THE TURMOIL OF DEMOCRACY.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 10 July 1912, Page 2

THE TURMOIL OF DEMOCRACY.

THE TURMOIL OF DEMOCRACY.

It is becoming quite a universal anachronism on the part of certain political cranks and wirepulling nonentities of this Dominion,^ arbouring puerile and polygenous conceptions to assert in cadences of boastful magnitude that from all points of the controversial compass this is a purely democratic country. Would that it were, and then, perchance, our settlers and those generally concerned might have less cause for complaint. True democracy as the majority of individuals' are led to understand, comprises a torm of Government—not essentially a Liberal Party—in which •the sovereignty of the State is vested m the people, vand exercised by thorn, either directly or otherwise, by means of representative institutions, moveover should reveal its workings in a collective sense, strictly applying to the people or populace, especially the latter, as rulers. Even m keen analysis of argument the term covers no via media ; nor must it be forgotten that the voice of the people—the cry of a nation—is the voice of God through her children. We ap point, per medium jof electoral voting, presumably:' intelligent politicians to represent us in Parliament, to whom we look fo-the advocation of pur wants ; but very often measures of which) no premonition has been given, much less recollection in retrospect supersede original promis.es aiid ieaye the trusting electors in the -lurch.. In short, it is small mat)-' ter for wonderment that the question is sometimes asked : Are we indeed living un der the British flag? Doubtless, in a modified degree, we lead a cosmopolitanfcggence yetwe are . not demepromiscuous opinion principles o f may 'be but it con-