The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1922-08-09
Democracy

Giving the people what they want
whether il is good for them or not Is
actual democracy. This is the version
OF democracy as outlined by Dr. FRANK
Cranem assuredly one 10 the gre@'eS'
editorial writer's in America VINO wiz
ing in the Chicago Daily News interest
ingly and lnstructively discusses uS'
mocracy its causes and its effects
His article. we think is especially
apropos at this time. coming AS II does
upon the heels OF radical upheayal III
Oklahoma's political thought and action
DR.. Crane points out that II Is mueh
better for people TO get what they
want, even II II Is not good for thehi'
| than to get what is good for them II
they do not want IL. We reprint the
article in full in order that readers OF
the Ardmoreite may gain an unusual
handling of a condition that is STUDY
TO all OF us.
The definition OF democracy that We
are considering is as follows:
Democracy is % u force (2) OF opIh'
ion 90 and of feeling (4) operating
within the people (5) enabling the ma
iority of them (6) TO get what they
want @ by means of organization ls)
and 10 make these gains secure by
laws, (9) for il is only by making us
own mistakes that a nation can (lO)
achieve its destiny. which is to grow.
We have considered the first five
points and come now 10 the sixth.
This is the most important item OF
all
1t is that he purpose Of democracy
is to give the people what they want.
It's aim Is not perfect government
There have been many schemes OF
government proposed by thinkers, from
Plato to Karl Marx. Almost any OF
them on paper ls better than anything
democracy can produce at present.
There IS only one trouble with them AL.
People do not want them yet And
wha, hey DO not wan aud what the;
are not ready for they cannot operate
The world is young. it is inexperienced
and 1t is far from settled in its ideas.
And tho only KIND OF government under
which they can correct these delin
quencies is government that is i'm
perfect as they are.
Almost anybody can sit down and d.
wise an IDEAL state. in which all the pres
ent wrongs should be righted and IN
which there shall be no poverty aud
no injustice But he could not make il
work with people rs they are any move
than one could govern a boys caml
by the rules of the senate
Very often, Of course, the people want
what is bad for them. But Il is niue
better for them 10 get even that. II
they want it, than 10 get what is goot
for them il they do not want Il.
We cannot understand this unless ",
keep in mind that the whole object o
government is TO enable the people Il
grow, 20 develop.
And with nation ii is just as with al
individual. When you get what yol
want you very often find out what
fool you are. When you never &c
what you want you never know who
fool you are. which is much NOR
dangerous state.
In other words, by getting what W
want we amass that most necessar
thing for the strengthening and matui
ing Of life-experience.
Democracy is series of unending g,
: periments.
: We might say that il is a series {
, continual failures. And yet that is tn
only way TO progress. For walking
no more than a series OF falls forwar,
The only way to improve democrac
is TO improve the people who compos
4 1t. In the long run 1t does no good t
T. make better laws and elect better OFF
+ clais and build up better institution
except in so far as, these shall hay
their bearing upon making the grea
e mass OF the people better.
a For growth, real growth, from in
l. perfect adolescence 10 adllt-mindednes
does not consist in acquiring MOI
knowledge or learning better manner
II consists primarily in getting bette
J wants. Theer Is no genuine cultur
that is not an Improvement in our d.
S sires.
e And about the only way people in
d prove their desires is in the rough.an,
e tumble school Of experiment.
n Democracy, therefore, gets the peop
8 what they want; not every Saturda
}. n,sht. but in The long run. And by III
e means, and by this means only. is Ii
quality Of the wants OF the people in