Evening star., 1936-11-06

who #, feel just 4
bit apprehensive n,v,a1,wr.nc..
rather than those
who feel jubilantly confident that
all is we'll and will be well.
One thing stands out clearly al
ready-the campaign was battle OF
forces which Mr.. Roosevelt more
keenly sensed than any other man In
America. Whether he will be able to
control and guide the forces he has
tnarshalled at the polls, whether
through 80 State and Federal political
machines he can exercise restraints
and lead the masses who came to the
polls, depends not little on his own
strategy, but even more, perhaps, on
the political opportunities that will be
opened up to a new opposition which
may be tempted now to out-Herod the
Herods of class warfare.
3S,OOO,OOO Employed.
The simple facts of Americas elec-
torate show that about $4,000 900 per-
sons voted-more than in 1882 and
more than in 1928. There are in the
United States about 38,000000 per-
sons gainfully employed and probably
100000 unemployed.
But what is the proportion of the
"haves" to the "have-nots"? The
Federal income tax returns show that
only about 2,500,000 individuals pay
any income taxes and the lowest in
come exempted from taxation is an
unmarried person with ST 1000 yearly
income. The Brookings Institutions
notable study called Income Eco
nomic Progress" says there are 10,-
100000 persons with incomes under
$1,000 a year, another 100000 per-
, sons in the group with earnings of
between $1,000 and ST. 500 a year, and
about 100000 more persons with in
somes between $500 and 81 900 year.
Here is grand total, therefore, Of
24,0oo,000 persons, many of them mar
ried, and they have total incomes of
less than $40 week and the average
is even below that figure.
Go to Polls.
Heretofore many Of the 24000,000
persons in the lowest income group
and it might be assumed that there
are at least two votes to family
have probably never gone to the polls.
Not all went this time, of course, but
it may be taken for granted that a
higher percentage of those in these
low-income groups registered and vot-
ed last Tuesday than in any election
in American history.
Mr. Roosevelt stirred up the interest
of what has been called the "have-
nots," though he was not alone in
that undertaking. The work of the
share the wealth agitation that has
gone on since was to no small extent
responsible.
Today the people in the low-income
groups have discovered that the Gov
ernment has pledged itself in effect
to care for them either by direct dole
or by providing created work. Like
wise the "haves" have been attacked
as economic royalists" and selfish
forces"
Lord Macaulay's Words.
Are we approaching the pure de-
mocracy" which LORD Macaulay
prophesied for us 10 years ago! 1t is
significant to reread in the light of
Tuesdays election returns the words
of Lord Macaulay letter to H. E.
Randall written from London in
May, 1857:
Il have long been convinced
that institutions purely democratic
must, sooner or later, destroy liberty
or civilization, or both.
In Europe, where the population is
dense. the effect of such institutions
would be almost instantaneous. What
happened lately in France is an exam
Pile In 1848 pure democracy was
established there. During short time
there was strong reason to expect a
general spoliation, national bank
ruptcy, new partition of the soil,
maximum of prices, runous load of
taxation laid on the rich for the pur-
pose of supporting the poor in idleness.
Such system would, in 20 years, have
made France as poor and as barbarous
as the France of the Carlovingians.
Happily the danger was averted and
now there Is a despotism, a silent
tribune, an enslaved press, liberty is
gone, but civilization has been saved.
] have not the smallest doubt that If
We had a purely democratic govern
ment here, the effect would be the
same. Either the poor would plunder
the rich and civilization would perish,
or order and property would be saved
by a strong military government, and
liberty would perish.
Predicted JobIess Test.
"You may think that your country
enjoys an exemption from these evils.
7 will frankly own to you that am of
a very different opinion. Your fate I
believe to be certain. though it is de-
ferred by physical cause. As long as
you have boundless extent of fertile
and unoccupied land, your laboring
population will be more at ease than
the laboring population of the Old
Jeffersonian policy may continue to
exist without causing any fatal
calamity.
But the time will come when New
England will be as thickly peopled as
old England. Wages will be as low and
will fluctuate as much with you as
with us. You will have your Manches-
ters and Birminghams. Hundreds and
thousands of artizans will assuredly be
sometimes out of work. Then your
institutions will be fairly brought to
the test.
Distress everywhere makes the Ia
borer mutinous and discontented and
inclines him to listen with eager
ness to agitators who tell him that
it is monstrous iniquity that one
man should have millions, while an
other cannot get full meal. In bad
years there is plenty of grumbling
here and sometimes q little rioting. |
But 1t matters little, for here the |
sufferers are not the rulers. The