The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-03-09
NATIONAL DANGER.
BY REV. AARON A. THAYEB.


that are Gods. MAT. KILL.
Human governments are classified
as monarchies, limited monarchies,
aristocracies, democracies, and repre-
sentative democracies, or republics.
Now look at the dangers in these sew
eral forms of government. The dan
ger from monarchy is tyranny. But
few heads ever wore a crown that did
not abuse power. Human nature has
a mighty element of natural tyranny.
1t needs angelic powers to resist roy
al opportunities for oppression. 1t
behooves us to rail at kingly corrup-
ton with the mental reservation that
not one in many thousands would do
better. Government by an aristoc-
racy has the same danger from au-
thority but divided among more ty-
rants. Its tendency is always to an
oligarchy-the corrupt rule of the
few. And as to every form of democ-
racy, pure or representative, the dan
gerous tendency is to och-locracy, or
mobocracy. And this means the cor
rupt rule of the worst of the masses.
1t goes to seed in anarchy, and there's
an end. An iron autocracy, or mil
itary despotism, is sure to flourish on
the debris. 1t shoots up like polit-
ical mushroom out of fostering am
monia, and civilization is again hid
in barbarism.
Danger to the Feeders al Government.
Are we now ready to apprehend our
own dangers? Can we lay our finger
on the sources of them? We are not
pure democracy. Shall say, rather,
we are an elective democracy? We
do not make our own laws directly,
and by the voice of the people, en-
masse. We elect men to represent
the masses and make the laws for us.
There are no hereditary rulers over
us. The great ones are chosen. And
80 we are called republic-the
American Republic.
Our revolutionary fathers fought
against corruption and tyranny in
high places. They did not kill the po-
litical monster, but they got away
from him. They established our Re-
public in SO broad liberty that it has
seemed to all nations a garden of
Eden. But there is no garden of
Eden free from temptations and mis-
haps. We have escaped one fatal
danger only to find ourselves in the
meshes of another. We got rid of
the hereditary corruption and tyranny
of the British monarchy and aristoc-
racy. But we have bred another on
home soil just as wicked. We are now
ruled largely by remorseless ochlo
cracy. This means by the worst ele-
ment of our worst population.
Now what is the odds whether the
worst blood is at the top and stays
there by heredity, as in Britain, or
the worst blood is elected there,
changed and reelected there in other
personalities, as in America? What
is the odds provided we always have
the worst blood on top as the ruling
elementa Our elected representa-
tives in city, state and nation, are
more largely our masters than our
servants.
For instance, look at the work of
our 53d Congress which adjourned
last 28th of August. Some 5000 bills
were introduced into the House of
Representatives. 1900 of them got
along far enough to be acted upon,
pro or con, by the various standing
committees. Less than a score of the
principal bills in these 1900 actually
passed and became laws. But what
percentage of all the business which
Congress did, or attempted to do, had
come before the peoples Of the s.
600 bills which somebody wanted
passed, what advice was asked of the
countryi So of a state legislature
80 of little town board village
board-city board. A preponderat-
ing enormously preponderating,
percentage of all American legisla-
ton, from Congress down to school
board is consummated without either
knowledge or wisdom from the peo-
pie direct. Practically our represen-
tatives and servants theoretically, are
as much Our temporary masters, as
those who sit in the seats of power by
heredity over the water. We boast
of liberties which we don't possess.
We are oppressed by corrupt tyran-
MES which we wot not of. We are
manipulated, taxed, defrauded,
bought and sold, deprived of just
rights, and in thousand ways OPP
pressed, after the manner of the long
tyrannies of by-gone nations and
present monarchies.
"But under any form of govern
ment, it is practically impossible for