The sun., 1900-12-06
4 Reformer From England.

DR. STANTON COIT Of London was inn
ported TO this country and established at
the head Of the University Settlement in
Eldridge street for the Improvement OF the
moral and social condition Of that crowded
district Of New York. lie did not prove
valuable in tha' capacity and was super
seeded accordingly Why he was not the
man for that particular place or for any
place requiring modcum Of common
sense in It's occupant il now made evident
m an address delivered by DR.. Corr at
Philadelphia last Sunday.
The uniform conclusion Of all thinking
men now" h" said, is that democracy is
failure" wherever the will Of the people
is supposed TO be- sovereign this has become
SO apparent that people are turning away
from it with horror" Especially IL this
the case in America. he Went on. The
vilest side OF American life IS where the
government by the people is supreme:
whereas the private life. the family life
and the individual culture are the stability
Of the Nation and the pride OF it," De-
mocracy," he repeated. is corruption
The men who founded tho Republic in
NV N'l' i'ihNl'''S az lli''V A'ic'io
and more intelligent" Now our best
people take no interest in politics because
their hands are tied.
That Is the sort of man who was selected
to lead a movement for the reformation
of the most crowded district of New York,
Not one Of Dr CoITs assertions is sus-
tanned by any procurahle facts. No
thinking men think or are justified in
thinking that democracy is a failure
because Of any Of it, present manfesta-
tons in any part of the world. II there
Is distrust of il anywhere it is bred of preju-
dice and not supported hy any superior
results achieved by countries where it does
not exist. As England has grown more
democratic it has grown more powerful
and its Government has been strengthened
and purified. In this country the same
has been the result. So far from the found
ers Of the Republic having had more leisure
than people Of the present they had less.
They lived at n time when the development
of the country was only beginning and
facilities necessary 70 ease were few. The
tone of politics was lower than II Is now.
" Bossism," Of which we hear so much talk
n if il was recent growth. was already
established in every colony Corruption
hampcrel grievously the progress Of the
Revolution. When the Union was established
and for half century afterward partisan
anmosi,ies were intense and corrupt rrac-
ticei prevailed at elections. The moral
tone of Washington was far lower than Il
j. now Conduct and courses in public
~, mould ha i,nypssil,Ia -,
the face o. public reprobation, were toler-
ated then.
In elections and in all Government, ma
tonal. state and municipal there has been
steady improvement and the condition Of
the ponple has improved with e. az pr.
COR would have foundif he had read Amer
lean history Hard-hps of existence
once accepted as Inevitable even by the
rlchcst ould be resented as intocrahle by
the poorest now. Take New York IA an
example In every apartment % its
government and civilized development II
has kept pace with tho most notable munich
pal advancement in the world.
All this has been done under democracy.
The Nation has grown from feeble Power
TO b" ono Of the greatest States Of the
world. Nothing that parallels its Progress
either in raniIfv or extent, is afforded in
tho history of any other nation in ancient
or modern times II true that there
are grave evils associated with our munic-
ipal government. in New York. for ex-
ample: and II there was public Indifference
10 them pr. CoIT'S special denuncation
Of urban democracy would - justified.
Actually they are resented and resisted and
they are only flaws In general system Of
government of demonstrated excellence.
If he could compare M" New York Of TO- |
day with tho New York of nfty wears ago.
Of twenty-five years ago. he would find .
reason to evtol democratic government.
OF all government the municipal is the /
most difficult in modern times. yet prac- /
tiCa.ly it j. better than that OF the country F
ou'eilr Of cir"- ltS defects are apparent
and they are rcmodiable
The present agitation for the moral |
cleansing Of this town is a proof of the /
sca,i'irrnees of the democratic conscience |
and the readiness and ability Of democracy T,
To remove evils Of public administration
when once It's attention j. properly directed /
to them. As compared with the Euro .
pcan capitals, however, New York l. almost
a ru'ttanical town. Put It alongside Of |
London. for instance, in the special matter
as 70 which there Is now 80 much iniIgia-
ton here. Nor has the rapid growth If |
New York under the democratic rule COM
planned of hy DR. Con been accompanied
hF a corresponding increase IN vicious
manifestations. Relatively the town va.
].
and 90 The h"snniug Of this century and ~
IN" last century II was sun worse. a. con-
temporary records prove When WHIrr-
fllLD VISITED H., country in the last CEN