FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128  
129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   >>   >|  
o do his bidding, while the spirit is in concealed rebellion. Such a government, in proportion as it severs this national soul from the body, is weak through constant liability to overthrow, from any chance failure of its material props. A free government, on the other hand, possesses both the elements of strength. It rests upon the free will and affection of the people, as well as upon the abundant material support which they must ever yield to a government of their own creation, and which exists solely for their own use and benefit. Such a government is capable and strong in exact proportion to the virtue and intelligence of the masses from whom it emanates. Thus it is seen that a despotism differs from a free government as to the reciprocal action that takes place between the people and the government. In a despotism, all authority flows only in one direction, viz., from the central head down to the different ranks of subordinate officers, and through these numerous channels it reaches all classes of the people. But there is no returning stream of authority from the people to the government, from the parts to the centre. The only return flow is that of military service and revenue. But a free government returns to the people all that it receives from them. From the masses there converges, through a thousand channels, to the central government, both the elements of national strength, viz., authority to act, and the means of carrying out this authority, that is, money and military service--the body, of which the popular will and authority is the soul. The people declare their will that such and such individuals shall be clothed with, and represent their united power, and act for them in this representative capacity. The persons thus chosen, and who constitute the government or central head, with its subordinate agencies, declare from this central position of authority with which they have been invested by the people, that such and such things are necessary for the welfare and orderly activity of the people, and in the name, and with the cooeperation of the people, they _will_ to carry these measures out. Thus life, energy, power, from the people, flow from all points to the government, to the centre; and from the government it flows back again to the people as _order_, as the force that arranges, methodizes, harmonizes, and regulates the outflow of the popular energies in all the departments of human activity.
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128  
129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
government
 

people

 

authority

 

central

 

masses

 
strength
 
activity
 

popular

 
despotism
 

declare


elements

 

channels

 
service
 

material

 
national
 

proportion

 
subordinate
 
centre
 

military

 

individuals


clothed

 

converges

 

thousand

 

carrying

 

returns

 

receives

 

represent

 

revenue

 

points

 

energy


cooeperation

 
measures
 

energies

 

departments

 

outflow

 
regulates
 

arranges

 
methodizes
 

harmonizes

 
orderly

constitute
 

agencies

 
chosen
 
representative
 

capacity

 

persons

 
position
 

welfare

 
things
 

invested