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

E.Ghty-fivc years a~o Alexis &c rec
Qucvjl'n. the ms philosophc Of ali
students Of hwortc1n institutions.
wrote this warming to the American
people.
If ever Tic free institutions OF
America "r@ dr~troyr1 that event
may w. a't"ihutcI to the omnipotcncc
of the majority which NJ some future
time may u''srn IN cminority In dcSpcr
alton and o,li", them TO haze recourse
to physical force. Anarchy will thea
be the result hut ii will have been
brought "huut ny dcsprtism.
Tho dcs.ot SIN that is Tow cnrar
cd in f,o"% n& the American rc0D'c
alon~ the road t. anarchy hes not
even the merit Of being u trspot ism
Of the majority. II l. really he dos
pOt:Sm OF professional politicians
who have never received Il mandate
from the majority and are engaged
il grossly Abusing the power cntruat
cd to them.
No majority Of the people Of New
York ever demanded the exclusion OF
the Socialist members from the As
scmhly on the ground that the Social
the best interests Of the State Of New
York and of the United States" The
people of This STATE never dreamed of
such Il proceeding. 1t was the invcn-
ton OF Sweet ard Newton and LuSk
ana u crcw OF Republican office ho'd
crS who thought they could manu-
facturc Il u"triotic issue which would
advance their own political interests.
No majority Of the people Of the
United States c"cr demanded the
tyranric"l LEGISLATION against social
cd scdition that Congress is trying to
pars. Th"r have asked for no sCditiCn
laws. What sentiment there is back
OF this Ice slat on was worked up by
politi"iarS Who thought they cou'd
get somcthin" out Of it for thcmSclv-
cS. In its rcnort Of the Graham Bill.
the House Judiciary Committee an.
uounccs with pride that Representa-
tive Davev conducted n propaganda
to arouse the country to the good Of
this rcDrcSsivc measure. Mr.. Davcy
might have had smaller measure of
success. however. if Attorney Gcncr
al Palmer had not been working the
same SIDE OF the political street and
clamorirE for legislation under which
the Department of Justice could drag
ret everybody into Jail on the pre-
tense Of protecting the country from
its nativc-N0rn enemies.
The most autorratic institution in
the white m"n's world is the United
States Post Office Department. which
does not re"og"i2e the right even OF
the courts 10 INQUIRE into its DEGREES.
Tho arhit"H"v MOVERS conferred up
on the Poet Of'icn Department were
not the ro"r't Of the "omniDotence OF
the maio~itv" that dc Tocquev:llc
feared. THO American people never
asked to h~vn thoir Post Office Depart
ment erected into a despotism That
was doro " handful OF bureau
Gratis working hand in hand with
Congress.
The Fi"htccrth Amendment is
another """" ~ point The ConSt' tn
tion Of ~" T";tod States has been
radically o"""Ecd. the relation be-
tween thn T"dcrnl Government and
the inhir'"~' citizen has been rcvolu
tiOni2cf. ""d 20 voter ever had a
chance - c~"rcss his opinion about
it at The nn'1s
Tho tv~""nv under which the Amer
lean rc"~'o -" now living is not u
TYRANNY ~ ~" majority but tyran
ny OF HH''ti''"ns end office old
crS il ~""''' "''"h'D with propaganda.
The in't'0';"n is with them and they
have fi'1of = ~ that the referendum
is also ~" 'hom. They control all
tho pol't ""' ra"hincry. and have In
tronrhc6 '"~n>e"'vnS behind laws
which a''~""h devised to make poll
teal n""'i"~ ~NNscrTicrt to popular
opinion. have made them the property
OF mana~."" politicians.
No o'h"' country in the world IS
sufferin" 9" m"ch from professional
politics ." tho United States and if
the cHn"oi"n of 1920 presents any
opportUrifv whatever to the Amcri
can p"oH'c il g the opportunity t,
make 'f""""'r"" again the masters
OF their o"n iNsttutions
---r'bn World