Semi=weekly graphic., 1896-08-22
BEGIN WITH THE PEOPLE

I The Republican Theory Is to Legisiate
CFFors Wealth. with the Working Glasses
Looking 10 Their Employers For What
Bounty they May Choose TO Bestow
| IS Two Theories of Government Contrasted.
[ There are two ideas of government
There are those who believe that if you
just legislate TO make the well to do
/ prosperous their prosperity will leak
through on those below. Phe Democrat.
ic idea has been that if you legislate to
make the masses prosperous their pros
perity will find its way up and through
every class and rest upon it. William
J. Bryan in the Chicago Convention.
In this telling contrast Mr.. Bryan has
uttered not only an epigram. but a seis
entifc formula. The Republican, theory.
of the relations Of the government With
the national prosperity is and has been
literally as he states it, The influence
of this theory has been especial marked
IN the tariff policy with Which the name
of William MCKINLEY has been conspie-s
uously identified Nobody pfetends that
there is anything in any tariff law that
gives anything directly to workman,
shopkeeper OF clerk, and it cannot be
seriously maintained that such laws
contain any DIRECT benefits for farmers,
The benefits of al high tariff, according
to its advocates, descend upon the
masses by way of the large employers
Of labor. The tariffenables the manu-
facturers and mine owners to taxsfhe
community, and then9bythe hypothesis.I
they impulsiYely divide their gains with
their Borkmen in the form of higher
wages, and the workmen, in turn, shed
prosperity among the, tradesmen and
farmers. II ~ IS
II From the foundation of our govern
ment the two ideas to Il ilieh Mr.. yan
refers have striveal for the mastery. The
old Federalists, of whom the Republic
ans Of today are the legitimate descend-
ants believed in an ordered hierarchy
1ef society, with the gentleman Of prop
orty at the top and the working masses
looking to him for guidance, employ
ment and protection. Take care Of the
gentlemen, .swas their motto. and the
gentlemen will take care of the people.
Their ideal was the benevolent squireg
Living on his landed estates and sur
rounded-by II happy loyal and -rexerent
tenantry, to whom the, gracious lady of
the hall would take 3delieaeies when
they were sick, and who would con-
tentedly take up their abode in the.
workhouse when they were old. 6tas
sA Opposed to the Federalist idea was
that of the pntamed Democracy, which
held that every man was the best guard
ian of his own fortunes, and which
asked nothing Of It's betters' bat
plain, ordinary civility and-little of
thattia The clerical, editorial and oras
torieal fishwives of today. could have
taught the alarmed respeGtability of
that time nothing in the way of abuse
of the demagogues whose revolutionary
doctrines were subyerting the order of
society. But the Democratic idea won
and became the basis of our system Of
government Up to the time when the
Republican party was captured blythe
plutocraoy it had created the people
were recognized as the source Of nation
al power and wealth. Nor have they
given up that idea yet, 1t is hard to
make a dependent peasantry and prole-
tariat of race bred for generations to-
carve its own way in government and
industry. 0ax4 Hi 8fUN all iaq0f1
= Even if the average millionaire werei
bursting with philanthropio impulses
and never would. consent to rise without
pulling up everybody. below him, it
would still be repugnant to American
instincts to have a crowbar inserted in
the social fabric to lift the top, in the
expectation that the rest would follow. 1
The more natural way Is to lift every.
thing at once by raising the base. But
cases have, been known in which men Of
wealth. have risen without exerting
themselves to pull anybody else. with /
them. This fact intensif1es the popular
distaste for the Republican plan of rails
ing society by the top. THERE'S a prev
alent fear that the advantages bestowed
upon the ishpper classes'' may not get
themselves. evenly distributed, after all.
The masses prefer to make sure by hay
ing the process begin with them. New
" ork Journal
If English prosperity rs due to the fact