The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1913-05-01
LORD MACAULAY A SEER
His Opinion Of Our Government, Pre-
dieting Its Overthrow by Vandals
Engendered by Our Democratic
Institutions

Institutions
We are requested to publish the
foregoing article by Alonzo Smith, an
almost lifelong reader of the indie
pendent-Reporter.
Mr. Smith thinks in view of the I'M
rest of the present time, the foregoing
letter seems very timely news offer
ing
upon our Democratic institutions was
written by Lord Macaulay to Hon.
Henry s. Randall of New York, au-
thor of the Life of Jefferson, dated
London, May 23d, 1857:
Dear Sir:
You are surprised to learn
that | have not high opinion of Mr..
Jefferson,-and | am a little surpris-
ed at your surprise. l am certain
that | never wrote line, and that |
never in Parliament, in conversation,
or even on the hustings,-a place
where it is fashion to court the popu-
lace-uttered a word indicating an
opinion that the supreme authority of
State ought to be entrusted to the
majority of citizens told by the head;
in other words, to the poorest and
most ignorant part of society. | have
long been convinced that institutions
purely democratic must, sooner or
later, destroy liberty, or civilization,
or both.
In Europe, where the population Is
dense, the effect of such institutions
would be almost instantaneous. What
happened lately in France is an ex-
ample. In 184S a pure democracy
was established tire. During a
short time there was reason to ex-
pect general spoliation, national
bankruptcy, a new partition of the
soil, a maximum of prices, ruinous
load Of taxation laid on the rich for
the purpose of supporting the poor In
idleness. Such a system would, in
twenty years, have made France as
poor and barbarous as the France Of
the Carlovingians. Happily the dan
ger was averted; and now there Is a
despotism, silent tribune, an en-
shaved press. Liberty Is gone; but
civilization has been saved.
| have not the smallest doubt that,
il we had purely democratic gov
eminent here, the effect would be the
same. Either the poor would plumb
er the rich, and civilization would
perish; or order and property would
be saved by strong military govern
ment, and liberty would perish.
You may think that your country
enjoys an exemption from these evils.
| will frankly own to you that l am
of very different opinion. Your
fat | believe to be certain, though 1t
is deferred by physical cause. As
long as you have a boundless extent
OF fertile and unoccupied land, your
laboring population will be far more
at ease than the laboring population
Of the old world; and, while that Is
the case, the Jeffersonian policy may
continue to exist without causing any
fatal calamity. But the time will
come when New England will be as
thickly peopled as Old England. Wag-
es will be as low, and will fuctuate
as much with you as with us. You
minghams; and in those Manchesters
and Birminghams, hundreds OF
thousands of artisans will assuredly
be sometimes out of work. Then
your institutions will be fairly
brought to the test. Distress every
where makes the laborer mutinOus
and discontinued, and inclines him to
listen with eagerness to agitators
who tell him that it is mOnstrous
iniquity that one man should have
million while another cannot get
full meal. In bad years there Is
plenty of grumbling here, and some
times little rioting. But 1t mat
tiers little, for here the sufferers are
not the rulers. The supreme power
is in the hands of class, numerous
indeed, but select-of an educated
class, OF class which is, and knows
itself to be, deeply interested in the
security of property and the mainten-
ance Of order Accordingly, the
malecontents are firmly yet gently re-
strained. The bad time is got over
without robbing the wealthy to re-
lieve the INDECENT. The springs of
national prosperity soon begin to flow
again; work is plentiful, wages rise,
and all is tranquility and cheerful
ness.
| have seen England pass three or
four times through such critical sea-
sons as / have described. Through
such seasons the United States will
have to pass, in the course of the
next century, II not of this. How
will you pass through them? I
heartily wish you good deliverance.
But my reasons and my wishes are
at war; and / cannot help foreboding
the worst.
1t is quite plain that your govern
ment will never be able to restrain a
distressed and disconnected majority.
For with you the majority is the
government and has the rich, who
are always the minority at Its mercy.