The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-02-17
ICONOCLASM
OF PROGRESS.
(New London Telegraph.l


There are two propositions before
the Connecticut leg stature, the initia-
tive and referendum and the comm s.
sion plan of municipal government, to
which also the initiative and referen-
dunn is attached, that have a common
significance.
And it was well brought out in Sem
ator Roots argument against the d.
rect election Of senators, when he said
that such evidences of a movement
toward pure De4i4oefacy axe - ~
of confession that representative gov
eminent is a failure.
H S theory is that il the people can
not be trusted to elect representatives
who will truly represent them, and
faithfully perform their duties in the
interest of the public, the people will
fare no better in attempting to more
directly govern themselves.
We are touching upon subject
which will become more and more
widely discussed as the years go by,
for the movement toward what is
called pure Democracy has become
world wide and is manifesting itself
in a great variety of ways.
Much of what was once called pop
ulism' and later Bryan sm," has so
permeated the thought of this country
with the larger portion Of all political
parties, and whether advanced as
Roosevelt's new nationalism, or by
Bryan in his Commoner, or by FL SIS
in Massachusetts,, by a LaFollette,
Bristow or Cummins. it is raising
issues fundamental to our institutions
of government, whether national, state
or munici pal and they should be fa-
miliarly understood by the voters, for
they are to decide them.
But IL there is general attack up
on our system of representative gov
ernment-and there is-there are good
reasons for 1t, and It does not at all
follow that simply because it is an at
tack, simply because it tears down old
idols and craven images of our GUS
tomary pol.tica faith it should be as
of course condemned That sort of
condemnation is the judgment of pride
and self-rishteousness. and is fatal
to progress.
All great social movements spring
from intolerable conditions of one sort
or another. and usually make consid-
cradle progress before they become
self conscious.
1t is but recently that the advocates
of purer democracy. more direct
part cipation by the average man in his
own government have begun to gain
an adequate understanding that it is
a principle they are contending for
rather than any concrete expression of
it alone.
But the consciousness has come and
with it a renewed vitality and force
to all true progressivism-and with it
will come acceleration.
The pr nciple lies deeper than any
question of right arising from men s
relations as citizens Its absolute ba-
sis Is the brotherhood of man and
as it's foundation is true so shall the
structure which is to be built upon it
be just and permanent. Brotherhood
is :nseparable from sonship, and i'm
plies common heritage when the ar
tificial conditions of life ultimately
give way to the more natural condi-
tons of equal opportunity and sup
ply.
And toward this ideal mankind must
inev tably move-though the movement
is to last many generations before con-
summation. for no condition other than
perfection is tolerable or STABLE
The cardinal inst tutions of repre-
sentative government are founded on
a theory of expediency rather than
right. AS the expediency in any par
ticular instance becomes unnecessary,
because OF better quality in our av-
erage citizenship, or for any other rea-
son, it will lead to an appropriate lop-
ping off of some branch of the system
no longer useful to the tree, and little
by little the letter of elf-government
gives way to the substance Of it's spir-
it, Genuine progression toward pure
Democracy, timely and conserva tive,
is not to be dreaded-it is not only in
eVitable but eternally right