The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-04-24
SAFEGUARD OF GOVERNMENT.

There is reprinted on this page today let
ter in which a famous English historian,
keen observer of men and institutions, pre-
dicted the downfall of the American govern
ment system. Thomas B. Macaulay had no
high opinion of Jefferson He did not believe
that the supreme authority in state ought to
be entrusted to the majority Of citizens told by
the head'' Writing in 1857, he spoke OF crit
cal seasons through which England had passed
in his time. He thought he saw a day coming
when in some one of our states - multitude OF
people. none of whom has had more than half
breakfast, or expects to have more than half
dinner, will choose Legislature. He wished
us we'll. but he feared that in some such season
as he described this country would do things
that would prevent return of prosperity
We are living in time to which this writer
looked ahead But while many mistakes have
been made under the rule Of the majority, and
we have seen within the last few months an adj
ministration and congress seeking political ia
vor through ill-advised legislation, the worst
that Macaulay feared and expected has not come
to pass. The majority rules today as 1t DID
when the historian wrote. The suffrage Will
not be abridged, unless it be by educational or
property qualifications, or both.
That there is element OF danger IN our
system of government will not be denied. 1t Is
as clearly recognized by thoughtful Americans
today as it was by Englishmen more than half
a century ago. The factor OF safety referred to
by Macaulay-the unoccupied land to, which
men NAV turn for living-grows less and less.
But there is another safeguard: the standard OF
citizenship; and this must be maintained and
improved. Assurance Of safety is to be found
in home and school training; in the education
h. CI,4ia WI &C q
tons Of citizenship.
These are times of stress and peril. But we
shall not be overwhelmed if we guard our citl-
zenship as something priceless, upon which the
safety of the nation depends. If we rear men
who think last of themselves and first Of the
country to which they look for protection, we
shall not be without the anchor that Macaulay
said our constitution lacked.
Tn an article contributed to the Century by
Winston Churchill it is stated that II the allies
could get a leading man Of each nation, whether
sovereign, general or statesman, to sit IN con-
slant conclave at some central point and be
certain that each would be supported by I'M
swerving obedience from his nation, this would
he worth a million men a year on the fighting
lines and probably would soon end the war.
This is a high tribute to Capitalization of adj
ministrative authority over the conduct OF war,
but it is supported by an array OF facts. British
and French statesmen are quite frank about
the administrative advantage accruing to the
central powers through Germany's unopposed
direction of war moves. Here IS strong evil
donce of the wisdom of our own unifylng Of
war potentials under a war board in which
zach contributing unit should be adequately
represented and in which there would be de-
lucrative council and an executive means of eff
footing unified action. Our national defense
council is a great asset; further Capitalization
would seem to be wise provision for efficiency.
There is some danger that in the national
the first fly Of spring will es-
cape unswatted and the mathematicians will
have to compute the dire results all over again.
The central empires will also take notice
that no part of that seven billion dollars is mo-
ton picture money
April showers sure have brought out the
flowers.