William T. Brown

“ Now, the change from plutocratic to democratic government will mean, in my judgment, a complete and radical revolution. I can conceive of no change more radical than that would be. Plutocracy and democracy can no more mix than oil and water. They have nothing in common. The complete triumph of plutocracy would mean the obliteration of democracy, and vice versa. The change to democracy involves the greatest moral and ethical change that is conceivable. Under a democracy the interests of wealth cannot be considered. ”

“ Men speaking different languages and dwelling at antipodes are calling one another "comrade." The best religious life of the world is feeling the imperative necessity of brotherhood. And yet plutocracy stands squarely across the path to brotherhood. It sets men over against each other in battle array. It creates a line of social cleavage, with a master class on one side and a slave class on the other. No man can live under the plutocratic regime without violating brotherhood every day he lives. He cannot attempt to mak the most of his life without making himself the enemy of his fellows. ”

“ Right here is the severest indictment of plutocracy as a system of government. It is even now doing all in its power to discourage the pursuit of truth, and to stifle freedom of thought and speech. Do you doubt my word? Consider, then, the fact that men are being dismissed from colleges and universities on every side on the ground that their teachings are offensive to the men whose wealth has built and endowed these institutions. It is a well-understood principle in our universities that the economic teaching shall be in harmony with the interests of capitalism. ”

“ In answer to these and other objections I would simply say that democracy can be inaugurated only by a revolution in the character of our economic system. No body of people anywhere can introduce democracy by passing a resolution to that effect. A democracy is the joint product of economic and political evolution. Political action cannot produce democracy until the industrial evolution is finished. And the transition cannot finally be made except by the utter destruction of the profit system. Democracy is a matter of education. ”

“ The government of the United States is plutocratic and has been so from its inception. What is plutocracy? It is a government of, for, and by the interests of private property. In other words, it is a government which has its actual source in wealth, and knows no other end than to serve the interests of private profit. A democracy would be a government having its origin in the whole people, determined in all its policies by them acting with freedom and intelligence, and having for its purpose the highest welfare of all the people. ”

“ It is the only political movement to-day that is international, the only one that binds together into one the people of every race and clime for industrial and political emancipation. Is it not a fact that the only political party in Europe that aims at democracy is the Social Democratic Party? the party of Socialism? Nay, is there any other party in any country on the face of the earth which either believes in or is actually working for democracy? ”

“ I do not believe we are ready or shall be ready for a long time for the individual freedom for which we all hope. I believe that this proposition, when it is sifted down to the bottom, will be seen to be anti-social. That is to say, it fails to take note of the fact that humanity is the unit. The individual is not the unit. I insist that it is the task of society to fit large portions of its membership to survive. I insist that there is no social or political salvation for the individual unless the salvation of the mass is secured. ”

“ In the first place, I am not sure we have it in our power to say, off hand, what sort of government we are to have. It will be clear to all who hear me, I think, that some forms of government are no longer possible, however much we might desire to reproduce them. I cannot conceive of any combination of circumstances which will bring about an absolute monarchy in this country. The time is hardly likely to come when we shall set up in America an actual and avowed empire. Possibly we shall have for a time—perhaps for a long time—an empire in everything but the name. ”

“ I believe that none of the forms of human government which have so far existed can reappear, for the simple reason that evolution is from within outward. And while the life of the material world around us seems to go in cycles, every twelve months repeating the same phenomena of seed-time and harvest, there is no good reason for believing that the evolution of the race proceeds in cycles. It may seem to return now and then upon its path, but such is not the case. Evolution may describe a spiral through the centuries ”

“ In other words, I think it would be fair to say that the particular form of government under which society finds itself at any given is not the choice of the people of that time so much as it is the logical result of the conditions which exist or prevailed. Will you not agree with me that probably no form of government was ever deliberately chosen, out of hand, by a people? I will not say that a form of government will be consciously chosen by a people, but I think it is historically true that no form of government ever did result from deliberate choice. ”

“ No form of government ever existed which did not serve a useful purpose. I think we shall be able to see how great a debt we owe to plutocracy. The human race has come a long way from the dawn of creation. If we could see all the path it has followed, we should see many things which would shock our sensibilities, but they were all necessary and, measured by what they achieved in human development, they were good. The physical development of man is the sole product of ages and bloody struggle. The path of the race in its animal evolution has been a path of blood. ”

