This is precisely what occurred in America; when the
democratic party got the upper hand, it took exclusive
possession of the conduct of affairs, and from that
time the laws and the customs of society have been
adapted to its caprices. At the present day the
more affluent classes of society are so entirely removed
from the direction of political affairs in the United
States that wealth, far from conferring a right to
the exercise of power, is rather an obstacle than a
means of attaining to it. The wealthy members
of the community abandon the lists, through unwillingness
to contend, and frequently to contend in vain, against
the poorest classes of their fellow citizens.
They concentrate all their enjoyments in the privacy
of their homes, where they occupy a rank which cannot
be assumed in public; and they constitute a private
society in the State, which has its own tastes and
its own pleasures. They submit to this state
of things as an irremediable evil, but they are careful
not to show that they are galled by its continuance;
it is even not uncommon to hear them laud the delights
of a republican government, and the advantages of
democratic institutions when they are in public.
Next to hating their enemies, men are most inclined
to flatter them.
Mark, for instance, that opulent citizen, who is as
anxious as a Jew of the Middle Ages to conceal his
wealth. His dress is plain, his demeanor unassuming;
but the interior of his dwelling glitters with luxury,
and none but a few chosen guests whom he haughtily
styles his equals are allowed to penetrate into this
sanctuary. No European noble is more exclusive
in his pleasures, or more jealous of the smallest advantages
which his privileged station confers upon him.
But the very same individual crosses the city to reach
a dark counting-house in the centre of traffic, where
every one may accost him who pleases. If he meets
his cobbler upon the way, they stop and converse;
the two citizens discuss the affairs of the State
in which they have an equal interest, and they shake
hands before they part.
But beneath this artificial enthusiasm, and these
obsequious attentions to the preponderating power,
it is easy to perceive that the wealthy members of
the community entertain a hearty distaste to the democratic
institutions of their country. The populace is
at once the object of their scorn and of their fears.
If the maladministration of the democracy ever brings
about a revolutionary crisis, and if monarchical institutions
ever become practicable in the United States, the truth
of what I advance will become obvious.
The two chief weapons which parties use in order to
ensure success are the public press and the formation
of associations.
Chapter XI: Liberty Of The Press In The United States
Chapter Summary
Copyrights
Democracy in America — Volume 1 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
