The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-11-17
BULLET AND BALLOT.

l
either through the expressed will or th'
tacit consent OF the people, in whom
terrestrially speaking ultimate political
sovereignty resides. The Russian
masses could speedily overthrow th'
rough paternalism of the Car. The
Germans could easily revolutioniz'
their government. Even the Chinese
have the potency, II they chose, of in
augurating an Asiatic Republic.
What men could do, what they vii
do and what they are deferred from
doing by ignorance OF their own power
or by lack of unanimity, are different
things. The bottom fact is that they
possess sovereignty when they agree
and see fit to exert 1t. This is the truth
old as the race, which is formulated
and energized by the government OF
the United states, and, whatever the
defects of administration may be, the
foundation is secure. because it is true
to human nature.
Within the last hundred years, the
artificial doctrine of the Divine Right
of Kings has been torn to shreds. The
conception of governing power trans
United by God to chosen men, planted
in the higher stratum of conventional
society, and filtering downwards
through successive layers of humanity,
is derided by every intelligent person
on earth, who has experienced educa-
! tional emancipation. 1t Is doubtful
whether this sum of absurdity is be-
| lief. except within the breast of the
German Emperor. The English Edward
would scout the proposition that he is
anything more than the tolerated head
of the British Empire. The House of
Hapsburg has long since awakened
from it's royalistic dream. Italy, in
its present aspect, does not even profess
I the exploded delusion. Everywhere
mankind Is penetrated by the con-
seriousness of individual authority,
which is practicalized by the American
ballot.
The rude struggles towards the
American example, and to soidify gov
ernmental ediflces with popular cement
that have spasmodically occurred in
Europe, within the last century, would
be amusing, If they were not often so
tragical. Institutions that sprang from
the claim of Divine Right cannot we'll
be reconciled with popular sovereignty.
The attempt, however, has been FREE
quently made. The Balkan States fur
nish examples of sovereigns chosen and
deposed by ballots, although in the |
matter of deposition, the returns from |
the ballot have been occasionally de- |
livered in the form of bullets. In Ser |
via, as far back as 1917, Miosh Obreno- |
witch became the ruling prince by the
vote of the national assembly, and
served under that election until 1899, !
when he abdicated. In 1Si2, a son OF
George Petrovich or Black George 7
who had been a notable Servian char
acter, was elected Prince and, within
short time, by vote of the Skupsh- ,
tina or national assembly, he was de- /
posed, and Prince Milosh recalled.
After Servia had been changed from
a princedom to a kingdom, Milan was
elected to be sovereign, and reiGned
until 1889, when he abdiCated and pro-
claimed a regency until his son, Alex
ander, attained his majority. In April,
1898, two years before the due date,
captured the throne by a
coup d'etat and, in April of this year,
adopted Sir Boyle Roche's notion of the
fundamental law of Great Britain, set
the Servian constitution temporarily
aside, amended it to suit himself and
then restored 1t, and on June 18th,
1908, when the soldiers by vote had
determined on the deposition of him
self and wife, refused to receive the
return of the ballot, shot one of the
who tried to deliver it,
and Immediately, together with the
Queen, accepted the result in the form
Of cold lead. After that Peter Kara
georgevitch, son of the prince who
had been deposed by vote in 1S43 or
1874, was elected King.
Charles the First, King of Roumanla, ,
was a young German Prince, who be-
came a monarch by election. The
Prince of Bulgaria in 1887 was elected
~ the local national assembly Beyond ,
he Balkan States, there are many
other instances of election within a -,
century, to which it is unnecessary to ,,
'efer in detail. For example, King ,
George, who has filed the throne of ,,
Greece for forty years, was young
Dane, who acquired his sovereignty by :
election. ,
Changes of dynasty in Great Britain =
we're substantially carried by election d,
before the American revolution. But c
he main deductions are that, in mod ,
,rn times and especially since the gov 5
eminent OF the united states was m 1
lugurated, the existence of ultimate I
sovereignty In the people has almost I
entirely superseded the exploded doc
.rine of Divine Right, and that fire.
luent applications of this truth to in
;titutions with which 1t is wholly in
compatible have occurred. The Ameri-
IAN system gradually, even If slowly, is
'evolutionizing history. The best meth
ID of perfecting the revolution is |
through our own constitutional olan.
The spectacle of universal suffrage
among citizens across vast con-
Linent and in the islands of the Pa
,ihc, is the chief object-lesson of our
advanced civilization. The ballot, even !
when cast ignorant or besotted citi-
Gems, of whom there are not many. Is ,
the emblem of peaceful selfgoyeru-
ment. The only instance in our history ,
Of even remote analogy to the Ser ,
Wan precedent, was the assassination
Of President Mckinley by CZolgos2,
which was doubtless the result of an
anarchIstlc vote, inspired by yellow
ola