The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1896-04-09
LIVE QUESTIONS.
A Series Of Articles Contribt ted to These
Columns by Advanced hinkers.
THE PEOPLE AND THE paITrc1ASs

feed hundreds Of sbrasaLd5 # llvH z
save the Union and 10 keeo or flag fly
ing. But a more subtle anC more dan
gerous crisis meEaces FREQ government
today. Democratic rvern nent II TN
country is endangered. ard there I
much reason to believe tha. i may II
destroyed.
Our people are being In led ~ thf
idea that hey live under q free form q
government; that they are the rulers
that they make laws, elect cant ldate-
10 office and control public ah ans.
while III truth and III fact the form Of
democratic government are today being
employed by artful and designing poll
ticians to deluGe them INTO tho belief
that they are shaping legislation and
controlling government boss IL New
York and q boss III Pennsylvania as
completely control all lawmaking III
those states a. does the emperor Of Ger
many control the making Of laW IN Ger
many But power IS conferred upon the
emperor If Germany with the consent
Of his people, while the boss in New
York is private individual, owing 10
allegiance to tie people ana under no
obligation 70 perform their Will. Mich
more can be said III favor Of a Ilouar-
chical form of government than can 10
said III favor Of boss rule. The cOnstltu-
tional monarch III Europe has every IL
ducemclt 10 preserve his people and II
create and perpetuate them III prospect
~ TO his son ~ their ruler. but no such
inducement exists with the boss. lie
cannot hand down his power TO his ED
est son There is no lnducement uu9n
his part to give the people good goTeTn
ment. If the American people are To
relinquish to the boss their right to free
government, right purchased by i
struggle commencing with Runnym"de
and carried on continuously until our
own day, why III the name # common
sense should they nGt MAKE the boss ship
hereditary institution IL order to
create some morive IT the boss for CIV
ing tnem good government
30 THE rEorLE EIEFz
We are not ovcr-tating the case when
we maintain that the condition Of gov
eminent which we have reached IN the
last few years is more grievous than an
actual monarchy When men who do
not hold official positions select the
members Of onr state legislatures, dc
tate the candidates who fill executive
Offices, secure fer their h.nchael Off
cial positions and completely control
81 md bA ,,a1 II Toto a
every law, throttle ali legislation and
the interests Of the people, is Il too
much to say that democratic govern
ment is ceasin9 or has ceased III this
country:
III 1850 about 50 per cent Of the /
wealth of the country belonged to 90
per cent Of its people. II 1890, so per
cent of 1t belonged to less than o per
cent of IFS people In the city Of New
York alone we have to exceed LOO I
mllllOnaires. In the whole country We
have upward Of 1000 millionaires I
Never III the history Of amy country
during i like period Of time has the
wealth 50 speedily changed from the
hands of the many into the hands OF the
few
Legislation II he national legislature
and III Tire state legislatures is almost
completely controlled by political boss
es, or, rs too frequently occurs. p1r-
chased by great corporations A careful
examination made III the state If New
York IN 1892 showed that over 1000
corporations IN one year paid tribute to
political boss who controlled the !ecis-
lature either for legislation favorable
10 their corporations or humanity from
hostile legislation,
WHY PEOPLE ARR DISSATISFIED.
There is throughout all the country
state Of unrest. The people have long
known from grievous experience that
the shoe pinched, but they have been
slow il finding cut Why it pinches
Unrest among ;he common people al
ways means Injustice. wrongs to be
righted, property wrongly diverted from
the hands Of the many to the hands e
the few. unequal and unfair legislation
Never has So much apprehension ex-
listed as to the future as exists today
among Intelligent men. Every student
OF history, Of political economy and of
finance knows that the policy If iegia-
lation pursued IL this country during
the last few years has not only tended
to divert the wealth of the country from
the hands Of the ll.sllv to the hands OF
the tcw, bat his brought about 4 terri
bio condition - dcgeDeracv and corruyl-
lion among public mon. Does any intel
ilgent man FOR one moment believe that
you can safely place III tie hands IF The
congress of the United States the right to
transfer tens OF millions Of dollars from
one part of til" community to another
and not II the same time subject 1t
10 temptations beyond the power OF MAJ.
TO resist.
HW, = al the legislation for the pro-
-ectim If ,,,sGcle industries which we
have had during IT,. ) period e so years,
are the farmers Of IL country happier
Or more prosperous tAa;sfsssl IN the good old
Gays when our grandmosN at fhe'r
wheels were onr only maNnlac'urefs
Have the people the confidently III 'helf
public servants which they felS III me
days before special legislation csNlle 10
be the rule in congress and III our sNle
leg Ii ureS: The fact is that every IN
man knows that our pablic'
men and our politicians are neither SIG
cere Republicans nor sincere Democrats
nor sincere III anything except to Keep
themselves afoat OH the tide Of money
at the expense Of the tag payer
The Fifty congress cut eff So oou'
000 Of the public income ~ the passage
of :, tariff ,1easure which kef foreign I