Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-08-30
Question OF Fundamental impo''
taNCes

+hon, in character and purpose, thaV 'uo
ch snpe has come about, INCONSISTENCY
- +he mass OF voters and under Tue
old names and forms, because ~
this country, even more marh'u'
than in Britain the two great par''e'
Of the country completed % years ago
their original and proper serves u
the nation, and ever since nave oeeu
blindly cropping for new issues AS
for the future, one s'e'h'
destined to stand for strong govern
ment. seeking greatness through
,eso,ute foreign policy and the expan-
sion Of colonial empire; the other
seems destined to champion some OF
those measures Of state sociails"
which have already obtained hrm
footing in Europe, with the ain' VI
insuring to the masses OF the Feopio
o,,,l;tv Of economic and social opror'
tunity.
No observer can fail to see clearly
that Mr. Conant's prophecy at least
stands for strongly marked tendetc'e7
ia crrrent thought and events. AS
rpnards the Tory party IN EnSlanu'
nm;stakably, and as regards the
Republican party in tins country
probably, his assignment OF position
is correct. Whether the course OF the
opposition parties is to be SUCH as he
predicts is more doubtful; but 1t Is al
lsast certain that the force of radical
ism have been in control OF our
Democracy for the past five years ana
they are steady getting larger
ascendeucy 10 British Liberalism.
Needless to say We do not believe
this TO be more than a transitory
condition in either country. Inc
error in Mr. Commits diagnosis, as ~
seems to US, is in the assumption
that the Thomas Jefferson doctrine
in notifies has completed its work.
He admits thet it has performed
"orcst services to humanity and to
sourd political aud economic theory
in shaking the letters Of feudalism
from modern society; but its WORK rs
living creed 10 the strictly political
field is nearly DONE is ''ro longer IN
! danger of being undcne, and 1t Is,
therefore, no longer possible TO SUR
political passions in regard to IT. ~
.In the arena of political freedom
little remairs to be achieved IN the
United States, and comparatively
little in any country where constltu
tional government has been estao'
lisbed Universal mar hood suffrage
the equal share of all men in govern
ment; Justice for rich or poor, weak
or powerful, in the courts of laval
tbase things have been achieved IL
democratic countries, so Tar a.
nossible for them to be achieved by
political legislation. 1t is necessary
only to point the disfranchiSement move
: ments in our Southern states, TIL
ayovals of both British Torysm ant
American Republicanism, when NJ
Conant himself echoes in another par
, of his article. that it is the right ant
E duty of superior peoples to rule others
that, az Conant says, "the privilege o
self government shall be granted onl,
TO thosee who are capable of using !
with reasonable discretion TO see hoV
9 false the assumption is. This IS clea
. reversion, not only to the doctrine OF Tn
old Shareholders but back to that o.
g which aristocracy, oligarchy and mon
r archy have buttressed themselve
Y through the ages. Whether it is correc
0 doctrine or we need not stay to inqulr
f indeed the argument on it cannot ye
n be said to be closed. But it is certain
0 the very antipodes Of Jefferson doc
r trjpe, and it is manifest absurdity I
O saw, while it holds Judgment anywhere
# that the ideals of Jefferson are realize
# and their work for the world done.
It Moreover in this era of trusts socallef
1t in the tremendous and rapidly increa
Il ing power that incorporated and syt
It dicated wealth are exerting, sweepin
t.. away the rights and opportunities of il
l. diyidualism, that formed the very basl
81 idea of Jefferson and his school, theI
10 is most emphatic contradiction OF N
% Commits assumption. The question
remedv il the question of the futul
of Democracy and Liberalism. The rem
re edy of socialism is to dispose OF II
Is trusts by absorbing them all in one grei
y trust, in government ownership an
Is operation for public good instead
10 private greed. Undeniably this is Il
le direction in which Bryan Democrat
S. with its Populistic connections, is hea
IS ed. But the old Democratic or Jcfie
sonian or individualistic idea is thi
IS this remedy Of ''collectivism" as 1
ID French advocates call it, which involv'
ia nothing less than the ultimate revolutic
lie of the whole social fabric, is neith
err necessary nor desirable, that it wou
is involve results absolutely paralytic
sy human energy and enterprise, that Il
IL evils to be met and overcome are theI
to selves the result of abuse of governme
er mower. for which the remedy is not mo
IN government but less, 10 the curtailme
at or guarding or entire excistion of q
he powers abused. instead CT their extensi'