The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-20
produces very unexpected and curious re.

| The democratic method entrusts the Sc
lection of the ruling classes to the col
lective reason and justice of the people
In the conduct of government it appeals
to the governed for their consent. This
does not mean their permission merely,
for if this were the meaning it would be
| equally true of constitutional monarchy
and even of a benevolent and popular en-
| pire. The subjects of Edward VII and
| William II permit their government
with as much unanimity as the citizens
of the United States feel at any given
time in accepting the authority of the
! President in office. The consent of democ-
racy has a different meaning. 1t sig
nihes the thinking together. the acting
| together OF the people IN
the choice of their rulers, and
consequently in the direction of the
state. Three things are essential to the
reality of this popular participation.
First. There must be an untrammeled
opportunity for the people to express their
choice by suffrage. 1t is by no means
| necessary that this suffrage should be uni
| versal. AS matter of fact, ii has never
been. II is not a common right. 1t is a
| civil privilege intended to protect common
1 rights. 1t has always been restricted in
| one way or another, 1t should be truly
! representative, and the conditions which
restrict it should be equal and removable
! for crime.
| The second essential. of popular partici-
/ patton in government is that the terms OF
! Office of those who are chosen to rule
| should be so limited that changes of ma
| tional judgment. arising from experience,
| from education, or from changed circum-
stances, may be made effective without
| revolution or rebellion.
The third essential is that the functions
and powers of the ruling classes thus
! chosen should be restricted to those
which are actually conferred in the choice.
For this reason there can be no real and
permanent Democracy without a consti-
tuition. The Democrats are Jealous and
Jealous for the sanctity of the constitu-
ton. They know that it is the sea-wall
between them and empire.
| Classes must exist in every social order,
ruling classes, teaching classes, agricul-
| tural classes, manufacturing classes,
commercial classes. All these are laboring
classes, but their labor is divided. What
| Democracy says IS that there shall be no
| locked doors Between these classes. Every
| stairway shall be open Every opportunity
| shall be free. Every talent shall have an
| equal chance to earn another talent. Not
! every frmer's boy in the country may be-
! come President of the nation. That would
| be physically impossible. But any of them
them, like Henry Clay and Dan
lei webster. attained such eminence.
| and power that the presidency could
| hardly have added 10 their fame. These
cases are not accident. They are logical
evidences of an equality among men in
the only sense in which equality is posi-
ble-equslity of opportunity. Herein is
| fulfilled the divine prophecy of democracy,
! And their mobiles shall be of themselves,
] % ha
| the midst of them"
In regard TO this democratic method of
selecting rulers they are. 1t is the high
est and most reasonable method. In the
! case of ignorant undeveloped peoples
| where the impulse of resistance is
! stronger than the instinct of rule, the
other methods may be necessary But
! they are to be considered as corrective
disciplinary temporary. All people like all
children, should be regarded as on their
way 10 self-rule. When they are able to
maintain 1t they are entitled to have it,
AID arguments against democratic meth
| cd, based on the weakness, folly and
! selfishness of human nature, apply with
greater force to the autocratic and auto
matte methods. The individual folles of
a multitude of men often neutralize one
! another, leaving an active residue of glo-
| rious common sense. But for a fool king
there is no natural antidote, and some
times men have sadly found that the
| only way TO cure his head is to remove
! II.
Democracies are not peculiarly subject
to financial delusion. The most depreci-
ated currencies in the world have been
stamped with the image and subscription
of kings. II is said that democracies are
reckless, eXtravagant, spendthrift. and
that off cial dishonesty and CORRUPTION
hpfx In har Dnf MO he a 9.Nttlf
to parallel in the history of any republic
the extravaganza and corruption of
| France under the Borbons. The Russian
railway across Siberia has been built
| through a quagmire of pubic population
as vast as the empire itself.
1t is said that democrats sometimes
choose most incompetent and even bad
men for their ruling classes, SO they do.
| But they have no monopoly in this re-
spect The undemocratic method of Sc
lecting rulers produced Charles II, James
| III and George III. What republic has
surpassed the folly which selected the
fat, utter and obstinate Lord North TO
point the policy of Great Britain.
at time when Lord Chatham, Charles
Jones Fox and Edmund Burke were on
! the stage? Yet this was done. not by a
general democracy. but by an autocratic
king. Nor does the autocratic plan Of
| allowing rulers to choose themselves work
any more infallibly. France has had
free examples of it in the last century.
The first Napoleon was "a catastrophe
The third Napoleon was crime.
All that may be said of the propriety Of
appealing to Providence and trusting God
for the ordaining Of the powers that He
Gpplies TO this democratic method even
more than 10 any other.
Why should we suppose that Providence
has anything more, TO do with the ambl-
ton Of a strong man to climb a throne
than with the desire or great people
to choose a great leader? why should
we imagine that God Is any more willing
90 direct the intricacies OF royal ali-
snces and regulate the matrimonial en-
terprses Of Titled personages. for the sake
OF producing proper kings and lords
than TO guide the thoughts ana desires
Of great people ana turn their hearts to
the choice Of good presidents? what
royal house Is there that goes 40 far TO
Indicate the ways OF God TO man" as
the succession Of presidents chosen by
the people OF the American Republic?
Some Of the choices have not been bril-
liant. few have been unfortunate. mono
has been cyil on corrupt. There h. no
line Of hereditary kings. no line OF auto-
cratic emperor. that can claim as many
AEEeat men, o. half as mauy good men, Ia