representative government-第35章

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no　means　of　keeping　out　of　sight　any　able　man：　the　bema　was　open　to　him；　he　needed　nobody's　consent　to　become　a　public　adviser。　It　is　not　so　in　a　representative　government；　and　the　best　friends　of　representative　democracy　can　hardly　be　without　misgivings　that　the　Themistocles　or　Demosthenes；　whose　counsels　would　have　saved　the　nation；　might　be　unable　during　his　whole　life　ever　to　obtain　a　seat。　But　if　the　presence　in　the　representative　assembly　can　be　insured　of　even　a　few　of　the　first　minds　in　the　country；　though　the　remainder　consist　only　of　average　minds；　the　influence　of　these　leading　spirits　is　sure　to　make　itself　sensibly　felt　in　the　general　deliberations；　even　though　they　be　known　to　be；　in　many　respects；　opposed　to　the　tone　of　popular　opinion　and　feeling。　I　am　unable　to　conceive　any　mode　by　which　the　presence　of　such　minds　can　be　so　positively　insured　as　by　that　proposed　by　Mr。　Hare。　　　This　portion　of　the　Assembly　would　also　be　the　appropriate　organ　of　a　great　social　function；　for　which　there　is　no　provision　in　any　existing　democracy；　but　which　in　no　government　can　remain　permanently　unfulfilled　without　condemning　that　government　to　infallible　degeneracy　and　decay。　This　may　be　called　the　function　of　Antagonism。　In　every　government　there　is　some　power　stronger　than　all　the　rest；　and　the　power　which　is　strongest　tends　perpetually　to　become　the　sole　power。　Partly　by　intention；　and　partly　unconsciously；　it　is　ever　striving　to　make　all　other　things　bend　to　itself；　and　is　not　content　while　there　is　anything　which　makes　permanent　head　against　it；　any　influence　not　in　agreement　with　its　spirit。　Yet　if　it　succeeds　in　suppressing　all　rival　influences；　and　moulding　everything　after　its　own　model；　improvement；　in　that　country；　is　at　an　end；　and　decline　commences。　Human　improvement　is　a　product　of　many　factors；　and　no　power　ever　yet　constituted　among　mankind　includes　them　all：　even　the　most　beneficent　power　only　contains　in　itself　some　of　the　requisites　of　good；　and　the　remainder；　if　progress　is　to　continue；　must　be　derived　from　some　other　source。　No　community　has　ever　long　continued　progressive；　but　while　a　conflict　was　going　on　between　the　strongest　power　in　the　community　and　some　rival　power；　between　the　spiritual　and　temporal　authorities；　the　military　or　territorial　and　the　industrious　classes；　the　king　and　the　people；　the　orthodox　and　religious　reformers。　When　the　victory　on　either　side　was　so　complete　as　to　put　an　end　to　the　strife；　and　no　other　conflict　took　its　place；　first　stagnation　followed；　and　then　decay。　The　ascendancy　of　the　numerical　majority　is　less　unjust；　and　on　the　whole　less　mischievous；　than　many　others；　but　it　is　attended　with　the　very　same　kind　of　dangers；　and　even　more　certainly；　for　when　the　government　is　in　the　hands　of　One　or　a　Few；　the　Many　are　always　existent　as　a　rival　power；　which　may　not　be　strong　enough　ever　to　control　the　other；　but　whose　opinion　and　sentiment　are　a　moral；　and　even　a　social；　support　to　all　who；　either　from　conviction　or　contrariety　of　interest；　are　opposed　to　any　of　the　tendencies　of　the　ruling　authority。　But　when　the　Democracy　is　supreme；　there　is　no　One　or　Few　strong　enough　for　dissentient　opinions　and　injured　or　menaced　interests　to　lean　upon。　The　great　difficulty　of　democratic　government　has　hitherto　seemed　to　be；　how　to　provide；　in　a　democratic　society；　what　circumstances　have　provided　hitherto　in　all　the　societies　which　have　maintained　themselves　ahead　of　others…　a　social　support；　a　point　d'appui；　for　individual　resistance　to　the　tendencies　of　the　ruling　power；　a　protection；　a　rallying　point；　for　opinions　and　interests　which　the　ascendant　public　opinion　views　with　disfavour。　