, 1922-07-12
REPRESENTATIVE Government

tfTHE UNITED STATES is not a direct Demo
L cracy but a representative republic" the Ma
tional Republican reminds us. This is not the re
suit of accident, but of design pn the part of the
wise men who fashioned our form of government.
Pure democracy was not a new dea at the time
this republic was born. 1t had been tried and found
a failure centuries before. The trainers of our con
%stitution were students Of government both from
the historical and the practical standpoint. Lowell
said of them that in what they did
They more deyout;y priced
Than all perfection theorized
The more imperfect that had roots, and grew
Systems of government must, to be enduring,
take into account the people for whom they arc
made. If humanity had attained perfection, we
could have theoretically perfect systems of govern
ment.. But if humanity had attained perfection
there would be no need of government at all. If
people individually were capable of self govern
ment, without checks or restraints or intermediate
means of expression, then no government at all
would be the best government. The assailants of
representative government usually proceed on the
theory that every individual is wise, good and thor.
oughly competent to decide Immediately for him
self every governmental problem. There are doubt
less well meaning theorists who believe such prem
Uses as this, but most of those who profess faith in
such a theory are designing demagogues who seek
to gain power by ~flattery of the voter and thus Sc
cure an opportunity to sandbag the public
No one competent to operate an automobile in
sists on his God-given right to apply the power
used to move the machine directly. AS a sane in
dividual he is glad to have shafts and gear and a
score of devices for stopping, starting and regulat-
ing the machines between himself and the motive
power. There are cyclists who could easily be led
to believe that the building of such devices into a
to handle the motive power themselves. So there
are demagogues in this republic who try to make
people believe that the selection of representatives
of the people for the work of legislation and repre-.
~sentation rather than the direct transaction of this
business by the people themselves, is an attempted
reflection upon popular intelligence and capacity.
at was long ago said that the man who insists
on acting as his own lawyer has n fool for a client.
The same may be, said of the patient who insists
on treating in his own way, without expert assist
ance, a deadly disease that has attacked him. Yet
patient hearing is given to the demagogue or doc
trinaire who insists upon the "right' of the people
to legislate directly and who seeks to tear down
the machinery through which believers in the rep
resentative system of government insist the public
sshould act in order that the state may be wisely
and safely governed.
"Every step away from the representative system
of government as deigned by the trainers of our
national constitution has been a backward step,
and We have plenty of evidence, visible to every.
body, that the effect has been the Generalization
and degradation of government. Government is i'm
portant as an end rather than merely as a means.
The test of efficiency in government is efficiency in
legislation and administration. Judged by that test
it is apparent that the steps way from representa-
tive government have been toward chaos and in.
competency rather than toward order and efficiency
in government.
"The overthrow of the representative system in
political parties has crippled and NAV completely
destroy such organizations, constituting the only
feasible means of responsible government under cur
system. Primary laws have been enacted which
throw open the doors for control of a political party
by its enemies rather than its friends. and which
have vastly increased the power of corruption and
ldenagogy in politics. The time is near at hand
when political parties, for their own salvation, must
insist upon the right to place their official tickets,
chosen by the representative method, on the primary
ballot. This is the only way in which the power OF
minority blocs, of money corruptly used and of un.
scrupluous demagogy can be prevented from destroy.
ing first political parties and then responsible gov
/ ernment at Washington and in the various state
capitals.
"The system of representative government con.