The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-02-03
rewn Meetings and Free sen.ol..

of the city locally known as Dorches-
ter. Dorchester was originally a
Massachusetts, town, later q city, but
fer q good many years past has been
incorporated with the New England
metropolis OF which it forms the
southeastern portion. The common.
Grafton was of a twofold nature. It
celebrated two great events in the
history, not only of Boston, of Mas
~sachusetts and of New England, but
Of the entire American Union. In
Dorchester q little more than two
centuries and q half ago there was
held the first town meeting that the
world ever saw, and there was estab-
lished the first free public school
known in American history. In eel.
ebration OF these cpoch-making events
there e. yesterday simple but deep
ly impressive services near the spot
where the first town meeting assem-
bled and the first public free school
was opened.
What themes were those for elo-
quence and poetry! What studies do
they suggest to the mind u: the his
torian, the statesman and the. philo.
sopher! The town meeting is the
acorn from which has grow: Il mighty
forest OF free institutions. The pub
lie free school established by a little
company of devoted men and women
has proved 10 be the corner stone OF
the temple of enlightened liberty.
The town meeting stood for self gov
eminent In Its simplest, most print
tive, most elementary and most per-
feet form. Every cnfranrhised citi.
zen was privileged TO attend, to speak
and to vote. All were on a politica'
equality. Rich and poor, learned and
unlearncd, patrician and plebcian b,
birth, were all alike clothed with th,
majesty of kingship in manhood's
divine right. The FREQ school was
The fitting aud needful adjunct of the
town meeting. This represented in
telligence, as that represented free
dom. This meant knowledge, a thai
meant power. Their union stood for
an alliance between the present and
the future. The men who held the
first town meeting meant that il
should not be the last. Therefore
they laid foundations which should
secure for their children capacity to
reproduce and perpetuate the privil-
EGGS which they themselves enjoyed.
They knew that liberty was either n
blessing or a curse, according as il
was exercised wisely or foolishly
So, in their poverty, in their feeble
ness and fewness of numbers, in thc
wild wilderness of a new world,
rounded by savage nature and savage
men, they built the sc%boolhouse. The,
builded better than they knew, bui
they knew that they were building
we'll Their Ghildrcn's children, man,
generations removed in time, bu:
seeking ont and hallowing the place.
have rendered to those wise and lofty
minded master builders a tribute OF
grateful honor.
In the town meeting is the germ OF
ilIe Republic. 1t is a microcosm.
Doubtless q theoretically ideal sci
government, an absolute democracy
would be an exact copy of such Z;
model. II would be a state i'll which
every law is enacted by direct vote
Of all the people; in which the en-,
forcement of law is committed to thu
hands of persons chosen wholly by
universal suffrage. Such an ideal Is
necessarily impraetieatie. There ART
insuperable obstacles of n physical
nature. Vast multitutics of peopl,
cannot assemble at one time in ONT
place for the work of legislation and
election. Hence a representative sys
TEN becomes imperative. The ms
ch;nery of the frcest possible govern
ncBt v to a considerable extent COM
pick. Since the people cannot direct
ly make laws, the next best thing.
next nearest 10 a pure democracy, i.
q republican form of government.
with q written constitution which
provides that men selected, some dI
rectly, others indirectly, by popular
vote, shall execute the peoples will.
But, however tar we Bhay be cem-
peeled, for practical reasons, to de-
yiatc from the elementary form, VIC
should never lose sight for a moment
of the real seat OF freedoms power
that is not in Governors and Presi
dents, not in SeNades and Assemblies
of Representatives; it is in the indi-
vidual citizens. The ancient New
England town meeting rendered this
Supremacy precious service, in that il
embodied, at tho very outset OF gov
ernmental life ON this continent. the
foundation principle that every man
is the ultimate source of all authority
TO which he is bound in justice to
submit.
The town meeting as an institution
no longer retains its ancient prestige
To a very great extent 1t has had to
be given up, even in the home of its
birth. The growth of population
and the increasing complcxity of
modern life have made the change
unavoidable. But the essential idea
for which it stands will never perish
while our country cndurcs. The
primary meetings of political parties
are in an important degree outerowths
of the town meetings. They still ex-
hibit the unit of power in things gov