The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-08-25

Hellenic world seems not to have Oc-
Cured to them.
The ancient Greeks called the form
Of political association corresponding
to the Teutonic shire The Brother
hood; but the Grecian brotherhood did
not expand into national government
as did the shire The clans grouped
around about some fortified hilltop or
camp, and thus grew the city. These
ancient Grecian cities were sovereign.
Rome did not admit the countries
conquered by her soldiers into a feder-
alton with the central Roman govern
ment. The method she employed to
advance her sphere of influence was
the tactics of imperial barbarism. She
held with the sword what she gained
by the sword. Had the Roman states
men understood the principles of self.
government, and had the cause of civil
lization not been retarded by their blum
dering imperialism, there would be no
place on the globe at the present time
without the blessings of political liber-
ty.
Let us trace the evolution of the idea
of federal union from the ancient
Teutons to the American revolution
lists. The Teutons seem to have pre-
served the germs of federal union from
the teachings of their Aryan ancestors.
1t was the Teutons who established in
Europe the first example of representa-
tive government, and their descendants
gave life to the present Swiss federal
union. People of Teutonic descent
carried with them from the mainland
of Europe to the British Isles the
principles of self-government long be-
fore the Norman invasion. Secure
from the quarrels which were so dis
astrous to political growth in Europe
during the middle ages, the British
people made great progress in self-gov-
ernment. and had not monarchy been
so firmly established by tradition and
custom, perhaps they would have Gre
ated federal union.
The discovery of America gave to
the people of the old world unlimited
space in which to establish their politi-
cal systems. First came the Spaniard
with his medieval ideas of conquest.
No thought had he of the splendid fu-
ture of the continent his adventurous
spirit had given to mankind. He had
no government worthy of existence,
and so after an abortive attempt to
gain foothold he failed. Next came
the British, and they prospered; five
centuries of self-government had
taught them how to conduct their af-
fairs at long distance from their
central government The French
came and settled along the ST. Law
renee, but the paternalism of Louis
| was not able to withstand the strength
of the self-governing british, and
France was forced to relinquish, after
brief contest, the land she had strug-
gled so hard to colonize.
The war for independence was inev-
table; the political ideals of the Brit
ish people made it so; for they had
within them that consciousness of
strength the knowledge of self-govern-
ment gives to men. The federal union
was the only form of government
for liberty-loving people to estab-
Iish, and the idea of any other method
of administration seems not to have
occurred to the colonists. The federal
union once established grew in
strength as the years passed, and was
able to withstand the shock of rebellion
and emerge from devastating civil
war triumphant.
PENDENNIs.