Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1896-12-24
Democracy is Not Paternalism.

Democracy is Not Paternalism.
The doctrine of individualism as op-
posed to paternalism in the admins
tration of government Ia not only In
accord with the fundamental teachings
of Democracy but is also in harmony
with the true spirit of the principles
upon which our institutions are based.
Although the questions of finance and
taxation are, and for many years have
been, absorbing the thought Of the
country they are but the symptoms
and outward manifestations of a deep
er and more serious problem, which
the American people will at no distant
day be called upon to solve.
For many years there has been a
growing disposition on the part of the
great nations of Europe to extend the
functions of government with the hope
of equaIizlng the conditions OF their
citizens, and while the chief corner
stone of our political fabric is the
greatest possible freedom to the indi-
vidual, consistent with the mainten-
ance OF organized society our people
have not resisted the influence of this
world movement. The pendulum
of politics has swung from Monarchy
to Democracy and now threatens to
rise to the other extreme of Socialism.
1t is no longer the tyranny of monarchs
we have to fear but the tyranny of leg
islatures. One hundred years ago,
Thomas Jefferson, the greatest con-
structive statesman the world has
seen, wrote: "The executive in our
government is not the sole, 1t is
scarcely the principal object of my
jealousy. The tyranny of the legis-
latures is the most formidable dread
of the present and will be for many
years to come"
The present trend of political events
furnishes another evidence of the sa-
gacious and penetrating mind pos
sessed by the father of Democracy.
Until recent years the Republican
of the paternalistic movement in this
country. That party, by its long and
persistent advocacy of the doctrine of
protection, is responsible for the no.
ton fast becoming prevalent, that it is
competent and perfectly proper for
the government to undertake to fur
nish a market for ali our products,
employment for all our labor, to fos-
ter private enterprise and assist in
building up private fortunes; in short,
to go directly into the business of as
sisting part of its citizens in the pri-
vate pursuits of life.
Our present system of finance and
taxation are the results of cowardice
and lack of patriotism on the part of
the Republican party. Both systems
had their origin during the war be-
tween the states and were resorted to
! only as emergency measures. When
the emergency disappeared the sys-
TENS should have been abolished. But
far from reducing the tariff, the Re.
publicans responded to the clamor oi
the politicians for "more" by raising
the tariff. They passed the Mckinley
| bill, which placed the highest duties
on imports of any law that was ever
on our statute books, and were the
author of the Sherman act, which in
creased the burdens of the hundred
| million gold reserve by adding one
hundred and fifty-nine millions OF
treasury notes to the three hundred
and forty six millions of old United
States notes, or "green backs" as they
are usually called. They have pur.
sued the course of an unwise physi.
clan who, having prescribed stimu-
lants for a man while sick, continues
after the patient RECEIVERS in response
to the unnatural appetite thus crea-
ted, to administer the same remedy
in greater quantities, thus postponine
but at the same time intensifying the
results of the final collapse. War tar
ifs should have been abandoned i'm
mediately after the close of the war
but they have remained to harass us
and, by contributing in large meas
ure, to the bringing about of the pres
| ent inequitable distribution of wealth
have sown the seeds of more robust
and dangerous type of paternalism in
the form of Populism. Republicanism
and Populism are both braced on the
principle of paternalism, which is but
another name for Socialism. The only
difference between the two is that the
former stands for the Socialism of the
rich and the latter for the Socialism o.
the discontented.
The Populists say to the govern
ment, il you are going to lend YOU
assistance to that class of your citizenl
who are interested in the manufactur
ing enterprise, why not aid those
who are engaged in other lines o
produc ton? 1t cannot be denied tina
the question is germane and the claim
is consistent. The question as to
whether gold or silver shall be used a!
| the yard stick for the measure of val
ues is an important one, but it wane
into significance when compared will
the proposition that individual owner
ship, unrestricted competition ant
the liberty of independent action shal
be displaced and superseded by gov
ernmental ownership and govern
mental regulation. The great ques
ton now before Us is, shall the sphere
OF the individual be contracted ant
tn at of the government enlarged, ol
shall the sphere of the government bt
restricted and that of the individual
enlarged?
1t is now seriously proposed tina
the government of the United State,
shall purchase and operate all tht
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