New-York tribune., 1910-10-23
THE CONSTITUTIONAL EXAMPLE.

THE CONSTTTTTION4L EA HPLE.
The novel and suggestive theory -
put forward by Il writer in THE Daily
Mail Of London. that the troubles Of
Portugal and. indeed most Of the trou-
bIes of most European states are due to
ineffective efforts 10 follow good eX-
ample. For nearly a century after the
tablishment Of the present complete
constitutional system in Great Britain
nearly all Europe was filed with admi-
ration and a desire TO initiate it Thus,
countries which had just emerged from
immemorial abS0lutism and which had
not the slightest experience in CT apti-
tude for representative government
copied the British system of parlia-
mentary and ministerial government
not because il was suited 10 their needs
or 70 their temperament but simply be
CauSe II was regarded as the latest
thing out in political progress The
result has been in some cases doubtful,
il, some "A total and pernicious fail
ure"
In some. perhaps most. respects this
view of the case may be justitiable.
That there was such imitation of the
British system in Europe, just as there
was widespread imitation Of the United
States system in South America. is un-
deniable: and the process was pursued
in both cases with little thought of the
necessary preparation which England and
the United States had enjoyed for many
generations or Of the essential conditions
Of femDerament and national character
which are partly racial and partly the
product Of special circumstances and eX-
Derience and which make q vast diff
ference in the adapta bility Of 4 given
system to a given nation anG III the
success with which il is applied and
operated. In some cases. even. we may
admit that the experiment of cOnstitu-
ti0naIism has not only not succeeded.
but has actually opened the way for
gross abuses.
We cannot however. concede that
these circumstances, even at their
worst. as in Portugal and Spain cOnSti-
tute an Indictment of constitutiOnalism
-, a condemnation Of the attempts to
appIv it generally in Europe. For,
badly as constitutionalism has worked
in some countries. IL has been AT worst
a vast Improvement over the preceding
absolutism. The Portugal of Carlos and
Manuel IL was at least much better
than the Portugal of Pedro III, and the
Spain Of Alfonso XII and NH has been
an immeaSurable Improvement upon
that of Charlie " and Ferdinand VII.
=, might have been better for some Eu-
ropean states 10 have done as China
il doing. and 10 have adopted constitu-
tionaI government gradually and also
TO have devised variants upon the Brit
ish system fitted 10 their individual
tastes and tempeTaments. But that
would have implied and required the ex-
iStence and dominance Of geniuses Of
craftsmanship such as nations see only
once i'm "A century.
on the whole. Europe is much better
off in its attempts, troublouS though
some of them may bee. to follow the
British example. and South America is
immea sura bly, better of for having.
with much trial ana travail followed
the example Of the United States. This
would be so, if for no other reason. be-
cause in such efforts alone lies hope of
Absolutism remains absOiut-
ism and that is all But constitutional
ism contains the vital germ of progress.
80 that If III the form AT first adopted
il does not prove satisfactory or sue
cessful il has within itself the potency
and promise Of self amendment and of