars; but an attempt to
enforce it here in this republic. and
make the rich pay their share of the
cost of government, is to be resisted
with guns and cannon! In other words
the West has got to give up it's ideas
Of reform or there will be Il bloody
fight: and if the East wins universal
suffrage will be wiped out.
The editor of Donahoe's Magazine
sent out this letter to a number of
leading educators:
DEAR SIR:-EditOr E. L. Godkin, of
the New York Evening Post, speaking
in the Forum Of the attitude of edu-
Gated men toward universal suffrage,
says: "AS a general rule, | think,
they either mistrust-or regret it. but
accept it as the inevitable" Would
it be too much to ask if you have dis
covered this tendency among educated
men?
He gives number of replies. One
is from a college President who does
not wish his name used. 1t is as fol-
lows:
81 think Mi.. God Kin is quite right in his
statement IN regard to nd}ly educated men.
Whether they do.not cherish a hope
that we are to- eflse,ye from or present
pe'Ils. and hope WeU ground on mann
good siqns,--is- another question. l
have not thought my-Own way out of
perplexities into which my earnest re-
Elections on the subject brought me,
and prefer not to be quoted on the
subject. Probably many students of
the matter vary in their opinions from
year to year."
President William J. Tucker, of
Dartmouth College, writes:
/ II think that fe,e educated men be-
liere IN atairersal suffrage as q natural
right; but know of none who would
wish to withdraw it as a political
right already esta blished under our
system of government"
OF course not. They think the
lions teeth are all wrong, but there
are none ready te attempt to draw
them.
President William F. Warren of
Boston University writes:
II think mostseducated people of
my acquaintancef regard universal suf-
frage as yielding o less perfect form of
government than q llWlb-cOnductcd d,istoc-
,ucy, but as producing far more per-
fet citizenship Oh the average, and a
far more perfeet political develop
ment."
These last phases are as a tub
thrown to the whale" But why should
more perfect citizenship and a
more perfect pq1itiqal development"
yield "a less perfect form of govern
ment?"
President William r. Harper of the
University of Chicago replies:
'It is my impression that Editor
GOdkin, in the quotation which you