The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-09-25
misconceptions
&C a ThcoTiSt

Anglo-S Saxon Institutions, Is
the vehicle FOR his elaborate
ly wrought out theory con-
corning the outgrowth Of the modern
republican theory and practice of gov
eminent from the pateInalism and des-
potism OF older European politics. Mr..
Tspp's theory is interesting if not con-
vincing: it fails OF the latter quality
because Of the fact that in his utter
Obsession 10 the seeming soundness Of
his tencts the writer has twisted history
TO meet his views and overlooked the
word OF authorities with a fine scorn
of any trammeling influences. His be
liefs lead him 10 put d Grange and
untoWard constructi~n upon accepted
chronicles of past events and to deduce
unusual conclusions from facts here
tOfOre presumed 10 admit Of but one
conclusion.
The object of Mr. Tapp's book is to
demonstrate how il is that at last the
free republican idea which he attrib
utes TO the genius of the primitive
AnglO-Saxons, has triumphed over the
despotic and aristocratic propaganda of
'Normanism." BY the latter term the
writer incorporates all of the govern
mental principles of feudalism-the di-
vine right Of kings. the existence of
titled class through inheritance and the
degradation OF the common people. As
Stunning that this baneful influence Of
"Normanism" choked the path Of up
Ward-springing liberty in Anglo-Sax-
on England when it was saddled upon
the conquered peoples by William the
Conqueror, the author proceeds upon
de
q race characteristic and "Anglo-Sax-
onism" as an aftagonistic race char
acteristic continued to wage continual
warfare for governmental control
through all England's history and
continue so to do even to-day. The
American republic alone represents
the full and complete triumph of the
one policy over the other; the seed
sown in the heart of the savage Angle
or Jute on the banks Of the Elbe,
shadowy in history. has borne ma
ture fruit in the constitutional repub-
lie Of the United States OF America
AS preliminary to the calculation of
his theory Mr.. Tapp reveals himself
as a strict constructionist Of constitu-
tious. both written and institutional, by
his definition Of what constitutes SOW
ereignty and what the powers Of state.
Supreme sovereignty. resident in the
hands OF the people, should delegate
20 a government only such authority
as is necessary to protect all to the
disadvantage or the advantage Of none.
The constitution is the paramount law,
delegated by the sovereign power, 1. E.:
the people, to its agent the govern
ment. In the United States the consti-
tuition (and this is a strange .hought)
IS a pact between States only and not
of the people. and the Federal Govern
ment thereby created is in no sense a
national government, but government
OF States as corporate bodies.
The author reviews ground made ia
miliar by all studies in government in
his resume OF the ancient systems Of
Greece and Rome. He denies, however,
that from the republics Of Greece or the
early republic OF the Romans came any
modicum Of what Is now the true re-
publican order. The rudiments of rep
resentative government by the consent
OF the governed" he finds, as do others,
IN the primitive tribal scheme Of those
Teutonic clans that later moved to the
shores OF Celtic England It is agreed
by the authorities that the rudIrnents
Of English local government trace their
scheme OF Witanagemot and Reeve
Council and that these institutions sur
vived In modi1ed form the incursion
Of the Eormans with their nascent
feudAlism- But does not the author
take q far-fetched view of things when
he declares that had Anglo-Saxon Eng
land remained isolated from Continent
81 influences, represented in the Nor
mans, republicanism would have -four
ished unhindered? Here In his asser-
ton:
NO class OF nobility could have it's
origin from them (the Anglo-Saxons).
No upper house of Lords could have
been conceived by their minds. Ac-
ccrding TO their thinking and criterion
OF government the representatives in
the legislative branch OF the govern
ment should be elected by the people.
The idea CT appointing q House Of
Lords by the crown for life was of
Norman conception and alien brains.
II had its origin with the 'foreigners.'
who had defeated the native Saxona
and established their permanent mis-
rule over a defeated and suppressed
people"
II does not seem that Mr.. Tapp con-
elders the fact that feudaism-i- e.
''No:manisrn." was az much q pre-
dominant element in the philosophy Of
government Of the Middle Ages as alb
solutism was the tenet Of seventeenth
and eighteenth century politics: that
not only Norman France, but Gothic
Holy Roman empire and Teutonic
Germany-the Germany Of the Angles
md Che aaEaas-hAld 70 Oils ''pssrpae