The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-04-04
STATE HAS SHACKLED
POLITICAL FREEDOM
Maryland Gradually Overcoming Bad
Government And Instituting DEM
ocratic Reforms.

Democracy il America" Deter
mined admirer as he was of demo-
cratic government he was entirely
alive to its faults and dangers.
Speaking of the people under de-
mocracy, he said, They console
themselves for being in tutelage by
the rejection that they have chosen
their own guardians. Every man al
lows himself to be put in leading
strings because he sees that it is not
a person or class of persons, but
the people at large that hold the end
of hi chain. BY this system the peo-
pie shake off their state of depend
ence just long enough to select their
.lId5,v., ana then relapse into II
| again. A great many persons at the
present day are quite content with
this sort of compromise between ad-
minis rative despotism and the SOW
ereiguty of the people; and they
think they have done enough for the
protec Ion of individual freedom
When they have surrendered it to
The power of the nation at large"
Aga he says: 1T is in vain to
summon a people, which has been
rendered SO dependent on the CEN
raj power, to choose from time to
time the representatives OF that
| power; this rare and brief exercise
of Their free choice, however inn
portanc it may be, will not prevent
them rom gradually losing the fac
| ulties Of thinking, feeling, and act
ing for themselves and thus gradual
~ falling below the level of hui
mainly. | add that they will soon
| become incapable of exercising the
| great privilege which remains to
them" He further believed that it
was easier to establish an absolute
and despotic government among d
| people in which the conditions OIL
society are equal, than amongst any
other; and l think that if such a
government were once established
amongst such a people, it would not
only cypress men, but would even
tually strip each of them of several
of the highest qualities of hui
mainly.
In what 1 have written l have en-
| deavored as well as was possible to
me to point out the fact that the
people of the State of Maryland have
been surrendering their liberties,
without full consciousness OF the
fact that they have allowed corrup-
tion TO increase among them; have
permit ted their rulers to be the
choice not of the people at large, but
of narrow oligarchies known as ma
chimes; have allowed their powers
over legislation to rest in the hands
of a few men largely controlled by
selfish interests; have been content,
as De Tocqueville indicated, to con-
slider that their duties to the Gov
eminent were fulfilled when they
oh fnr frI N
men for public office and, as he did
not point out, but James Bryce has
described, these selected by ma
chimes, have multiplied the powers
of machines by indirect and inetlici-
ent go,ernment; have perpetuated
systems of taxation oppressive to in
Iustry, and not at all proportioned
to the benefits conferred by govern
ment and society at large.
Notwithstanding the serious in
dictments which may be brought
against our State Government be-
) cause Of it's departures from true
democracy and because of the many
respects in which it has shackled
the political freedom of our citizens,
II do not believe. and ! should ex-
/ ceedingiy regret to believe, that con-
| ditions in Maryland are in any de-
| gree hopeless.
| l advert again to the fact that
while we have not that most impor-
| tant democratic reform, the lnItla-
| tive, in Maryland, we have at least
| The Referendum. While We have a
paralyzing system of taxation. we are
at least free to correct it by the sub
stitution of a better one. While we
| have corrupt elections it is within
the power of our electors to materi-
ally correct this system by taking
advantage of the lessons certain 9TH
er States offer to teach us.
Above and beyond all else we
| must have, and l believe we are COM
menciag~ to have, an awakening in
terest IN the democracy OF the peo-
| pie. / am the more encouraged to
believe this by the welcome the press
of Maryland has given to these let
J lers AID the evidence the public has
| offered of interest in their subject
matter.
The road to reform, however,is
never an easy one. 1t will on the
part OF those promoting it call for
self denial and determination, but IL
>he people of Maryland are worthy
of enjoyment of more enlightened
conditions there must be within our
| borders sufficient number OF men
willing to sacrifice to bring them
| about Hope of selfish advantage
such men must lay aside. TO them
must be applicable the speech OF
Burke when he said, Il know the
map OF England as well as the hon
orable gentleman or any gentleman
here, and 1 know full well the road
| take is not the road to prefer
ment" To such there can only be
offered an encouragement like unto
that Garibaldi gave his followers. He
said in substance, Il can offer you
| hunger, poverty, rags, sickness,
| wounds and-victory."
Our forty-eight States need to be
organized upon a thoroughly demo-
cratic basis. One-third OF them
have taken great steps in this direc-
| ton. My personal ambition is that
Maryland should not be follower.
but a leader in this procession. When
the knowledge of real democracy has
! permeated the people of the individ-
ual States and their practices shall
| have become conformable to their
| information and theories. then we
may believe that our general govern
ment, Tor SO many years tending to
become autocratic and often outside
of popular control, will learn from
the States, and thereafter we will
pursue a forward march intelligent
| ly democratic in both nation and
State. In what we may do, there
| fore, we shall be building not merely
| for ourselves, but for the nation at
large.
i From decade to decade in one
way or another our dreams become
realities.
"Our dreamers have dreamed it
the shadow of a dream,
| Our sages have dreamed it bub-
Bile on the stream;
Yet our Kingdom draweth higher
with each dawn and every day.
would appeal especially to the
young men to make a study of real
! democratic government. They have
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