The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-03-06
DEMOCRACY IS on TRIAL

Democracy is on trial" Every
body says 1t in America. and ir
Europe they are deliberately set.
ting up relationships. And why is il
on trial? In last analysis, not be-
cause OF any specific blunders, but
because 1t seems incapable OF pro-
viding those leaders who can really
protect the public interest in an in
creasingly complex world De-
mocracy must either improve it's
record in this capital respect, or il
will hardly endure through the
Twentieth Century.
The World War put a premium
on relationships. Great and high
ly efficient rulers were sometimes
created by a stroke of the pen
But they were often leaders who
never could have endured the or
deal Of the ballot-box. Could Her
bert Hoover, with all his remark
able qualifications, ever have be-
come food DICTATOR" if his fitness
had been left to the multitudes of
cracker-box statesmen between
PASSPORT and Astoria? The years
19lO-1S taught how, in great emer-
gencies, democratic methods had
to be put in cold storage. We are
not over the results of that long
interim.
But the War only brought out
problem sure to have come to
head as modern societies and gov
ernments became more complex.
Two generations ago many partial
~ educated men, gifted only with
common sense and honesty, could
serve usefully in Congress. Today
such people are often well-mean-
ing menaces at Washington. How
often competent sergeant makes
poor colonel; yet it is one of the
most legitimate charges against
the voters in many democracies
that they are almost deliberately
suspicious of brilliant and highly
trained men, and elect mediocrities
who. while honest, work more
harm than all the clever fools.
If today the world has become 81
complex as to BATTLE the social |
philosophers as never before. as
suredly it demands the highest de-
gree OF intelligence in all posts of
government. How far is democ-
racy supplying this imperative de-
mand?
Prior to the American Revolt
ton. democracy had been sue
cess only in small communities,
such as old Athens and the Swiss
cantons. Theorists argued that |
&c NOT - Il
succeed in large nations. There
had been sizable republics" such
as Rome and Holland, but the
aristocratic element in these had
been extremely large. Then
came the American experiment -
the greatest adventure in democ-
racy since mankind first walked on
the planet. 1t is now hundred
and fifty years old, but dare one
assert it is not somewhat of an eX-
pertinent still? And should the
experiment fail, will the
world try democracy again for
many centuries? /;
During the next fifty years, if the
United States strikes the quick
sands. it will not be because of
wrong decisions about the Inter
ests," the tariff, the League of Ma .
tons, or any other concrete blum
der. 1t will be because after am
pie warning, we have failed to
utilize our best intelligence for
the service of the Republic; and ,
because a democracy, that syste-
matically prefers the common r
lace 10 The superior, decrees its
jWn doom. Does not the future of ,
america hinge on this one question
= can the people really call out
he brain-power and the high /
leadership which they know to be |
n them?-Minneapolis Journal. I