For　want　of　such　a　point　d'appui；　the　older　societies；　and　all　but　a　few　modern　ones；　either　fell　into　dissolution　or　became　stationary　（which　means　slow　deterioration）　through　the　exclusive　predominance　of　a　part　only　of　the　conditions　of　social　and　mental　well…being。　　　Now；　this　great　want　the　system　of　Personal　Representation　is　fitted　to　supply　in　the　most　perfect　manner　which　the　circumstances　of　modern　society　admit　of。　The　only　quarter　in　which　to　look　for　a　supplement；　or　completing　corrective；　to　the　instincts　of　a　democratic　majority；　is　the　instructed　minority：　but；　in　the　ordinary　mode　of　constituting　democracy；　this　minority　has　no　organ：　Mr。　Hare's　system　provides　one。　The　representatives　who　would　be　returned　to　Parliament　by　the　aggregate　of　minorities　would　afford　that　organ　in　its　greatest　perfection。　A　separate　organisation　of　the　instructed　classes；　even　if　practicable；　would　be　invidious；　and　could　only　escape　from　being　offensive　by　being　totally　without　influence。　But　if　the　elite　of　these　classes　formed　part　of　the　Parliament；　by　the　same　title　as　any　other　of　its　members…　by　representing　the　same　number　of　citizens；　the　same　numerical　fraction　of　the　national　will…　their　presence　could　give　umbrage　to　nobody；　while　they　would　be　in　the　position　of　highest　vantage；　both　for　making　their　opinions　and　counsels　heard　on　all　important　subjects；　and　for　taking　an　active　part　in　public　business。　Their　abilities　would　probably　draw　to　them　more　than　their　numerical　share　of　the　actual　administration　of　government；　as　the　Athenians　did　not　confide　responsible　public　functions　to　Cleon　or　Hyperbolus　（the　employment　of　Cleon　at　Pylos　and　Amphipolis　was　purely　exceptional）；　but　Nicias；　and　Theramenes；　and　Alcibiades；　were　in　constant　employment　both　at　home　and　abroad；　though　known　to　sympathise　more　with　oligarchy　than　with　democracy。　The　instructed　minority　would；　in　the　actual　voting；　count　only　for　their　numbers；　but　as　a　moral　power　they　would　count　for　much　more；　in　virtue　of　their　knowledge；　and　of　the　influence　it　would　give　them　over　the　rest。　An　arrangement　better　adapted　to　keep　popular　opinion　within　reason　and　justice；　and　to　guard　it　from　the　various　deteriorating　influences　which　assail　the　weak　side　of　democracy；　could　scarcely　by　human　ingenuity　be　devised。　A　democratic　people　would　in　this　way　be　provided　with　what　in　any　other　way　it　would　almost　certainly　miss…leaders　of　a　higher　grade　of　intellect　and　character　than　itself。　Modern　democracy　would　have　its　occasional　Pericles；　and　its　habitual　group　of　superior　and　guiding　minds。　　　With　all　this　array　of　reasons；　of　the　most　fundamental　character；　on　the　affirmative　side　of　the　question；　what　is　there　on　the　negative？　Nothing　that　will　sustain　examination；　when　people　can　once　be　induced　to　bestow　any　real　examination　upon　a　new　thing。　Those　indeed；　if　any　such　there　be；　who；　under　pretence　of　equal　justice；　aim　only　at　substituting　the　class　ascendancy　of　the　poor　for　that　of　the　rich；　will　of　course　be　unfavourable　to　a　scheme　which　places　both　on　a　level。　But　I　do　not　believe　that　any　such　wish　exists　at　present　among　the　working　classes　of　this　country；　though　I　would　not　answer　for　the　effect　which　opportunity　and　demagogic　artifices　may　hereafter　have　in　exciting　it。　In　the　United　States；　where　the　numerical　majority　have　long　been　in　full　possession　of　collective　despotism；　they　would　probably　be　as　unwilling　to　part　with　it　as　a　single　despot　or　an　aristocracy。　But　I　believe　that　the　English　democracy　would　as　yet　be