Ande Trembath: A Tale of Old Cornwall EnglandKemp, Matthew Stanley
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Ande Trembath: A Tale of Old Cornwall England
Kemp, Matthew Stanley
Cornwall (England : County) -- Fiction
"What a sage student of history you are, Captain Tom, and yet there are
some things yet to learn. The revolution in France was not caused by
their obtaining the suffrage, but by the retention of suffrage from them
until they arose in revolt. A fortunate thing is it for the government
that yields to the demands of the people and is not compelled to yield.
When the proper form of government is in vogue, then there will be no
occasion for the people demanding or of the government yielding.
Government should stand halfway between the highest pinnacle and the
broadest base of the populace."
"Why, Sir James, you surprise me!" ejaculated the squire; "you may as
well turn American with those ideas! Tut--tut!" followed by a
disapproving shake of the head.
"A vast discrepancy between Americanism and my ideal. Government in
America stands upon a broad base, but is not as truly representative as
our own government will become in a few years."
"You speak in riddles, Sir James," replied the squire.
"Well, let me explain. Strictly speaking, there is no real
representative government. Even in America, women, negroes and Indians
are not represented; neither among those that are represented is there
any fair proportion of representation. Jefferson, their great sage,
wrote the most foolish thing imaginable when he said 'all men are
created free and equal.' It is evident that the opposite is the case.
All men are different, different in physical strength, mental power,
culture, attainments. Even in infanthood they are different. Equality
is nowhere on earth, neither in the vegetable nor animal kingdom. It is
a manifest injustice then to alter the plan of the Creator."
"Aye, aye, now you are coming around to our opinion," said Captain Tom.
"Not at all. Our present conservative system is wrong and unsafe.
Government is resting on the highest pinnacle of the populace, from
which position it may easily be deposed."
"Pshaw," said the squire, "I can't understand you; I thought you said
our government was more representative than the American."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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