Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-18

zens.
/ The PRONUNCIATION Of n great Gonstt-
/ tuition with guarantees of liberty anu
/ equality. the Enactment of statutes ltlst
and humane, will not alone solve ta0
4 problems of governmental. political, or
| Industrial life. Above and beyond and
| greater than all human constitutions
| is the spirit Of justice and the law OF
/ morality. Whefr they arc departed
from. the institutional life of the ma
\ ton, no matter how great its source or
! splendid It's achievements. will wither
| and fall into an open grave.
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY 4CR1TI-
CIZED.
1 1t sometimes touches our pride IL be
| told that there are faults i'll our Amcri-
| can democracy, and that we fall TO
| manifest in our political and municipal
! life those high ideals and Christian vir-
| tues more or less reflected in our lives
| and in communal conduct. James
| Bryce. the great English statesman and
| historian, points out With great clear
| ness some OF the faults which char
acterize the American people. Among
| them he enunlerates q certain com
| monness of mind and tone, want of
dignity and elevation in and about the
conduct OF public affairs, an insensi-
bility to the nobler aspects and re-
sponsibilities of national life. A want
OF knowledge, tact and Judgment i'll the
dictates Of legislation as well AS Of ad-
,ninistrati ton with an iadeu,1ate recog-
milton Of the difTicuIty of those, kinds of
work and of the work of special ex-
perience and skill in dealing with them.
LaXity in the management of pubic
business. Persons entrusted with bust
ness being only average men With a
deficient sense of the high Responsible
ities. NAV succumb to the temptations
which tho control Of ,ccisla ton and
the public funds present. in eases
where persons of a more enlarged view
ana with more of a social reputation to
suDport would remain incorrilptible,''
Without fully agreeing with him. his
criticism is worthy OF exanina ton.
Plato and other great PHILOSOPHERS at
tribute to republics ana the people
within their borders, wca lIncsses which
thew thought fatal to moral and no.
litical stability and to the REPRESENTATION
OF tl,cnation. 1t is to be observed. how.
ever. that they had in view the snail
Greek republics of antiouity and the
Italian republics Of the lnediaeval
ages: ana of them it may be said. that
recognizing slavery and the people be-
ing devoid OF those moral and other
strong qualities necessary for good gov
t.rnment. such republics were fore
7
While it is true there are Weaknesses
in our system which particularly mani
fest themselves in our municipal life,
I believe there Is that spirit of ia triot-z
ism ana virtue which in the end will
eradicate the evils complained of and
give 10 the people not onlyta higher
form of national life. but n pure and
more exalted form of p,uuicipah gov
eminent.
eXpresse[l the same view announced by
,nna ~, .l'e. w
IL lower than one expects to find
in 50 great a nation. sometimes think
that the American people are too OPP
tim.stic: carried away by The great
ness OF the republic and believing that
the golden age is come, they lose sight
OF the questions and problems that are
at their very door 1t is so easy to
dream Of the Utopia and the task Is so
feiicitous 10 speak of the collective ma
icstx OF the nation. that we forget to
look at our homes and cities, and fail
to appreciate tina to govern them well
is task perhaps more difficult and
important. than the government or the
nation. Ana so Bryce and others are
somewhat surprised when they find
such lofty national patriotism and
Christian virtues Of such high order
and then discover that we. partially at
Least, fail to apply our faiths and doc
trinss to social municipal and indus
trial problems We must not forget the
causes which make for individual as
well as national greatness. National.
decndenca follows individual and local
Weakness. The corruption OF the unit
in society. in the cities and towns. pre-
sagps the corruption of the state and
the destruction OF the nation
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