The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-01-21
FREE GOVERNMENT

Longlngy, yet with faith and hope, are the small countries
OF Europe looking to the peace conference for relief, Each wants
a free government OF its own, and the opportunity to live its own
lie IN ITS own way, This, we may say, is a noble and a legiu-
mate ambition, and the only difficulty in the way is the ability
OF the people OF a given territory to organize and maintain a
government that would be perdurable and lasting Some peoples
are nonpolitcal or limited and cmcumscrIbed in their political
genius. Among these are the Greek, the Sav and the Cclt,
who have never organized a government or a state. The genius
OF these peoples objectfes itself in the community, which is the
lowest order of political organization, They endeavor to give
their community a sovereignty which it cannot hold or exercise
II all the aspiring nations were given full freedom and all out
side influences withdrawn, and they were told to 60 forward
and organize themselves into states and construct for them
selves governments, they would find the task one beyond their
power.
Until the Danish house came in and took charge the state
had no objective organization i'll Greece. That country was
organized into a series OF communities or cities, very often hos
tile to each other. Under this system great progress III be
made in art and literature, oratory, cloquence, philosophy, hero
ism and self-sacrifice; religion, toe, flourishes, But as govern
ment is the agency Of the state it cannot exist until the state
is given objective organization, and that can never be unless
the people constituting the population have a universal as, we'll
as a particular side, No cear-thinking political scientist con-
fuses the government with the state, nor the state with the nation.
The word nation has been otener misused and abused by politi-
cal scientists than perhaps any other word. The concept of the
state is a portion of mankind viewed as an organized unit. The
state is exclusive and permits no impcrium in imperio. The
state is sovereign and without limitation, The power that
limits or qualities the sovereignty Of a state is the real state.
This is at variance with our school books, which teach that we
have AZ sovereign states in this country, federated under one
government. This doctrine is false and unscentifc. If Ten
nessee, for instance, should attempt to exercise her sovereignty
by levying an import tax on cotton from Mississippi or Arkansas
the federal court would soon show us where the real and only
sovereignty in this country resides, Nohpolical nations usually
fall into this error, and therefore fail. This will likely prove
the stumbling block to the Poles, who are a %nonpohtical people,
and our good friends, the Celts, will also come to disaster on
this partially hidden rock, Free governments are Tor people
whose political psychology fits them for the experience, Those
who are not so qualified must have government imposed on
them from without,
The Cet is a c1ansman essentially. lie will follow a clan
leader loyalty, but he is nsubordinate when his political organi-
cation becomes comprehensive; his universal side has never been
developed. 1t has been said that three lrshmen can get along
without a fight only when two if them move away in opposite
directions; but maybe they have learned better in the late years.
AT all events they and all other countries will he given a chance
to show what they can do, and if any OF them make a mess of
it they can only blame themselves.