aced in the way of
majority rule, American political writers have almost invariably sought
to lay the blame for corruption and machine methods upon the people.
They would have us believe that if such evils are more pronounced here
than elsewhere it is because in this country the masses control the
government.

If the assumption thus made concerning the nature of our political
system were true, we would be forced to accept one of two conclusions:
either that popular government inevitably results in the despotism of a
corrupt and selfish oligarchy, or if such is not a necessary
consequence, then at any rate the standard of citizenship in this
country intellectually and morally is not high enough to make democracy
practicable. That the ignorance, selfishness and incapacity of the
people are the real source of the evils mentioned is diligently
inculcated by all those who wish to discredit the theory of popular
government. No one knows better than the machine politician and his
allies in the great corporate industries of the country how little
control the people generally do or can exercise over the party under our
present political arrangements. To disclose this fact to the people
generally, however, might arouse a popular movement of such magnitude as
to sweep away the constitutional checks which are the source of their
power. But as this is the very thing which they wish to prevent, the
democratic character of the Constitution must be taken for granted; for
by so doing the people are made to assume the entire responsibility for
the evils which result from the practical operation of the system. And
since the alleged democratic character of our political arrangements is,
it is maintained, the real source of the evils complained of, the only
effective remedy would be the restriction of the power of the people.
This might take the form of additional constitutional checks which would
thereby diminish the influence of a general election upon the policy of
the government without disturbing the present basis of the suffrage; or
it might be accomplished by excluding from the suffrage those classes
deemed to be least fit to exercise that right. Either method would still
further diminish the influence of the majority, and instead of providing
a remedy for the evils of our system, would only intensify them, since
it would augment the power of the minority which is, as we have seen,
the main source from which they proceed.

A govern