Beginning  therefore  with  a  universal  right  of
suffrage  among  men  and  the  fundamental  duty
growing  out  of  this  right  of  exercising  it  as  intelli-
gently as  we  are  capable  of  doing  and  for  the
public  weal,  and  with  a  mechanism  of  parties
which  are  a  species  of  little  republics  inside  of  a
great  one,  and  without  the  slightest  excuse  for
being  except  as  they  are  completely  subordinate
to  it  and  conducted  for  its  welfare,  the  citizen  of
today  finds  himself  a  part  of  an  established  system,


24        THE  LIBERTY  OF  CITIZENSHIP

which  may  or  may  not  be  permanent,  but  which
at  least  exists.  Government  is  indeed  a  mighty
engine  and  each  one  of  us  as  much  as  any  other
has  his  hand  upon  the  throttle.  It  depends  upon
us  today  whether  it  shall  be  an  institution  under
which  men  may  expand  and  move  forward  and
under  which  may  thrive  all  the  multiform  arts
that  make  up  the  chief  part  of  what  is  called
civilization,  or  whether  it  shall  be,  as  it  has  so
often  been,  a  Moloch  oppressing  men,  binding
them  with  fetters,  causing  them  to  shrivel  up,  and
become  pigmies,  and  robbing  life  of  its  pleasures.
The  general  view  which  the  citizen  takes  of  the
proper  functions  of  government  and  of  his  rela-
tions to  it  is  of  more  consequence,  I  think,  to
good  government  than  all  the  formulae  for  right
action  upon  particular  problems  contained  in  the
catalogue  of  his  specific  duties.
What  should  be  the  nature  of  his  general  view?

It  is  important,  first  of  all,  that  he  should  not
confuse  democracy  with  liberty.  Undoubtedly
liberty  followed  democracy  and  is  indeed  its
choicest  offspring.  But  just  as  Saturn  devoured
his  children,  so  a  democratic  government  may
show  itself  the  deadly  enemy  of  real  freedom.
