The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-06-08

subStantta1 business men, with a like
interest In public tranquility and good
administration. The want Of local
capital has left the larger Industrial
and financial enterprises to foreign
ers. It Is better that the country
should be developed by foreign capital
that 1t should not be developed
all, yet we may regret that what
IL gained in the way OF experience as
well al of money Is not gained for the
people OF the country.
The Fatal Absence Of q middle Class"
That which Europeans call a Flower
middle class" composed OF Shopkeep-
ers and skilled artisans. is small. and
tho towns in which 1t exists are so
few and far apart from one another
that 1t has been hitherto a feeble po-
litical factor. Lastly, the Agricultural
population consists In some States
largely, in others almost entirely, Of
those ignorant aborigines who have no
sense OF their interest or progress or
that class OF Intelligent small land
owners which Is the soundest and
most stable element in the United
States and In Switzerland. and -
equally stable, II less politically train
ed. In France and parts OF Germany,
is a grave misfortune o South and
Central America.
w nht lS WaIlLDE III tHe66 CUuIIIl6S
is a sufficient number OF citizens who
have no personal ends to secure. and
nothing to get out OF government, ex-
cept good administration, but whose
interest In such administration Is intel
ligent enough and strong enough to
rouse them to their civic duty. Public
spirit inc an active participation in
public life without the prospect OF
such private gains as professional poll
| fjriuna ypaka nut ~ nn1fffro-fhAf nnA
nothing else is what provides In every
country the public opinion needed to
guide and control the ruling authors
! ties OF q State.
Peoples That We're Never Allowed. Any
Voice in Government
1t may be said that nowhere In tho
world can we expect ideal conditions
for popular governments. Suoh gov
ernments have existed and have at
tanned creditAble results in countries
where both physical conditions and
racial conditions might have seemed
unfavorable because the people pos
sessed the gifts and the training that
enable the rule of the people to sue
/ coed.
Admitting this to be true, It sreises
the question whether those who were
summoned to govern the new repub-
lies that emerged from the war Of In
I dependence did possess. and could
have been expected to possess. the re-
quisite gifts and the training. Such
gifts are not natural, They are the
result OF a peopleR previous career
and Of experience gained therein.
What, then, had been the history Of
the colonial dominion Of Spain and
what sort OF practice In government
had the CROWN allowed otis. Spanish.
l American sub1ects7
4 Tho Spanish Conquerorss Of the New
| World were men of extraordinary aai-
dactty ana energy. They were. how
over, Loyalty submissive to tho Spanish
crown and neverthought OF asking for
4 or setting UP for themselves n SELF
governing institutions. Neither did the
Spanish crown ever think of granting
such institutions.
The English crown granted charters
to accompanies which undertook coll
~onixation In North America, and the
settlers themselves were soon organ
nized by counties tn Virginia, by town
ships and counties in Massachusetts,
and Connecticut Forms Of local self
government more, effective than those
which then existed in England were in
full working order in those colonies,
all through the eighteenth century
until they separated from tho mother
country. But everywhere in Spanish
America the authority Of the viceroy,
Va S4htdAAk- CIi0l CAp " <AQQAoLCkA anu
their subordinate officers, was para
mount, and covered the whole field.
There were no elected assemblies or
elected officials. All power came from
above; the people had nothing to do
with administration. and were not
\ enough permitted to subject 1t tospub-
lie criticism. There were no respon-
abilities devoived on the people. and
no machinery In and by which they
could acquire any training in public
! affairs.
The Opportunity Of the Military Ad-
venturer.
Thus, when the revolt from Spain
threw all power into the hands Of the
people, the people were unfit to exer-
else 1t. 1t was easy to frame oonsti-
tutions modelled on that OF the United
States. But who were the people and
what did they know about the work
Ing OF free government? What waa
the capacity of the citizens whose votes
were to choose legislatures. and OF
what sort of persona were the legtala-
lures TO be composed? -.
Ten or twelve years OF lighting
against Spanish troops, years In which
there had been many seventies ana
cruelties perpetrated on q side. had
accustomed everybody TO violence and
had made soldiers the only leaders.
Everyone's mind was full OF dreams OF
liberty, but nc one knew how to So
cure 1t BY coupling liberty with law.
Tho Inhabitants, accustomed to be
ruled by others In State and Church.
had never been given a. chance OF
learning to think OF government as
their own business TOT Of themselves
as responsible for public order. When
a long and sA~nguinary war had de-
etroyed the habit Of obedience to con-
stituted authority. they were RENTED
constitution or no constitution-to
that primitive state Of things in which
force prevails. 1t must be remember
ed thai these we're small and scatter
ed communities. in each Of which
there were but few men who were at
oncs lew-abiding and intelligent. able
to impose some check on the partisans
OF one or the other Of the adventnrers
who were fghting for power.
Everywhere the -sxatcm-of-xA ating
fcxScutive power in a president hold
Ing ONCE for a term OF years was
adopted. 1t seemed the simplest plan.
and was recommended by the example
OF the United States. but It set up .
tempting prize fer ambition and genr