The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-06-07
IACA1IAY'Sl PROPHECY
viii Than b IN Uprising Of the Poor
and Hungry AGAINST the Rich?
WILL THIS COUNTRY BIZ LAID VASTE9
IL Our Csnssisusien All Sail ana No
Anchsr, asa De We Need . Ma.
psneep Or Cesar - Seize the Reins
- esvernnshs


tpslsep or Oscar 70 Seize the Reins
- esvsrnushs
In the.year 1858 Henry s. Randall, Of
New York, publighed ellie Of Thomas
Jefferson" was an elaborate work by
an enthusiastic admirer Of the apostle Of
American democracy. The difficulties Of
the country had not yet begun, and from
the standpoint OF American optimism
could not be foreseen. Mr.. Randall sent
his volumes to Macaulsy, then the great
est man Of letters in the English speak
ing world, accompanying them with g
modest note which bespoke for them the
great authors consideration or attention.
Macaulsy replied in q letter which,
though kindly one, was so earnest, so
striking, 90 startlingly prophetic, that
Randall gave i out for publication. 1t is
a letter that has ever possessed a painful
iascihstion for Americans who study his
tory and mediate upon il; and the fssci-
nation, with its serious apprehensions,
deepens with growth Of experience and
with enlarging observation Of the course
OF events in our country. No American
wishes to comment much on this letter.
Its statements are SO plain, and, in view
OF the present tendencies, so startling, as
to make that unnecessary. The letter
has 80 often been ublished-though not
recently here-that every general reader
is acquainted with it. We reproduce now
only paragraph or two, which may
serve to recall to seriousness some who
may be disposed to think lightly Of the
difficulties and dangers that beset our
experiment" in government, OF which
now We have so many portentous signs.
We should get on well enough, Macaulay
said, 90 long as we had great areas Of I'M
occupied land that would draw off our
increasing population, but
The time will come when New England
will be as thickly peopled as Old Eng.
land; wages will be az low and will fiuc-
tuate as much with you as with US.
Hundreds and thousands OF artisans will
be out OF work. Then your institutions
will be brought to test. Distress every
where makes the laborer mutiuous and
discontented and inclined to listen with
eagerness to agitators, who will tell him
that one man should not have q million
while another cannot get full meal.
The day will come when, in the
state OF New York, multitude OF people,
none OF whom bad had more than half q
breakfast, or expect to have more than
half dinner. will choose legislature.
Is it possible to doubt what sort OF q leg
islature will be chosen? On the one
hand will be statesman preaching pa
thence, respect for vested rights, strict
observance OF public faith. On the other
hand is demagogue, ranting about the
tyranny Of capitalists and Insurers, and
asking why anybody should be permitted
to dine sumptuously and ride in his car
riage while thousands of honest people
are in want of necessaries. Which one
will prevail?
Our country has some touch OF this al
ready; enough, surely, to make ii appre-
hensive. Was Macaulay wrong 10 his be-
lief that it will not be possible to maintain |
permanent institutions. under liberty and |
civilization, upon the votes Of people |
counted by the head? Not to think be " as |
wrong 10 disloyalty 10 America, and yet |
the conclusion that be was wrong must |
rest on the supposition that the wise and |
the ignorant, the rich and the poor, the
yirtuous and the vicious, can all safely be
counted as equal, and sisld equal political
power, ard that the multitudes who, in
periods Of scarcity, will constitute dis
trcssed and discontinued majority, will re-
strain themselves, though socialistic lead
ers and POLITICAL demagossss are urging
them on. We add one other short extract,
viz:
Your constitution is all sail and no
anchor. Either some Caesar or Napoleon /
will seize the reins Of government with a
strong hand, or your republic will be as
plundered and laid waste Nv |
in the Goth century as the Ro- |
man empire was in the fifth-with this |
difference, that the Huns and Vandals /
that rayaged the Roman empire came |
from without. while your Huns and Van
dals will have been engendered within |
your own country and by your own institu-
tions.
Is this false alarm, or a real danger |
Let every one think. 1t must be confessed |
that the course Of events latterly and now
10 not reassuring. But nothing is gained
by shutting our eyes, or trying to put the
subject out of sight. What ever dangers
lie In it must be met and dealt with. The
first necessary thing is to note the tenden.
cies and see things as they really are
Orsgonian.