The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1917-04-06
MIR. RalstOn's Letter.
To the Editor of the Prince Georges

To the Editor of the Prince Georges
Enqurer:-
In writing this closing article | can
not do better than quote few senten-
ces from De Tocqueville's "Democracy
in America. Determined admirer as he
was of democratic government he was
entirely alive to its faults and dangers,
Speaking of the people under dem
ocracg, he said, "They console them
selves for being in tutelage by the re-
Election that they have chosen their
own guardians. Every man allows
himself to be put in leading strings be-
cause he sees that it is not a person or
a class of persons, but the people at
large that hold the end of his chain
By this system the people shake off
their state of dependence Just Ions
enough to select their master. and then
relapse into it again. A great manv
persons at the present day are quite
content with this sort of compromise
between administrative despotism and
the sovereignty of the people; and they
think they have done enough for the
protection of individual freedom when
they have surrendered it 10 the power
of The nation at large"
Again he says, ut is in vain to sum-
mon people, which has been rendered
so dependent on the central power, to
choose from time to time the represen-
tatives of that power: this rare and
brief exercise of their free choice. how
ever important it may b., will not pre-
vent them from gradually losing the
faculties of thinking, feeling and acting
for themselves and thus gradually fall
ing below the level of humanity. 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 ab-
solute and dcspotic government among
a people in which the conditions of
society are equal, than amongst any
other; and l think that if such a gov
eminent were once established amongst
such people it would not only OPP
press men, but would eventually stri p
each of them or several of the highest
qualities of humanity"
In what l have written | have endea-
vored as well as was possible to me to
point out the fact that the people of
the State of Maryland have been sur
rendering their berries, without full
consciousness Of the fact that they have
allowed corruption to increase among
them; have permitted their rulers to be
the choice not of the people at large
but of narrow oligarchies known as
machines; have allowed their powers
over legislation to rest in the hands of
few men largely controlled by selfish
interests; have been content as De
Tocqueville indicated, to consider that
their duties to the Government were
fulfil ed when they had expressed a
choice for certain men for public office
and, as he did not poini out, but James
Bryce has described, these selected by
machines; have multiplied the powers
of machines by indirect and inefficient
government; have perpetuated systems
of taxation oppressive to industry, and
not at all proportional to the benefits
conferred by government and society
at large.
Notwithstanding the serious indict-
ments which may be brought against
our state government because of its
departure from true democracy and be-
cause Of the many respects in which it
has shackled the political freedom of
our citizens, | do not believe, and
should exceedingly regret to believe,
that conditions in Maryland are in any
degree hopeless.
l advert again to the fact that while
we have not that most important demo-
cratic reform, the Initiative, in Mary
land, we have at least the Referendum.
While we have paralyZing system of
taxation, We are at least free to correct
it by the substitution of better one.
While we have corrupt elections it is
within the power of our electors to
materially correct this system by taking
advantage Of the lessons certain other
states offer to teach us.
Above and beyond al else we must
have. and | believe We are commencing
to raw, an awakening interest in the
democracy of the people. | am the
more encouraged to believe this by the
welcome the press of Maryland has
given to these letters and the eviden ce
the public has offered of interest in
her subject matter.
THE road to reform, however, is never