The Washington herald., 1916-01-06
Wanted: A Real Government.


lrogated the subject they would have voiced the
equally ardent wish that such thing might never
appear on that portion OF the earth's surface in
which they were Immediately interested Govern
ment OF the people and for the people, yes. BY the
people. ncveri They intended that the people
should be sovereign. that their will should
ultimately prevail That is the essence of
democracy the only sure defense against tyranny.
But in the main they did deem it advisable that
the people should make their own laws or do their
own governing. They hoped that the actual cxecu-
tive and legislative work would fall into the hands
OF class that would bring toebear on their task
more leisure, more experience, intellectually,
more poise that the of the people arc capable
OF exercising. In this way they hoped there would
be maintained body OF laws and body OF polti-
cal ideas superior to those which the people them
selves would evolve and which would act as
standards toward which the people would at all
times be striving To that extent they wished to
follow the form of government that prevailed in
England. They did not fancy the thoroughly Tcu-
tonic autocracy that George III trying to es-
tablish. Neither, for the matter of that did the
English. On the other hand they distrusted the
idea OF ministry responsible the legislature for
its tenure of Office, which was in fact England's
chief safeguard against autocracy George III
ceeded in being autoerat only by the temporary
expedient of manipulating pocket boroughs and
brbing members of Parliament, an expedient
which the Reform Act completely disposed of.
The reason why the business OF government
did not fall into the hands of lesured intellectual
class in the United States was that no such class
existed, except in certain sections of the South
And where it did exist the relations between the
masses OF the people and the upper classes as they
would have been called in England) were not those
that prevailed in the latter country. So it came to
pass that nobody would go into politics except as
a matter of business and for what there was in it.
And the political system naturally came to be so
developed that there should be something in it for
those who applied themselves to it.
Today the chief-and in the opinion of some the
most undesrable-feature of our government is
that it is BY the people. And it is getting more so
every day. For long time we were content with
la House of Representatives who were essentially
chosen from as well as by the mass of the people
To temper their extravagances preserved Sem
ate chosen by State legislatures, the assumption
being that these legislatures, though themselves
drawn from the proletariat, would make their Sc
lection with eye only to fitness And to a GER
tain extent that has been done, and the dignity and
intellectual caiber of the Senate has been markedly
in advance of the House of Representatives.
1t could not be expected that this scheme would
last The people of the United States at least that
rather dubious stratum that has always taken an
active interest in politics, have always desired to
govern themselves have never felt that any select
body of men could perform that task better for
them than they could for themselves. So it has
come about that the double distilled Senate as it
now exists is to be replaced by one selected on
precisely the same plan the House of Repre-
sentatves, that is by the direct vote of the mass
of the people. Of course we have gone further
than that in establishing government BY the peo.
pie, but up to the present time only in the States
By means of the initiative and referendum the
butcher and baker and candlestick maker not
merely choose lawmakers, but make the laws
themselves. The legislation evolved in this way
has been just what might have been expected.
The layman does not often stop to consider the
precise effect of system of government in re-
spcct to himself. Its results are on par with his
own intelligence and education, and therefore for
the most part satisfactory. 1t does not occur to
him that he is entitled to something better than
he himself could evolve. He would not dream of
employing man to mend the stove build him
suit of clothes cut his hair who was not more
skRful at the work than he himself is But he is
quite satisfied to pay good salary to a so-callcd
legislator who brings to the task not whit more
skill or experience mentality than the voter him
self possesses.
Inc result OF the system is that the legislator
feels no responsibility. His object is to give the
voter what he wants-in that way he retains his
iob-not to provide him with what he ought to
have. His work. to journalistic simile, is that
of the typesetter rather than that of the editorial
writer 1t is precisely for this reason that real
party government has never been successfully es-
tablished in the United States. In England the
politicians go to the country on some one impor-
tant issue, free trade, for example. They return to
power instructed as to that thing. For the
lesser questions they exercise their own discretion
They do not consult their constituents, and the
constituents unless personally interested, do not
ask to be consulted. With us, on the other hand,
while we have parties of long standing and enjoy
ing fundamental differences of temperament we
expect them when they present themselves for our
suffrages to express their views, rather to ac-
| curately reflect our views about every subject
Itpder tbe c., IL Al. L