“ Neither life, nor liberty, nor the pursuit of happiness has any real meaning under a plutocratic government.
I fancy the objection will be raised that in a democracy you may have any sort of conditions that the people by majority vote shall prescribe. If it is the will of the people that the present system of education continue, such will be the law. If it is their will to perpetuate the present industrial system, that system will go on. There may be people who are still laboring under the delusion that we have democracy to-day. ”

“ I wish I could impress upon the mind of every intelligent citizen of this country the idea that human government is determined solely by economic conditions, and that therefore the only possibility of securing a change in the form of any government is by securing a change in the economic system. ”

“ Indeed, there are several classes of individualists, and they are all a unit in not wanting to give democracy a chance. They say: "We shall lose our freedom if you inaugurate a government in which all the people have to be considered." Individualists have no faith in the people. Moreover, they fail to take into account the fact that the only chance people have of becoming fit for ideal self-government is by the experience of democracy. That a democratic government would make mistakes is doubtless true, but the mistakes of democracy are of more value than the successes of plutocracy. ”

“ No other member of the upper house stands so squarely upon the fundamental principles of our government as he does. What are the vast armies and navies of the present day? Nothing but police for the protection of the interests of wealth. What are our laws? Nothing but the provisions which plutocracy makes for its own preservation. ”

“ The pursuit of profit, which is the very soul of our present system, will not exist—cannot exist in a democracy. Under the latter the interests of men will be supreme. Under the former the interests of the dollar everywhere and always outweigh those of the man. Under a democracy everything would be changed. Strikingly true would that be in the sphere of education. Plutocracy has ordained that education shall proceed from the motive of fitting the individual to gain a living, to accumulate and manage private property. ”

“ In an age when ignorance was the lot of the multitude, when the vast majority were slaves, and when war for conquest was the normal state of things, an empire was the only possible form of human government. ”

“ It is a confusion of language to call the existing government in this country a democracy or even say that a democracy is possible under the present social and industrial system. We are discovering—or we ought to be—that government is determined absolutely and wholly by economic conditions. I venture to express the opinion that no more enlightening idea can gain access to the minds of American citizens than that idea. ”

“ Any one who is acquainted with the book of Judges knows that Israel had a king long before the time of Saul or Samuel. A kingdom was purely the product of the age. It was an evolution from a more primitive tribal government, made necessary by the warlike character of that time.
That same principle will apply to every government that has existed and to every government that will exist. The great empires of which we read in ancient history—the empires of the Persians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans—were all the perfectly natural product of the age. ”

“ Evolution is marked by the constant leaving behind of some things which once were useful. Many physical attributes which were of value to man, say twenty-five or fifty thousands years ago, have ceased to exist. The physical appearance of the human race to-day differs widely form that which prevailed in that far distant past. With the dawn of mind and its wonderful development has resulted all that to-day distinguishes the man from his animal companions. The emergence of reason ushered the animal man into a totally new era of existence and brought into play a new set of faculties. ”

“ The important thing to be kept in view, it seems to me, is that nothing can make this transition save that which shall completely change the economic system. We cannot have democracy so long as we retain any vestige of plutocracy. For myself, I believe there must be united political action. Plutocracy, though the very opposite of democracy, has served a useful purpose in preparing the way. It has wiped out national lines. It has become international. Democracy must also be international. We cannot have democracy in spots. It must be the dominant system of the world. ”

“ There are many reasons for believing that the supreme political struggle of the coming century will be between plutocracy and democracy. The question which will, I believe, transcend all others is the question which is involved in those two terms: Shall we have a plutocracy? or shall we have a democracy? ”

“ Whatever stands in the way of the natural evolution of the race will be swept away. There can be no doubt about that. The outgrown garment is laid aside. The human body at maturity can not be confined within the same clothing which answered for its infancy. The same is true of race. It is all the while growing toward its maturity, and it becomes necessary at various stages to lay aside some things which answered a useful purpose at an earlier period.
I have intimated that we seem to be just now on the threshold of an era to be marked by growing ethical consciousness on the part of humanity. ”