Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1911-11-22

= ) s 10
hat he is in favor OF a constitution.
il form OF government, he disavows1
Ills own contention by landing the
beauties Of a pure democracy, which
Is the unrestrained viii OF q mere
The history OF mankind affords 4 am |
pie proof that the tyranny q IN
restrained majorities is frequently
as tyranical and unjust as the un.
restrained tyranny OF kings.
The desires d mere majorities are
not hedged about by ANYTHING ap-
preaching divinity.
Let Us suppose that the duly elect
ed Legislature OF some state should
be stricken by q Malthnsi an panic,
and should duly enact q statute that
all children born during the next ten
years should be drowned. Would ,,'lltl
anyone contend that such a. statute
was right? This may seem 60 ri I'M
likely as not to be even 9 suppos-
able I, case, but mere majoritiess have ave
done things equally az inhilma q The
writer has personally examined g
sacrificial stone in the city q Mex 3
bco. upon which tens { Of thousands Of
innocent human beings had been
slaughtered When Il / did not rain
in that country, majority OF the
people believed that their rain god
was angry, and TO appeaae the wrath TN
ot that diety they had to offer h ~
man sacrifices, their lovliest ana
their best. And the same thing hap
pened when they imagined that some al.Le
Of their other numerous geda were
out of humor.
But. let us come nearer home, let
US suppose that large majority Of
the people OF some state should de.
eide to enslave all Of the Jews with;
In its borders. And Let US suppose
that there was no dead hand con
stitutioon to .hold back the progrssss
lof the majority, would such an &C &C
ton on the part2of the majority %
right? Mr.. Murphy TALKS fl!le nt 4
about the Intelligence, unsshltt shnes!
and virtue Of mere maJorities. bu'
every every student Of history, and every
one who stops and thinks for mo no
ment knows that unrestratned ma ma
liorties are just as bad as unre e
strained kings or cars. Did not not =
majority Of Amer leans, in ten states I
at this union, during the memory O
many people now living. enslave e.. al
entire race because Of its colcr, and
appeal to the sword for the right e to
continue to do so down to the pres pr
| ent day. 8
| Away back about five hundred uErltl1t
years before the Christian era theirs
was q pure democracy in Greece, anc
Of course they had the recall q
Judges, the same as Mr.. Murphy ~:
would have in his present day pure
democracy. Aristides was the 4 CHIEF ll.el
Officer Of their judicial system =. =
position was similar to that OF the Inc
Chief Justice OF the United States
supreme Court. His judgments were
SO fair that he gained q reputaa ton on
for WISDOM, integrity and impartial
lty that will live to the end o 'ff
earthly time notwithstanding ~
that be was subject to the recall,
and the Grecian people took 9 vote vote
on the question OF driving him out
Of the country. Such votes were tax
en- by writing on shell the name
Of the officer the voter w:shed to
..ostracize'', to recall, to drive from
the country. An Athenian, on the
way to the polls met Arlstdes but
did not know him. He asked ArlsT
tides to write ON his shell q name,
and to write "Aristhes. Without
disclosing his identity Aristides' ask
ed the Athenian what grievance he
had that prompted him to cast such
vote. No grievance at all said the
Athenian shut am impatient OF
hearing him called The Just y. And
the pure democracy of Greece per
ished, the same as all OF the other
ancient democrac:es Of that nature.
because the people preferred the tyr.
amy OF kings to the tyranny Of un-
restraied majorities.
Mr.. Murphy refers approvingly to
the progress made by the democracy
Of Great Britain, and we join with
him in rejoicing over all that has
been accomplished for the betterment
OF mankind infthat country. And
right here we wish to say, that the the
people OF Great Britain have never
attempted to progress backward by
proposing anything Like judicial
recall Prior to the thirteenth cen
t,n,.,, tho K;p1 ~ En01ond had tho