The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-26

lions, Wnlle a third Is preponderantly
a trade party. Which one then In so
heterogeneous a system of popular
representation will get a hearing?
In his reply to this question he
quotes Adolphe Prins: Society pos
sesses something more than fancy di-
visions and artificial boundaries, it
possesses organic articulation, natural
stratiflcations-that is to say, COM
munity Of interests, rural and urban
groups, industrial and economic
groups, art n science groups"
These groups are the frames for the
franchise. Difficult rs Is the problem
OF representation when society is re-
Garded with an Y tn individuals, the
solution OF the problem becomes cor
r~espond!ngly easy when the cardinal
point round which the whole r~evolvcs
becomes the collectivltics spontane-
ously generated in a nation.
lf all the citizens in q country were
classified and exercised their rights in
their respective classes, We should still
get manhood suffrage, inasmuCh as
everybody votes, but 1t Is manhood
suffrage without the violent shocks to
which II IL exposed when 1t has no
point d'appui, without the injustice
which results from an equi-value Of
votes, without the oppression to which
the independent thinker IL exposed by
the sovereignty OF mere numbers.
To each association would he allotted a
number of deputies corresponding to
the social. not to the numerical sig-
nlncance of h association.
The gains to he hoped for from such
"a rafntNt, 80 .A A. H.
sense would be % that while every
group obtains It's relative representa-
ton 1t will be possible to prevent any
one such group from attaining by the
chances of parliamentary existence
an overgreat, unjust and socially hurt
ful p~reponderance. C2J The matters
at issue will be realities. not abstract
and one sided party doctrines. and
waste of energy will be avoided. 90
Meaningless phrases will lose much of
their suggestive force when the cleo
tors are organized according To their
trade interests and can join in shaping
the policy Of their interest group to-
ward an appropriate goal. Social brig
andage will thus he reduced to a
minimum. ca Professional politicians
VIII he 10 a great extent replaced by
experts, because the trade groups. be-
ing conceived according to their ma
terial interests, will propose men from
their own ranks as candidates. Even
II there are several parties within the
trade group an expert in the sphere of
that trade will lie elected, whatever
party happens To preponderate. Add
to this that many Of the most con-
tpnTtn1Ig Gftffrnp ~ ,,,av.FA,. ,,tFt ....-..t
OF themselves; such questions as,
should suffrage he general or re-
stricted? Is a man with $1,000 a year
To have W votes or must he have
5000 a year? Must he reside one or
two years in the place where he votes?
IL is obvious hat all limits are arbi-
trary. ON the who'll the author sum- Nm
that logic n the best interests OF
society coincide; that the corporate
method OF representation, n addition
to being the historical method. is also
the most natural.
Where trade representation obtains
II follows as a matter of course that
every woman engaged In trad. will
nave me same right of voting in her
group that a mar has.
One objection raised to the corporate
system is that politics. already marked
by a crude materialism. would become
ten times more 90 when every ideal
FACTOR is lost, The answer to this OBJ
lection Is that the belief in the signif-
canoe OF ideal considerations in modern
democratic politics is .argely an illu-
sion reused by word suggestion. When
ideal values are exploited for party
objects they cease to be ideal. The
corporation has this in common with
the family n the nation, that II is a
natural. not an artificial, grouping,
The corporate spirit therefore is more
sociable, more ideal than the party
spirit. II is to social ethics We must
look 10 evoke aspirations toward the
Ideal and to give these aspirations n
vogue that will compel 20. tics To take
account of them.
Heretofore when the idea OF cor
porate popular representation has been
mooted II has been dismissed ry par-
liamentarians as impracticablc. The
author. however, has never seen proof
Of the impracticabiiity. II the current
OF development is setting IN the d.
rectiun Of trade group representation.
u ~ NN'iil ~ ''lltt utSlflt the nti4l-
ticians. When the old gods are dis
credited the new mes knock AT the
door.
The authors last chapter is called
Social Ethics, Il is really concerned
chiefly with setting forth the enur-
nous value Of culture and Of civi,!za-
ton IA "A to culture. 1t Is a
thousand pIties tina; this optimistic
and suggestive book upon political
methods was written before the
present appalling downfall of civiliza-
ton. though had 1t been delayed
II would perhaps never have been
written AT all. for this is an era when
1t is difficult 10 think al all Of such
lost deals az civilization and culture.
Raplcity. greed, murder. machine
slaughter rule the day, and until the
world hes in ruins there seems to be
no way TO stem the tide Of chaos and
destruction.
Ola spanish Churches of New
Mexico.