Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1920-02-07
A DESpOTYSM or POLITICIANS.

E,ghty-fivc years ago Alexis DC zoe
Qucvil'o. the most philosophic of all
students Of American inst tutions.
wrote this warming to the American
people.
If ever the free institutions oC
America arc destroyed. that event
may hr att"ihutC1 to the omnipotcnce
Of the majority which ut some future
time may urge tn cminority to dcspcr
alton and ohlig1 them to have recourse
to physical force. Anarchy will then
he the result bat il will have been
brought about by dcspctsm.
The dcsrot SIN that is now cngag
cd in flo"E ng the American people
along the road to anarchy has not
even the merit Of being II dcspotism
OF the majority. 1t is really he dcs-
pot:sm of professional politicians
who have never received mandate
from the majority and arc engaged
IN grossly abusing the power cntrust
cd to them.
No majority Of the people Of New
York over demanded The exclusion OF
tho Socialist members from the AS
sembly on the ground that the Social
fst platform is absolutely in meal TO
the best interests OF the State OF New
York and Of the United States" The
people Of this State never dreamed of
such II proceeding. 1t was the invcn-
ton OF Sweet ard Newton and Lusk
and Il crew OF Republican officc-ho'd
ers who thought they could manu-
fncturc Il p2triOtic issue which would
advance their own political interests.
No majority of the people of the
United States ever demanded the
tyranricnl LEGISLATION against social.
cd scdiion that Congress is trying to
pass. Trnv have asked for no scdition
laws. What sentiment there Is back
OF this leg slat:on was worked up by
politicians who thought they could
get something out of 1t for thcmsclv-
cs. In it's rcnort of the Graham Bill.
the House Judiciary Committee an
nounccs With pride that Representa-
tive Davcv conducted n propaganda
to arouse tho country to the good OF
this rcnrcssivc measure. Mr.. DaVcy
might have had n smaller measure Of
success. however, if Attorney Gcncr
al Palmer had not been working the
same side OF the political street and
clamoring for legislation under which
the Department of Justice could drag
net everybody into Jail on the pre-
tense of protecting the country from
its native-hOrn enemies.
The most autocratic institution in
the white m'n's world is the United
States Post Office Department, which
does not recognize the right even Of
the courts 70 INQUIRE into its DEGREES.
The arbitrary rowers conferred up
on the Post Office Department were
not the rcenlt Of the "omnipotencc of
the matorifv" that de Tocquevlle
feared. Tho American people. never
asked to h"vo their Post Office Depart
mont erected into despotism That
was done w y handful of bureau
Gratis working hand in hand with
Congress-
The Fi"htecnth Amendment is
another COCO N point. The Const'tu
ton Of IT," Invited States has been
radically charp,cd the relation be-
tween tho Federal Government and
the indivdN"' citizen has been rcvolu
tiOniZCd. ord 70 voter ever had a
chance 70 cv"rcss his opinion about
1T at the nn'ls.
The tvrAnrv under which the Amer
lean neon" -" now living is not n
TYRANNY ~ tho majority but a tyran
ny Of r0'iti"'Hns and office.hold-
ers in 7""'"o""h'p with propaganda.
The in'tint've is with them and they
have fixed = - that the referendum
Is also With thom. They control all
the polit co. machinery. and have In
trenchc6 '""n'eo'vns behind laws
which although devised to make poll
teal ro"'i"" ~uhscrvient to popular
opinion, have made them the properly
OF mana"iN" politicians.
No Otto" country in the world is
aufferin" so mHch from professional
politics ar tho United States and If
the camnai"n OF 1920 presents any
opportunity whatever to the Amcri
can pcor'a it s the opportunity t.
make th""e"'vc~ again the masters
Of their own institutions.
Tho World