The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-02-15
The SWEEP
OF DEMOCRACY

The new Shah Of Persia Is having
turbulent introduction 10 the high
estate OF sovereignty. The sweetness
OF manarchial omnipOtenee Is being
turned into bitterness by the aggres-
slons Of the Constitutionalists. He Is
nnding that he must now pay the pen
atty for the misdeeds Of his ancestors
on the trone. They tyrannized, rob
bed and bribed, killed. inundated and
bunkoed the Persians until their pa
thence gave out The unheavals which
made the last days Of the late Shah
period Of uneasiness and peril have
been bequeathed TO his successor. The
late ruler made certain concessions
to the determined people, but he
evaded the most radical demands.
With temporiEing and pretension he
managed to delay the crisis, and
when. at last, he became desperately
III further delay was imperative. The
younger Shah assumed the retns OF
power with a rather high hand; he
believed, apparently. that what threat
ened his predecessor would by some
supernatural influence, arising from
his own sanctfed person, be averted
from himself The dispatches from
Teheran show how sadly he overesti-
mated the magic of his sanctity, and
how potent is the voice Of the people.
The masses, tired Of the absolutism
on the throne and OF the procrastIna-
ton of the monarch, seized the arse
nails and the uasLParliament, reluc-
family established a few months ago
by the late Shah, announced its inten-
ton of electing a new Shah unless
the present sovereign granted the fire.
quently stated demands. including for
NAL recognition that the country Is
under Constitutional Government. The
Shah tried hard to dodge the crisis. In
the way of the other Shah, but he was
soon induced by necessity to accede to
everything. Persia now starts actu-
ally on a new path.
Thus the sweep of democracy con-
tinues on its way among peoples VINO
have been held In the letters OF auto
cratic government. The autocracy OF
the Far East is slowly being honey
combed with the enlightened political
ideas of the West Russia has been
lwrithing In the throes of a new birth.
Some day in Germany. where despot-
ism fiourishes still with amazing sue
cess, the might Of the Emperor wiilepe
curtailed. Some day the whole WORM
viii awake to the fact of mankind's
) native freedom, and all people will be
seifgoverning in the full sense OF the
word.
There Is something ironical In the
one circumstance, however, that while
i Persia and other countries which have
been for ages cursed by autocracy are
> now freeing themselves Of the burden
. of depotism we are witnessing in
: America-the land OF boosted indie
pendence and home rule--a tendency
toward depotism The Constitution OF
la democracy, and 1t was devised to
'' bring about "a more perfect union" OF
certain sovereign States. The Presi-
: dent was conceived as a chief execu-
= tive oflcer; an oflcer having no au-
thority or right to NEEDLE with the leg
islative or judicial branches OF the
Government. Least of all was he to
encroach upon the powers OF the States
or trespass upon their autonomy. The
thought Of his invading the privileges
of the Individual citizen never oc
u CURED to anyone as possible or logf
Il cal in the early days of the republic
II What was the office of an executive
> head of republican government Il
y steadily being perverted by Theodore
Roosevelt into the throne room OF ar
~ autocrat. He and his prime Minister
T. decree that the Notion shall usurp the
- powers of the States, and that the
= President shall be the supreme dicta
TOT OF the INdlIOu. Ii thc N'hStteu'iOh
gets In the way, 1t will be kicked oui
= Of the path by judicial construction
To obtain this construction the dicta
: tor will gradually reconstruct the Su
preme Court with men close to thu
throne who can be relied on to de-
y their worst. Meanwhile, the people
y are given effective Illustrations of thu
u WAYS of an autocrat in the shape O
n pension legislation by Executive or
" der" a foreign treaty without tn
l., advice or consent OF the Senate, art
IS habit Of trying to regulate every
n thing and everybody without regart
lie | 10 the law or the facts.
If the present drift is not checked
Id we may ultimately find ourselves look
NJ ing enviously at Persia as a land 0
~