Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-06-13
THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1907.
HISTORY AND POLITICS.

In recent address, Ambassador
Bryce considered the relation of his
tory to politics, and the value Of his
tory to the citizens and statesmen,
saying there were two general conclu-
sions which public spirited citizens of
the United States who wished to serve
their city or state or country might
draw from the political history Of 9TH
er countries.
"One is" said he, that no one who
seeing the faults that belong to popu-
lar government and the difficulty Of
bringing 1t up to the ideal which the
theory Of democracy sets up need be
disheartened, no, not even by repeated
failures, to effect the reforms which
good citizens desire. History has
comfort for him. 1t will show him that
other forms of government, autocracy
and oligarchy, have their faults also
and graver faults. You may find now
and then a wise and high souled de-
spot who will do his best for his sub
jects, but there Is no security, there
is not even probability, that he will
be succeeded by other despots of like
virtue. You may have a prudent and
skillful oligarchy government which
will extent the power of the nation
in the world. But 1t is. certain to gov
ern in its own class interests. not
in that of the people at large. This
was the fallacy that led even so emin-
.ent a writer as the late Sir henry
Maine to do injustice to democracy
He pointed out IT'S faults. He omitted
to point out the faults of other gov
ernments. All governments have their
deficits. As the scripture says, There
Is none that doeth right. no. rot one.
It is only a question of which does
Tess well than another. And the gen.
.eral lesson of history is that the gov
eminent of one or of class Is far
worse than the government of the
whole people.
'"The other conclusion is that al
thought the best institutions and tht
best administrative system are worth
planning for and striving for al
though they make an immense differ
ence to the welfare of, the country
there is another thing even more i'm
portant, That thing. is the partfcipa-
tion in the work of government of the
whole, body Of the people. LEADERS
honest, capable, courageous men are
necessary. just as necessary in dem.
ocratic as in other forms of govern.
ment. The people smust seek then
out. honor them, must give. if theil
honesty is proved. its confidence. Blu
watch everything they do and never
surrender its Judgment. or IT'S votes
Into their hands 1t was said by then
of old that eternal vigilance is the
price OF freedom It is the price Of
other things also. 1t is the price OF
pure government and efficient govern.
ment. No citizen in q free country
can escape or decline his RESPONSE
bility for the conduct of his govern.
ment. He ought to respect the judg-
ment Of those whom he knows to be
wiser than himself He must avoid
!. the error of these 'cranks' as you cal
him, who set the particular question
In which they are most interested
above the general lines Of a sound ma
tionaf policy. But the history Of free
governments shows that when things
go wrong, 1t is not so often from err
rors OF Judgment on the part of the
people, as It is from an excess Of party
spirit which has led them to follow
blindIy an INSCRIPTIONS leader. OF
from an Indifference and negligence
which has enabled INSCRIPTIONS and
selfish men to pursue their own ad-
vantage at the expense of the public
good.
1.-The most successful of all democra-
cfes, that of Switzerland. has been that
in which the whole people have most
constantly exerted themselves to
watch and to take part in the conduct
.of their government and the result has
been ito produce in the mind of the
Swiss people an intelligent compre-
lhension of public AFFAIRS which IT must
be hard to equal elsewhere"