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The Green Bag
many of the potential reasons which prevent the establishment of a pure
are held in the broad light of public opinion——all of its acts are reflected
democracy in this country, operate to render impracticable the proposed move ment to vest in the people the power to nominate directly their oflicers. The
in a press, most powerful in number, most vigilant in scanning every move
people in such instances cannot act spontaneously or work harmoniously together. If it be a question of national
ment, and spurred on by conflicting views and by competitive business interests. An existing investigation into an election for a Senator shows the utter hopelessness of legislative bribery.
charity or national insult all hearts
On the other hand, out of a system of
beat as one — all eyes are turned in one direction, and all hands work together;
direct voting there must inevitably
but in the multiplicity of ordinary national concerns the people must dele gate their power. Our population has become so dense and numerous that it is utterly impossible for the masses to
the movements of an unorganized body, each one insisting upon his own candi date or choice. For each ofiice, instead of two or three candidates, we should
nominate competent candidates; they cannot know whom to choose; they cannot put their finger upon the proper
disappear, and each citizen would feel
men. An excessive number of voters was the primary motive for the original creation of a representative government.
It now has an additional cause growing out of the complications of modern
commercial, economic and political ques tions. The selection of candidates is a particular business, requiring special knowledge. The people must, therefore, from the necessity of things, act second hand, through political agents and conventions. The members of the
arise irresponsibility.
No one can trace
have many. Political modesty, a quality already sufficiently rare, would soon that he was as good as another for a
given office.
The demagogue would
come to the surface-not disguised as a patriot, but in his real costume, and
then the people would hear of nothing but political candidates who would swarm upon the rostrums to the detri ment of all our business interests and the real good of the people. Is the
legislature are known to the voters——
nation not already sick of the spectacle of self-nominated candidates who patrol the different states declaring their own political greatness and personal virtues? Mr. Hallam says, in the sixteenth
a direct responsibility can be fixed upon
chapter of his Constitutional History
them. It is true that in many instances the occupation of a political agent is sordid rather than patriotic. We must,
of England,
reciprocal influences of their passion
however, recognize that professional poli
and the consciousness of irresponsibility,
ticians are a necessity, and the more
for which reasons a democracy, that is,
respectable we make the occupation, the better government we will have. I believe
the absolute government of the majority, is the most tyrannical of any."
that wholesale and indiscriminating criticism of this class is unjustified. Here is a movement which involves
a bitter criticism of forty-eight legisla tive bodies. All of the sessions of the legislature and of political conventions
that
“Numerous bodies
are prone to excess both from the
Property, small or great, of one hun
dred dollars or one hundred million dollars, is entitled upon all political and social principles to distinct representa tion; for the establishment of liberty, the encouragement of industry and the
