The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-03-04
coMMERCIAusM AND GOVERNMENT.

lo4uNlnB comments ana eAlIAfEs winch
we take from the Liteoy Digest that
we commend to our readers
disagreement in the United states.
IS an incident In the history Of com
meree Il is part Of The triumph Of In
dustrial progress les details are easier
to understand II studied ne n part Of the
commercial development Of the coun.
try than II studied as a part Of govern
ment because many Of the wheels and
craRks In the complex machinery Of
government are now performing tunc
tions 40 perverted as to be ~unmeaning
from the point Of view Of political
theory, but which have become per-
fectly plain II looked at from The point
OF view Of trade
The statements quoted contain the
theory which is elaborated in On able
manner by John Jay Chapman in The
Atlantic Monthly for February Gov
ernmontal form az the outward eE.
precision OF economic character, is not
a new idea among political economists.
but the application Of 1t to our own
case is enlighted and proyoEes discus.
sion
Similar thought appears to be In tho
mind Of Senator Marion Butler, who
writes In the Arena for March on til,
trust problem, His analysis Of condi.
tions discovers that the strength Of
monopoly is In getting control Of the
instruments Of commerce money trans.
portation, and the transmission Of in.
teligence And DR.. Albert Shaw Of
The American Monthly Review Of Re.
views, discussing the progress Of the
world last month fixed upon the money
power as the determining factor in
European strategy between governments
as well as IN our own Cuban aud home
policy,
Capture Of GoyerHmeut by commerciaiism
.gThe growth and concentration Of
capital which tho railroad and tho tole.
graph made possible Is the salient fact
in the history Of the last quarter cen.
fury That fact is at the bottom Of
our political troubles. It was inevitable
that the enormous masses Of wealth.
Epringing ont Of new conditions and
requiring new laws, should strive tt
control the legislation and the admins
tration which touched them al every
point. At the present time we can no
say just what changes were or wer.
not required BY enlightened theory
II is enough to see that such change
as come were ineyitablej and nothing
can blind as to the iact that the meth
DDS by which they were obtained wer
~subversiye Of free government
Whatever form Of government ha,
been in force in America during thi
era would have run the risk Of bein.
controlled by capital Of being bough
and run for revenue II happened tina
the beginning Of the period found th
machinery Of our government in a pai
tfcularly pnrchasabIe state. The wa
had left the people divided into tw
parties which were fanatically hostil
to each other. The people were part
mad. Party name and party symbo.
were Of an almost religious Importance
AT the very moment when the OF
thusiasm Of the nation had been q
hausted IN a heroic war which leI
the republican party managers in 20.
session Of the ark Of the coyenan.
the best intellect Of the cour
try was drawn from public affairs an
devated to trade During the period {
expansion which followed, tho induI
trial forces called in the ablest men (
the nation to aid them in getting cor
troll OF TIE machinery Of goyornmon
The name Of king was never freightc
with more power than the namo {
party in the United States whatevt
was done in that name was right II
the old story there has never been
despotism which did not rest upon sul
erstition The same spirit that mad
the republican name al powerful In th
nation ct large made the Democrat
name valuable in democratic district
THE situation as it existed wa
made to the hand Of trade. Politics
power had been condensed and packe
for delivery BY the war and in I'll
natural course Of things the politics
trade marks began 10 find their wa
into the Golfers Of the capitalist. Th
change Of motive power behind ii
party organization from principles I
money was silently effected durn
the thirty years which followed u
war Like ali organic change, 1t WI
unconscious It was understood by n
one It is recorded only in . few name
and phrases; as, for Instance, that pa
Of the organization which was pm.
chased was called the machine, an
TIE general manager o. it BEGAN
known as The boss The ezteni
political history Of the country ccl
timed as before. tits true that q stead
degradation was TO be seen IL publ.
life q steady failure Of character
steady decline Of decency, But que
tons continued to be discussed, and !
form decided, on their merits, becaul
IL was IN the interest Of commerce th'
they should IN form be 90 decided
Only quite recently has the control {