The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-10
Republic or Empire:

Republic or Empire:
A correspondent of The Times points out
the fact. which has been noted by more
than one other observer of public events.
that the condition of this Republic some
what resembles that of Rome. when it was
on the verge of becoming an Empire. and
that there is no small danger that, with
another four years of trusts and imperial
ism, republican government may be de-
s;royed in all but name
Whether this will happen or not, only
the future can determine. But that the
American people are on the verge of some
sort of crisis is practically certain. It
is greater crisis than any since that of
1861. and is in some ways comparable to
it. Therefore it may be instructive to
look back to the history of the nome ntous
years preceding the war between the States,
and see how those conditions resemble the
state of affairs at the present day.
There is one respect in which the re-
semblance is obvious. and that is the gen.
eral incredulity with which any prophecy
of change or Of calamity is received. To
enc who reads the documents and publica-
tions OF lS50-'G0 the ignorance of many
public men, their Grass self-confdence,
and the blindness of the people seem al
most incredible. 1t seems as if child
might have perceived how wide was the
breach between North and South. how vast
the difference between their traditions
customs, and manner CT thinking. and must
have recognized the fact that there was
no room for two such nations on the Amer
lean continent. Separation would not have
solved the difficulty; it would have resulted
in greater and greater diversity of civiliza-
ton, causing continual border wars. and
eventually a conflict perhaps even greater
than that which ensued. But each section
underestimated the strength and spirit OF
the other. The South was convinced that
Northern men were towards. because duel
ing had gone out OF fashion, ard the
average Northerner was avowedly man
of peace. The Northerner judging from
the character of the men OF his own blood
who talked loudly about fighting. regarded
the Southerner as a mere brawler and
blusterer. misinterpreting the habit of
thought which generations of isolated
plantation life and the tradition of COM
mand had given to the men of Virginia and
the Carolinas. There was mutual con-
tempt. and feeling of superiority on each
side which could only be quelled into a
wholesome mutual respect by trial of
strength. But the general feeling while
yet the country was on the very eve of
war, was that there would be peaceful
settlement.
The dangers of trust domination are
minimized by smooth takers nowadays
Imperialism is defended. The people are
told that they do not understand the
problems of government, that ther must
trust those who govern them, and mot
the thinker can only reply: rs this de-
mocracy?"
What is representative government
IL not the government of the people, for
the people, by the people? Is it the
domination of cities. legislatures. Con-
gress itself. by self-selected syndicates
whose only claim to power is that they
have money? Was it plutocracy which
Washington fought and Lincoln died to
establish? Was it government by syn
dictate which Jefferson contemplated? Did
the thinkers of the eighteenth century,
when the idea of the rights of man, as
man, dawned slowly on their vision con-
ceive those rights to be the privilege OF
the rich to govern all the rest III proper
tion to their poverty? Is government by
injunction any more consistent with the
Declaration of Independence than was
chattcl slavery?
When slavery existed, orthodoxy sup
ported it, and from the pulpit its sur
pliced defenders gave long and elaborate
explanations of the biblical right of the
sons of Shem to hold in slavery tie sons
of Ham. Nowadays pseudo-scicntihc
men. and some clergymen as we'll, are
trying to defend the trusts oil The ground
of evolution. They forget something. The
old-time clergyman overlooked the fact
that the Golden Rule is the basis CT all
ethics The modern doctrinaires ignore
the scientific truth that when an unjust
Government is set UP 1t cannot endure