The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-06-04

tlrTe.N
representative rrin,iE.le i pure
u GeT1anlr, and ind III explanation
IL the simple fat thar the English
Snlre. "tlr county. Co<trt. more t.--
rltory than he Greek ana Roman
political unit. the cit>. Ions before
the Norman CONQUEST the English
county meeting had become thovauEh-
~ representatives Had tn.r, been
railroads nr even m~acadan4tzei roads
III England 1T this time. representa-
tive government might has been in
definitely postponed Or perhaps never
thought # The little English town
ship. however. not being able III 4t-
tend en ntsSe the county meetings.
sent - their representatives four
discreet men" and these discreet nfen
are y foHndrs If representative gov
eminent. The English House III Com
mons, our own natiaua S.n..te and
ifouse. the senate and House of each
state, tie European republics. the rep
i@StfldtlNe features q European
Enontrchies. tho democratic ma,crn*nt
IN China, al can he traced IL the
political ideal f~oreshadoaed n the
Tour discreet men who 1~ourneHcd 1t
stated seasons from township IT, shire
meet.
America. however. though not
originating the system, has made L
peculiarly ana almost dlstlnettSpiN her
own not merely by it, scope
put BY enrlchlns its concept The
word representative IS ommont
Used may mean two very different
Things. IL may mean Average. and it
may mean superior. Here. say. IL 4
communists Of II Thousand people.
II | throw them all into i melting
pot. boil. stir we'll. ladle out the one
thousandth part. and make i man of
It. that man Will be representatives
Of that community because h Is tho
exact average Of that community. l,ut
II. 4 higher sense i representative
represents the best in his com
munity. He is representative. not
because he IS IN average man hut
because he is not an average. man.
lie is q fature-minded man and th.re-
fore a leader. lie stands not Ill the
base Of the popular mountain but
nearer the more conNerGcnt summit
In both senses the word dcsignates \
type: but in the first sense il desie-
mates i stationary or slow motin.
type, in the second sense & type al
ready far advanced on the road along
which others are to follow.
Now q safeguarding community
recedcs or advances III exact proper
ton as it adopts the llrst OF thu Sc
ond Of these meanings. An average
, i'i AtiAy OF s. N&iS SN''i - 9fb&
!, he cannot make i real representative.
Whenever a man is elected to 4 poll
!, tical office because he IS one of tins
boys, representative government II
: sacrificed to the lido Of the average
Whenever he holds office because II.
is a 'discreet' 4 Representative
government indicates its origin AND
:, assures its future. Enlightened publi,
:. opinion in America has from the be
! ginning been overwhelmingly in favor
!, of the man who is not an average
man. who is not q mere delegate. but
: who represents his community 10y tbs
! force Of qualities hat are more thar
: average. While the machinery 81
politics continues to elevate the aver
age man, public opinion continues al
the more insistentIy to uphold tn
: ideal Of the superior man. Never was
: the demand for enlightened and force
full leadership more urgent than il l.
today. 1t is q demand that proves
! both the presence and the vitality Q
the representative ideal.
There are those, however. who Sc,
in certain signs Of the times 4 nep
: peril to representative government
: The initiative and the referendum. "
are told, aim at the very vitals Of tn
:. representative system. | am glad tha
:. do not hail from a State or from
: q section Of the country where thes'
measures are generally advocated. bu
do not see in them the threatenet
overthrow Of representative govern
ment that others see. Their ables
: advocates advocate them solely a
:. emergency measures. They champion
= them not as a means Of throttlinl
representative government but as {
means OF throttling the men who Ar
: already throttling representative gov
They may be mista ken
! the question:, at least. is A local one
. but it behOOves their opponents to in
yestigate each local situation with i'm
: partial thorouchness and TO say VIVA
other emergency measure Woui'
serve better. The same ideal Of free
= dom hat gave birth TO Representative
y government gave birth also to tn
desire to strengthen it where il j
: weak and TO helm II I'D Mhere III Ia