The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-08-14
THE GROWING TENDENCY.
THE CULTURED CLASSES TURN
ING THEIR BACKS ON THE
DEMOCRAT TIC IDEA.


seeds of the aristocratic sentiment in
to action. Our country was settled
almost exclusively by poor men. 1t
required the whip and spur Of poverty
or the fire of religious enthusiasm,
which seldom asSailS the rich. to in
duce men to face the long journey
OF many weeks, in little sailing YES
sells, cooped up like rats in cage, tos-
sed and buffeted by winds and waves.
And when the settlers were all alike
in their degree and station it was
easy to establish government based
on the belief that all men were equal.
But hundred years make differe n
tiation;-some go up and Others go
down;-unjuSt laws widen the gap be-
tween the classes. and so we come
last to have, on the one side, bodit
of poor wretched workmen,-likc
those miners at Spring Valley, H.,
who proposed the other day to sell
themselves into slavery for enough
to eat; and on the other hand groups
OF cultured or wealthy arts tocrats. who
imagine they can smell workingman
a block away: and who are doing their
best to wipe out the work of the great
leaders of 1776.
Here is recent editorial from the
Minneapolis Ournal:
When Prof Ely, Of Wisconsin Uni
versity, was recently accused by the
Superintendent Of ms truction in that
state OF teaching pernicious socialistic
doctrines. he replied by setting forth
in the Forum some fundamental be-
liefs OF what he calls his social phil
osophy." Among other things, he de-
clared that the Eighteenth century idea Of
essential equality OF men should not be en-
coMraged. In his opinion, it has been a
most fruitful ause of misfortune and
| misdirected social effort. To quote:
There is no more marked social fact,
Quences than the essential inequality
Of men," Men are unequal in power,
capacity. and requirements, and the
more one thinks about it the more
marvellous do all these inequalities ap-
pear. 1t is especially the feebler
members Of the community who suf-
| fer under the doctine of essential
| equality, because, as has been we'll
said by a distinguished jurist, "Noth-
| Ing is more unequal than the equal
| treatment of unequals.' Prof. Ely
goes on to say that, so far as his gen.
| eral social philosophy is concerned, he
is conservative rather than radi-
| cal, and in the strict sense of the
term, an aristocrat rather than a
Democrat. BY aristocracy, however.
he means "noJ legal, but natural
one; not an aristocracy born for the
| enjoyment OF special privileges, but
one which lives for the fufflment Of
| special service"
The subject with which the pro-
| fessor deals is important and has a
| decided bearing on. one of the most
vital questions confronting the
American people-the alleged drift of
Strictly speaking, the Populists are
socialists, and their ranks have been
largely recruited from the Democratic
party, especially in South Carolina
and other Southern states which have
hitherto been part of the ''solid"
Democratic South. The theory of an
arts tocracy of any kind is, of course,
| repugnant to the Democratic spirit,
but on the other hand it cannot be
denied that there is a growing senti-
ment in favor Of ignoring the doctrine
of governmental control by sheer force
Of numbers. There are, for example,
those who believe that legislative
| representation should not be con-
trolled by the masses in the cities to
the subsection of those occupying
much greater eXpanse Of territory;
and that quickened immigration has
bred conditions that make it unsafe
to leave the government at the prac-
- yho
means in sympathy with the higher
In other words, while perhaps they
would not use the term aristocracy.
those persons side with Prof. Ely in
the contention that there is no such
thing as essential equality, and that
majority rule is to be accepted only IN q re-
staicted sense.
If we would shred the verbiage off
all this trash, and reduce it to plain
English, it means, that Republican in
situations are a failure; that universal
popular suffrage is blunder; that the
masses are not in sympathy with the
''higher aspirations of the American
people," (Which are principally to
plumber the great producing class and
live in luxurious idlenessD and that,
in shot,. the shadow is to be turned
backward on the dial OF time; the
multitude are to be reduced to bond
age; European conditions are to blot
not our glorious institutions; and an
oligarchy is to be established Of sue
cessful money-loaners.
And all this is preached right in the
faces Of the very people who are to be
despoiled, because it is we'll under
stood they are such abject slaves Of a
political party that they will not re-
volt at any insults that may be heaped
upon them.
Our public schools are absolutely es-
sential to the continuance of free in
situations, but it seems impossible to
establish university or college that
it does not become, sooner or later, a
seed-plot to breed treason. The very
wealthy have found this out, and in
stead OF making princely donations to
bring home education to the masses,
through the public schools, we find
them giving millions to erect univer-
versities. They first select professors
who sympatlize with their aristo-
cratic purposes. and then proceed to
poison the minds Of those who are to
be, in the next generation. the lead
ers of public opinion, as doctors, law
yers, cleroymen, business men and
gentlemen of leisure. Hence we find
the Vanderbilts, the Stanfords and the