, 1923-09-28

the most unfortunate conditions. These were,
the curbing of the executive power to n point OF
practical nullity; and the making of the cabinet
or ministry directly or Immediately responsible
to parliament.
Great Britain has suffered, and is suffering,
from the first of these political errors, but, for.
tunately for her, the full system of ministerial
responsibility has never been accepted, and the
government is not compelled to resign on an adj
verse vote of parliament. In the United States,
of course, we still have, fortunately, n strong ex-
ecutiye probably the most independent and pow
erful in the world today and a cabinet which
is assured of at least four years lease of life.
Government in the United States is not exempt
from unfavorable criticism, but where it fails is
through unwise amendments to the Constitution
and failure to adapt this Constitution by wise
amendments to new conditions of life. Many of
the dangers that arise because of these two mis-
takes are largely negatived by the fact that We
still have a strong executive and a cabinet which
is not the tool of the legislative bodies.
1t is possible to say with perfect truth that
the continental system of government, as this has
revealed itself during the past fifty years, is the
worst system ever devised by man. Nowhere on
the continent is political action divided between
two predominant political parties. Instead, we
find an innumerable quantity of small personal
f~ollowings, or blocs, most of them without any
basis in principle. With governmental respon-
sibility to parliament, the result has been the
development of an amazing type of crafty and
venal politicians bred by the very conditions
surrounding the government. We had in this
country Il fair reflection OF the operations OF
the system during the direction of government
activities in the war period.
The compromise and corruption that have fol.
lowed the engineering of the European system,
have in their turn reacted upon the electorate,
the final result being a condition of almost conf
plete political imbecility. No government can
stand, except on a basis of some temporary conf
bination of small inimical factions. Frequently
governments last only for a few months, in Por-
tugal, for example, something like thirty minis
tries having succeeded each other in a space of
twelve years.
The complete bankruptcy of the whole vicious
system has been slowly revealing itself
during the last generation, but this process has
been enormously accelerated since the war.
1t is safe to say that in no constitutional coun-
try has there been during the past five years n
really conscientious and capable government,
though there has been considerable range, in the
degree of incapacity and vcnality as between
the small kingdoms of the north and the Medit
crranean and Latin states.
Briefly speaking, these facts reveal to the
American mind, what is meant by the European
situation and European conditions" that have
brought the continent to the present pass. To
90 back n few years, it all may explain why, in
certain measure, we had a world war. To a Ger
tainty it points plainly to tbs underlying causes
Of the unhappy situation of the peoples of the
continent.