The Banner-Democrat., 1900-10-20
Is Macaulay's Terrible Prophecy to
be Fulflleda

By James Creelman, in New Y ork Journal.
On the Threshold of another struggle
for control of the government OF the
United States-a struggle in which the
very life of the republic seems to be
involved--it is well to recall prophecy
concerning the destruction OF American
institutions, written in 1857 by Lord
Macaulay to Henry S. Randall, the
biographer of Thomas Jefferson.
No man who loves the form OF gov
ernment under which the American peo-
pie have grown great eaa fail to read
this terrible forecast. in the light OF
present events. without q thrill. L
quote only part of Macaulay's letter:
s.You ale surprised to learn that
have not high opinion of Mr.. Jeffer-
son. and am surprised at your sur
prise. am certain that never wrote
a line. and tina. never in Parliament,
in conversation or even on the hustings
"a place where it is fashion to court
the populace-uttered a word indicat-
ing an opinion that the supreme au.
thOrity 10 State ought TO be intrusted
to the majority of citizens told by the
head. in other words. to the poorest
and most ignorant part of society. ]
have long been convinced that lnstltu-
tions purely Democrtie must, sooner or
later, DESTROY liberty or civilization, or
both.
You NAV think that your country
enjoys an exemption from these evils.
will frankly own to yon that am OF
very different opinion. Your fate L
believe.to be settled, though it is de-
ferred by physical cause. AS long
as Won have a boundless extent OF fer
tile and uuoccupied land your laboring
population will be far more at ease
than the laboring population OF the Old
! World, and while that is the case, the
Jefferson politics may continue TO ex-
| isl without causing any fatal calamity.
But tins time will come when New
England will be as thickly populated as
old England. Wages will be as low
and will tiucuste as much with you
as with us. You will have your Man.
ehesters and Birminghams. and in
/ those Manchesters aud Brminghams
hundreds or thousands of artisans will
assuredly be sometimes out of work.
Then your institutions will be fairly
brought TO the test. Distress every
where makes The laborer mutinous and
dscon.ented, and inclines him to lis
ten with eagerness to agitators who tell
him that it is monstrors iniquity that
one man should have Il million while
another can not get Il full meal. In bad
years there is plenty of grumbling here
and sometimes little rioting. But il
matters little. For here the sufferers
! are not the rulers. The supreme pow.
er is in the hands of a class. numerous
, indeed, but select; of an educated class
OF class which is. aud knows Itself
To be. deeply interested IN the security
of property and maintenance of order
Accordingly. the mal-conients are firm
ly, yet gently, restrained The bat
time is got over without robbiug tn,
J wealthy to relieve the indigeut. Th,
springs of national prosperity soon be
gin to flow again; work is plentiful
wages rise, and all is tranquility ant
81 eheerfuiness.
II have seen England pass three o
four timesthrougt such critical sea
sons as [ have described. Tnrougl
such seasons the United States will hav,
to pass in the course of the next cen
turv. if not of this. How will you pas
through them? / heartily wish you
gonl deliverance. But my reason an,
my wishes are al war, and | canno
help foreboding the worst.
1T is quite plain that your govern
, tnent will never be able to- restrain
distressed and discontented majority
For. with you the majority is the gov
} ernment. and has the rich. who are al
ways "a majority. absolutely at Its mer
cv The day viii come when in th
State of New York multilue Of peo
pie none of whom has had more thar
half breakfast, or expects TO hay'
more than half dinner, will choose ;
Legislature Is it possible to doub
what sort of Legislature will b.