The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-15

amendment OF the teOefdl CoIlSlilu-
ton providing for the election of
United States Senator's, by direct vote of
the people is found this fine passage:
every generation since the dawn
ing of civilization seems TO have been
girted with its own peculiar capacity.
The generation of Homer has lett
nothing behind but a great epic poem
which for thirty centuries reiila ii4s
without q rival. Italian art had lts
brief and brilliant day OF glory, when
departed and has never returned. Inc
time of Elijah beth was the time Oh
dramatic poetry which has been alike
the wonder and the despair OF ali
succeeding ages. The generation
which accomplished the American
Revolution had a genius for const-
tutions which no generation, before
or since. has been able to reach or
approach. The features of the State
constitutions framed in that day nave
been retained with little change IN
substance, and have been copied by
every new State
And the Senator might have furth-
er illustrated his idea by citing the
generations in England and in Amer
lea that produced Pitt, Burke, and
Fox, and Clay, Webster. and Calhoun
as attaining to the zenith of parlla-
mentary eloquence, unrivaled in the
whole history of mankind.
Parliamentary government ia the
only means by which liberty has been
secured to a people. The Democracy
of Athens was the meaneSt govern
ment civilized man has yet made,
worse even than the despotism OF
imperial Rome, for ii was government
of mobS. Some of our demagogues
want the American people to adopt
its worse feature-the initiative and
referendum, they call it. That is gov
tow Ysofa
popular passion, popular prejudice
Vulgar and blatant demagogues play
too great a part in our present adj
mirable representative system. IF we
had this chimerical and vicious in
itiative and referendum every party
leader would have to turn scamp or
fool or both, or retire from public
life We would then have government
by the worst element. Dean Swift
opined that the extreme felicity to
which frail human nature could as
pire or attain was TO be fool among
knaves. This initiative and referen-
dunn would give us government of
fools and knaves. The fools would
all be happy and the knaves would
all be wealthy.
Better stick to our representative
system that, hoary with age and VEN
cradle for the observance of three
generations, has had more than a GEN.
tury of unbroken success. and is VIM
Dictated in the power, the wealth, the
intelligence, and the manhood
and Womanhood of the American Re-
public.
1t is a rash man who would lay
his vandal hand on system that pro-
duced the six transcendent orators
have mentioned. Pitt and Clay were
great parliamentary leaders; Burke
and Webster were great political
thinkers; Fox and Cafnoun were great
parliamentary debaters, and TO these
six may be added scores in both
the old country and the new, little
inferior to them. Indeed, Pitts faith
er was a greater minister than he,
and raised England to IL pinnacle OF
glory that not even Marlborough
victories equalled, and the elder Pitt
lorded it in the House of Commons
as no other man did before him or
has since, but the son must be &C.
knowledged as the very greatest of
all PARLIAMENTARY leaders, when we
consider the epoch in which he lived,
the issues presented to him, and the
mighty forensic opposition he faced
and defeated
Gladstone was called the Burke OF
his generation, and it was a very good
name for him. While Burke was the
profoundest political thinker of ms
day or any other day, in his country
or any other country, he was not
leader. He was content TO follow
Fox, and later, when the French revo-
luton turned ali the politics or
Europe inside out and upside down.
he renowned his leader and disciple
and became the follower of his form
er antagonist Pitt. If you could have
found a people intelligent enough and
virtuous enough TO be worthy 1t, d
government such as might have come
from the gigantic mind and noble
heart of Edmund Burke would have
been ideal Gladstone was very great
man, but he was not half as great
a minister as Peel or even Disraelll
He was a doctrinaire and not fit 10
confront a great emergency. The
Boer war was his .egacy TO his coun-
try, and fifty years Of Gladstone IN
authority would be the death of the
British lion. The nation that ,produc-
ed Occur de Lion. the Black Prince
Hal, Edward ", Cromwell, Montrose,
Marlborough. Nelson. and the Charge
of the Light Brigade would go into
trade and devote its whole attention
to selling calico and jack-knives.
While Webster was a greater intel
lect than Clay, Clay was greater
man than Webster. The majestic
Kentuckian was the best loved leader
our Country ldS pIOuuCCst, thu sCe iiS
very nearly earned the epithet be-
slowed on him in Wise's Seven De-
cades' of brilliant ruffians." In the
"Recollections of an Old Slater there
is a narrative transaction in which
CLAY and Webster were actors, and il
Illustrates a domineering temper the for
mer had. Jackson was President, and
Daniel Stevenson of Virginia, was
Speaker of the House of Represen-
tatives. The opposition controlled
the Senate. Stevenson wanted to be
Minister to England, and Jackson
consented to appoint him, but the
question was high, and politics was
much like war in "old Hickory's day.
Some of the Democrats saw Webster
about the matter and Webster agreed
TO support the nomination with his
vote and influence. Unfortunately Clay
heard about it, and resented the fact
that a Senator of his party should
make terms with the enemy without
first getting his consent. Depending on
W.absters promise, the President
nominated Stevenson for the English
mission, and Stevenson resigned his
seat ia the House of Representatives