The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-06

William c. Brown, formerly professor at Marion. Ala, and author Of a history of the state, but more recently ieetulei on historical and political supJects a- va1s and Harvard, has revived the proph- ecies of Macaulay and Bryce, denying the permanency of representative government in the United States, and much mas ap- ncared in the press on the subject In lle last month.
 Anything new on such vital supJect must be of interest to American ieauei S
 and I doubt whether all nave hao all op | ,ortunitv to read DeTocqueville cele- brated work, Democracy in Amerlca'
 A hrief review of the prophecies or De- rocoueyille will show how unreliable such | forecasts as Macaulay's and Ambassador Bryce's are. ,,, st.tes- n,on of France. was sent by his govern n,ent in 1ss1 to study the penitentiary system of the United States, for the pen eht of his country. After a year ol l,aSe' and study in America he retuiiieo so France, and subsequently not ohiy niaue his report on our pententiary systenl' h,,t added to French literature his mas torniec4 Democracy in America, a v-orl, of governmental analysis ana pohti- gal observation which won for him' at once admission into the Academy ol France ..,...otaa inc stransth of our federal government anu or the union sentiment In America. iio | thought the states would separate ol 'iiei. | own accord. If any chose 10 eeAe i't .n@ step it would be dinicull to p1ose ti,a,. thev had not the right" And the other staias would not care to prevent dlsso- b,,tion of the union. In De TocqueViiie aat,ion senaration would come. Not pe- oa,,s. inc material interests of the oiiler- ant sections were divergent; TOT ne pe- liaved the sections to be interuepeiuen', :, rbe north was manufacturing, euuca.ioi,ai ,' land eommercial; the south was whoiS Q g,,cultural. the west both mahulaceui ling and agricultural The west nau H
 seaports. and was dependent on .ie eas' in commerce; the south neeoeo ene ,,.,l 1up ' nort of the white sections In cohtroiiiiis poI' Ia,.as. inc north desired the trade of the other two sections. So the mateIiai | iStarests would tend to unite the country | put the manners and customs of the UT ssrent sections would so change the char acters of their people that they eouio r, no' live hannily under one government. i.e 1 habits and passions of the people Wouio cause the sections to separate
 De Tocaueville did not observe s.i on 5 attachment to the union. And ne thoue sils ,ls the federal government very "eaN.
 r am not strangely mistaken he wrote, ....,a tadaral government of the United states is constantly losing strength retir ,n,y yraduallv from public affairs ana narrowing it's circle of action more ana more. It is naturally feeble, put u now ahandons even its pretensiohs u strength"
 | Memorable events in our countrys ms torv were then fresh in the puollc Hiiiiu land those events affected the Frehci lstatesman's opinion. The apathy oi cei- tain of the eastern states ourihs .he we. of 1s1e indicated slight attachment 10 the lnnion De Tocqueville referring to the fact ouoted the letter of Jefferson 10 La Tavette in which he said: During tha' war four of the eastern states were only lattached to the union like so many mar
 innate bodies to living men Ana ever r,ore recently the nullificationists oi south Carolina seemed to have won VIC tory over the federal government sho" of armed resistance. 50 It appeareo '' Da Toconeville He wrote "As early as the year 1920, South Caroiiha ueeiai l'1 eu lin a petition to Congress, that the tarii was unconstitutional, oppressive and un- inst And the states of Georgia, virginia North Carolina Alabama and Mlsslsslp
 nj subsequently, remonstrated asaihst II
 with more or less vigor. But congress far from lending an ear to these com 4 nlaints. raised the scale of tarlH dutie' in the years 1924 and 1928. and recoshlze' lanew the principle on Whlch II was founded A doctrine was then proclaimed or rather reviewed in the south, whlci took the name of 'nullification.' congress
 persisted in it's course, and South caro i,na armed her militia and prepared fo
 war But Congress, which had sllghte' its sppplant subjects, listened to thel
 complaints as soon as they were found t bove taken up arms. A law was passed bv which the tariff duties were to be pro excessively reduced for ten years, uhti .aev were brought so low as not to ex ceed the amount of supplies necessar' to the government Thus Congress com
 nletelv abandoned the principle of th
 tariff and substituted mere fiscal i'm most for system of protective duties
 Viewed in this. light De Tocqueville di' lnot regard the efederal power as strong
 Nor was he inclined to share the opinion of "some persons in Europe that Gen oral Jackson. then leader in public affairs
 twas bent on establishing a dictatorship l. in America, on introducing a militar, spirit. and on giving a degree of inf1uenc to the central authority which could no !, hut be dangerous to provincial liberties . l1eneral Jackson is the slave of the ma iority he yields to it's wishes, it's propen sities. and it's demands: say rather tha