The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-09-04
A DYING REPUBLIC (.
The Soul of American Democracy
Being Crushed Out of Our
Institutions.

The tendency of our Republican in
stitutions to merge into all the out
ward forms Of royalty. and the steady
and rapid strides our government is
taking toward the monarchical sys-
tens of the cid world, are not only ex-
citing the fears and apprehensions Of
the friends and advocates OF Democ-
racy in this country, but are attract
Ing the attention of disinterested OBJ
servers in the old world.
The government Of any nation must
correspond to the social condition of
its people. Political Democracy can
flourish only when it is planted in the
soil of social Democracy.
Any course which will root out so
cial Democracy and build up caste in
society; that will dig gulf between
the rich and poor, or that tends to
create extremes Of wealth and pow
erty, will as surely root out political
Democracy, and establish such forms
OF government as will enable those
who are socially exalted to become,
and remain, politically exalted above
their fellows. The aristocracy of pow
er goes hand in hand with the aristoc-
racy of wealth; they are inseparable.
The men who will not mingle with
poverty in the social circle, will soon
disdain to sit in the councils of the
nation with publicans and sinners.
Men who resort to plush, powder and
liveried servants to distinguish them
selves from common mortals, will
soon yearn for the titles of honor, and
the armorial bearings of genuine
royalty.
Aristotle said, twenty centuries ago:
"DemocracieS have an almost ire
sistible tendency to merge into Plu-
tOcracies, and the existence Of opulent
families in republics leads naturally
In few to craving for mOnarchical
institutions, with their ennobling
titles and ariStocratic distinctions. !"
During the first eighty years of our
national existence we had no ex-
tremes of wealth and poverty-we had
neither millionaires nor tramps.
In 1912, writing from Boston,
Charles Dickens wrote back to a
friend in London:
''There is not man in this town or
state who has not blazing fire and
meat for dinner every day in the year,
neither would flaming sword in the
air attract more attention than a
beggar in one of the streets of Bos-
ton"
There was then no aristocracy of
wealth and no subStratum Of Squalid
poverty.
Democratic socially, a Republican
form Of government was natural and
rested equally and easily upon the
shoulders Of society.
But great change has taken place
since Dickens wrote from Boston.
A London journal recently declared
that "There is not at this moment in
England so wide gulf between the
rich and poor as there is in the United
States,' and then adds, there are as
many bggars in each Of the great
cities of America as there ever were
mendicantS assembled about the steps
of Roman churches" This journal
then contrasts the colossal fortunes of
the millionaires of the great cities,
their gorgeous mansions. brilliant and
ate display of costly jewelry, far sur
passing royalty in brilliancy and cost,
and concludes that 1.-THE United
States has demonstrated within a
generation that forms of government
have nothing to do with the wealth or
poverty of individuals"
Thurlow Weed, seeing the tendency
OF our government to merge into the
forms of monarchy, said: "Our govern
ment does not seem strong enough to
assert itself. / see every day, and
with more and more diSmay, our as
similation to English habits, English
ideas, and even English costumes.
There was once time when no free
born American citizen would cOnde-
scend to wear the plush Of a liveried
servant"
rs. Referring to the foregoing remarks
of Mr.. Weed, the London Telegraph
says:
1T would alarm the veteran Weed
still more were he aware Of the fact
that every American citizen Of refiec-
tiOn who comes over to England raises
his voice against the mischief of uni
verSal suffrage, and bids England be-
ware Of following an example which
has been pregnant with woe to the
United States"
In conclusion the paper says:
ut cannot, however, be inOpportune
to remind our trans Atlantic kinsmen
that New York is rapidly conforming
to the types at London and Paris, and
that forms Of government are made
Quate to shape or mould the funda-
mental traits of human nature.
Satirsts will one day rise to point out,
after the manner but hardly with the
vigor OF Juvenal. that young New
York is developing the vices and
fashions OF ancient Rome. and that
REPUBLICAN simplicity" is a dream
worthy of the imaginative brains
which long ago produced Mores
"Utopia," or Sir Phinp Sidney's Ar
cadia," but incapable of realization in
cities teemiDg with millionaires."
When Dickens wrute from BOstO
in 1912, tine United States had few or
no millionaireS and no such thing as a
Money power. We had neither the
financial machinery or the legal mate
rial to create them. Now we have
both. and both are Of English origin.
We adopted England's financial
policy, policy whose tendency to
make the rich richer and the poor
poorer, has become prOverbial.
We load the people with burden
some public debt as the basis Of Plu-
tOcracy.
We establish the gold standard and
contract our currency volume, which
squeezed billions of wealth out Of the
property Of industry into the Golfers of
the creditor class