The San Francisco call., 1899-04-11
POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY.


more complex, but governed by law as plainly
as the tides. Just it is interesting to OBJ
serve that in the United States under democratic in
stitutons though with less intensity than few
months ago the superficial tendency is centrpetal or
il the direction OF Capitalization while in Europe and
even in the fosslized despotisms OF the East cen
trifugal movement liberalizing inclination, with
many indications of pernanence, is manifest.
few words will to clarity these propositions.
In the United States the enormous growth OF monop-
olies and the development OF mperiaistic ambition
are plainly centripetal. In Asia and in Europe the
opposite or centrifugal pressure is more deeply
marked The Government OF Japan has literally burst
loose from the OF ages and that nation has
fairly entered the OF democratic rivalry and ad
vancement In China the light OF modern progress
has reached the most stod conservatism that history
reveals and the rapacity of the clashng powers has
awakened the Rip Van Winke OF imperialism from
its dreamless sleep
Perhaps the most saturated exponent Of paternal
despotsm OF the nineteenth century certainly OF its
latter half is the German Kaiser His expressed con
ceptions of divine right restricted only by his in
dividua belief in God and by his individual acknowl-
edgment OF responsibility have equaed all preoedents
and have surpassed the absolutsm OF Napoleon Bona
parte Yet in the midst OF his anachronistic reign he
is forced to admit the existence OF constitution in
Germany and to surrender his will to the Bundesrath
and the Recllstag two such important matters as
the increase of his army and the suppression OF strikes
The Gar OF Russia, however pharisacal in connec-
ton with his brutal ukase against Finland his procla-
nation may be has nevertheless deferred to the grow
ing demands OF his people by his initiative in the in
ternatonal peace conference and has even suggested
that quarreling nations should be governed by the
code OF the duello and that every cartel should be
delivered by a second.
The broad fact to which only the pessimists are
inpervious is that irrepTessibe education has per
meated the world and raised the standard OF nteli-
gence among ordinary people to level that places
the head OF popular sovereignty among the imperial
jewels. Even Cars and Kaisers can no longer pre-
tend to Inconsistencies OF the existence OF this uni
versa and only logical authority for government The
deepest political truth OF all which foreign potentates
and domestic usurpers, even Mr.. c. P. Huntington
himself would do we'll to learn, is that all Govern
ents exist by the consent OF the masses whether as
in our own country expressed through the ballot and
incorporated into constitutions laws and adnnstra-
tive methods, or, in Russia, Germany or Austria
implied from passive submission. As we stand on the
confines OF the twentieth century and realize what
schools and books and tongues, aided by inventive
genius and by the myriad terms in which steam and
electricity have brought the human race together.
have accomplished il is too obvious for discussion
that despotss rock the disturbed waves OF suffer
ance and endurance and that the aroused sovereignty
of man Is only restrained by concessions and by its
preference for the slow but regular methods OF peace
The American citizen who observes and who COM
prehends the signs OF the times will be filed with
gratitude as he appreciates how they were anticipated
by the founders of hisrepubic, who opened to lib
erty and order the highways OF the constitution that
+-ad6ea mora +7a-
that lead directly on toward the inefable light and
beauty Of a perfected fraternity. He will walk on
those roads and escape the thoTny abyinths OF i'm
periasm and OF anarchy on either hand. 1t will be
well for the false guides who have sought 10 turn their
couatryn1en from their march toward the heights OF
Amerioanism il they drop their misleading lanterns
and again take their places in the advancing process
sion OF man