The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1903-06-11
The Coming Democracy.

deserving OF reproduction in this
paper. The editorial says:
When progress is hailed in one
part Of the globe it appears in an
other.
If the people Of republic show
signs OF turning back to ieudal con-
ditions, progress suddenly takes
form in an absolute monarchy.
II we in the United States are slow
about restraining the power of wealth
and preserving the rights Of the peo'
pie, Australia and New Zealand take
up the work and go far in advance OF
our democracy.
II Americans will not make their
government purely a government
by and OF the people iorpopular ben
eft, the Swiss forge ahead and give
the world it's most splendid example
OF democratic institutions.
IJohn d. Rockefeller dictates leg
islation, the French abolish titles.
Progress goes on in spite OF appar'
emit defeats, and is always In one
direction.
Forty years ago what country in
the world looked more hopeless than
Russia. There was human slavery
in Russia, religious intolerance, abso'
lutte depotism, enforced labor OF
peasants, vast and unfathomable
ignorance, mad ianatacism and a
kind OF savage ferocity OF conserva'
tism that seemed to put the country
beyond the possibility OF better
things.
Yet one ear abolished human sla-
very and began the rudiments OF a
system OF education, another insti-
tuted some OF the improvements and
conveniences of modern civilization,
and now another has just made re-
ligion free, ended the system OF en-
forced labor, introduced the idea OF
internal improvements and granted
measure OF local self.government
and democracy to the communities.
The news OF these last great
changes ought to revive faith in the
evolution OF the eventual democracy.
The despotism is relaxing, condi-
tions grow better, a constitutional
government is practically in sight.
Already the one-man power has
been eliminated from the Russian
government. The car no longer
governs by his own absolute will.
He governs now or is governed by a
council OF ministers more powerful
than he, 80 that the first stage OF
evolution, the change from an abso-
lutte monarchy to an oligarchy is
already made.
The next thing will be legislative
body elected by the people; then a
school system, thatpeople may know
how to exercise the power that will
be given to them; then the Russian
republic and the extinction OF all
forms OF absolutism.
For all progress is in the line OF
democracy, in the line OF placing in
the hands OF the people the sole and
unrestricted power OF government.
Progress is not steadfast and uni
form. Sometimes there is forward
movement, sometimes a backward
movement, sometimes no movement
at all, just inertia.
But from century to century the
total movement is forward, in spite
OF allrelapses.
There is great deal more liberty
in the world than there was 100 years
ago, when in England only one man
in 81 could vote and the king still
actually reigned. There is a great
deal more liberty than there was 80
years ago, when men held property
rights in other men.
All inventions, all improved ma
chinery and all discoveries in science,
all education and all art tend toward
democracy.
The more intelligentpeople become
the more they know, and the more
time they have to learn to know, the
clearer it becomes to them that it is
preposterous to have any other
power in their affairs than the power
of the people.
Everything that gets between the
will OF the people and government is
certain to be crushed in time-trusts
that buy the election OF their own