Politics abandoned to Politicians.

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theory broke down when it came to be put into practice. One old-established well-known truth," familiar to every one, and having very much to do with the question, had been entirely overlooked: namely, the truth expressed in the popular saying, What is everybody's business, is nobody's business.

Industrious men had little time or inclination to study politics in the proper sense of the word. The wise government of a country certainly demands as much care and serious thought and steady application of mind as almost any other business; and those who were bent on their own concerns, in fighting their way up in society, and studying the immediate welfare of their own families, had no time to study the conduct of statesmen, or to think to any useful purpose upon such dry matters as are embraced in the "dismal science" of political economy. So the bulk of the community only took part in affairs of state under the influence of some personal consideration, or for the sake of mental diversion and excitement, without studying the public welfare, almost totally uninstructed indeed in the first principles, or secondary either, of political and social science.

Still, an orderly and industrious community, with AngloSaxon heads on their shoulders, would be able to get along with very little government, making mistakes now and then as to men and measures, then discovering them, taught by experience, and setting them right. But things gradually changed for the worse. The highly important business of politics, vitally concerning everybody, but really honestly and thoroughly attended to by almost nobody, gradually fell more and more into the hands of a

set of men who found that the management of the business could be made to pay. Numbers of men found political life much more pleasant and interesting than the ordinary modes of making a living. It called into exercise the gambling and sporting propensities, the love of opposition and excitement, which are often strongest in those most averse to steady industry and to that drudgery which every honest working man—whether he labours with his brain or his hands, or with both together-must go through. An indefinite, but real, class of politicians arose; the institutions of the country, the constant changes and elections, made a great deal of political work; politics became an actual profession-a very liberal one, since anybody could enter it who could make a speech, talk plausibly, and go among the people, drinking with one, arguing with another, and generally serve his party, without being over particular. The word politics entirely lost its original meaning, and signified party tactics. man might be an active and leading politician, without having studied for one hour any of the subjects involved in all good government.

A

Thus, although the United States had at starting, perhaps, as fine a population, as to their origin, their bravery, their habits, and general circumstances, as any country in the world could boast of, great corruptions and most dangerous dissensions soon threatened the welfare and existence of the Union; which was, indeed, founded mainly for self-defence, and was kept together more by fear than by the strength or wisdom of its constitution. As foreigners of all sorts from Europe, some of a very bad sort, came over in constantly increasing numbers,

Heterogeneous Population.

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bringing with them a larger than average share of intellect and energy, but, if anything, a smaller amount of morality than belonged to the general character of the countries they left, and to that of the people amidst whom they sought life and liberty, both of which in many cases they had forfeited;-as this foreign population increased, and cities grew in size and influence, good government became more impracticable, and yet more needed.

And when one considers the heterogeneous composition of the people, the sovereign people, in the Northern States, it is surprising that the governments of the several States are so well carried on as their great increase in wealth and population prove them to be; while the fact of the existence of the Federal Government, extending over such vast regions, can only be understood by consulting the attractive power of the public treasury, the charms and advantages of a seat in Congress, the innumerable offices in the gift of the President, all centred at Washington, making it a sort of Mecca to any one who had served the party in power.

Native-born Americans, cherishing a half-concealed contempt and dislike for the foreigner; Germans, a powerful, distinct people of themselves-liking the Yankee as little as he likes them-having their own leaders, press, and political organizations; Irishmen, forming a still more independent sub-nationality; Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, Frenchmen, Italians, Scotchmen; last and least, Englishmen; besides various crude "isms," whose advocates are ready to sacrifice all their party views for the sake of pushing along their respective favourite hobbies: the greater portion of this body also kept in a state of chronic

excitement and irritation; the vast political machinery, or competing machines rather, always at work, conducting or preparing for elections, employing a considerable number of hands, many of them educated or preparing for the law, but practising politics. Such has the population of the Northern States now become an aggregation of people, not a nation.

It is easy to be seen that in such a state of things, able, thoughtful, honest, and experienced men, who have the moral and intellectual qualifications for statesmanship, will be kept more and more in the background, and mere spouters will be most applauded, and occupy the front of the political platform. Every election is entirely managed by the party leaders, their staffs and subordinates of all grades; and no citizen can succeed in, or even enter upon, public life, without becoming a member of the political profession, and conforming to all its usages. Public meetings, committees, conventions, canvasses, speechifyings, newspaper influences-all these form part of the process through which he has to go, and in which, indeed, consists his education for his calling. Above all, he must stick to his party-whatever it does, whatever any of its members may do. Such is the system which has resulted in the mournful fact that at this moment the people despise and detest the rulers they heve elected, and, among all their public men, have not one in whose ability and integrity any considerable number of them place any confidence.

CHAPTER XVII.

United States Abolitionists-Clashing Theory and Practice-Abolitionist Meeting-Desire for Disunion-Equality-Woman's Rights-" Free Love"-Daniel Webster-Wendell Phillips-Majority ruled by a small Minority.

WHEN, in the year 1776, the American colonies of Great Britain seceded from the mother-country, the colonists, it may be fairly said, were all Abolitionists—from Washington downwards-slave-holding Abolitionists: that is, all looked upon slavery, then existing in almost every State, as inconsistent with the unfortunate assertion in the Declaration of Independence, that all human beings were born free and equal, and with an inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I say unfortunate, because the assertion is so glaringly and vitally

untrue.

But though Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Americans generally, who fought for and established the United States, were in those days, strictly speaking, Abolitionists, it must not be supposed that they had much in common with the Abolitionists of later days, who have zealously and bitterly reviled and denounced, and finally dissolved, the Union.

The history of Abolitionism is very interesting and instructive, though by no means pleasing; for it shows