The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-17
TUESDAY. JULY II, 1894.
LORD MACaULAy's LETTER AGAIN.

LORD MACaULAY's LETTER AGAIN.
The letter Of Lord Macaulay. which
we treated on Sunday, presents Two
phases Of the social question. Of which
we then treated only one. II presents
the danger which our institutions incur
from the turbulent and riotous clements
but it equally suggests that which they
run from the silent operation OF laws
made 10 plumber property owners We
confess that this view Of the case brinss
10 us far greater alarm than the scare
crow OF sticks and mobs All the man
hood. all the conservatism. all the JUS
tice of the people rises up to meet and
quei defiance Of law. But the silent
and insidious operation Of "A law designed
under all sorts of false preteXts and tax
ing pretensiOns 10 camp the thriftless
and the lazy upon those who are fOrtu-
nate enough to have something stored
away, eats into the heart of our inst-
tutions, sucks their life blood, and will
leave us a shell with all the kernel taken
out. This is the point at which patri-
otto Americans must meet Lord Macau-
lays multitude of people, none of whom
has had more than half a breakfast or
expects TO have more than half dinner"
This is the place they must be met when
that multitude asks, in his own language,
why anybody should be permitted to
drink champagne and ride in a Carrige,
while thousands of honest folks are in
want Of necessaries" This is the key
TO the position, and II the battle cannot
be won at this point. then we confess
that our institutions are a failure uni
vcrsal suffrage is a curse, and there is
nothing before the world but a success
sion OF dark ages, followed by CLEANS of
light as individuals may arise bold
enough and strong enough TO effect tenn
porary ameliorations in the terrible con-
ditions in which we will be found. If
the halls of our lawmakers are to be
filed by those who are sent there 10
make laws that will bear unequally upon
the people and fitch or eXtOrt from the
successful man what his thrift and in
dustry have secured then. indeed, will
our democratic institutions have proved
a failure. We have unbOundfd conf
dence in our free institutions. and We
know that that spread Of intelligence
which We discussed on Sunday Will force
correction of the injustces that creep
into our legislation in time. But we
confess TO sometimes viewing the ten
denotes OF the times with alarm. 1t
is calculated to disgust the most con
slant mind when an American sees a
majority of the members of both houses
of his national legislature vote to impose
an unequal and unfair tax arbitrarily
upon some men because they have good
incomes. and for no other reason. 1t
is an entering wedge. 1t is an abandon
ment OF the foundation principle that the
laws should bear equally upon all. and
when principle is once given up, all that
follows is scramble and scuftie. Some
get on the train, but many must get
left" And can those who are lucky
enough 70 get on the train expect to
retain their seats? Since tie rule viii
then have become the survival Of, not
the strongest. but the smartest. chi
cane will unseat the one who thinks
himself frmest bottomed, and success
full trickery will become the statesman
ship of the American people.
In the fight that is being made for
this as the rule most unnatural union
has been formed between the farmer
Populist and Macaulay's unknown, who
has had only half a breakfast and looks
for no more at dinner. Does not the
Populist farmer know that as soon as
the lazy and thriftless idler has used
him until they have together plundered
the rich man of all that he has. that
same thriftless idler win turn upon his
old ally. and. with the aid OF the mil
lions whom. together. they have made
thriftless also. he will in turn plumber
that farmer of all that he hasf 1t is
the law of plumber to be always on the
advance No thief or robber ever yet be-
came a willingly industrious man. Whilst
plumber is 10 be had. he viii have it
rather than work. The Populist ought
therefore TO know that in joining the
mob to plumber the rich he is surely es-
tablishing the rule of robbery TO which
he must equally in time bow his neck
IL our institutions are menaced, II is
at this point. We must fasten ourselvoJ
with hooks of steel TO the fundamental
principle that the law shall bear equally
upon all. or our free Institutions that
We have thought the greatest boon ever
vouchsafed TO man. will turn into the
most awful scourge the human race has
ever known.