Publications Of The American Economic Association 1887 Vol 1 Classic Reprint PDF Download

Excerpt from Publications of the American Economic Association, 1906, Vol. 7 The jealousy of the executive is something more than a survival from the outlived exigencies Of earlier centuries. It has its roots deep in the everyday prepos sessions of the average man. Those who have read the voluminous history of trade-unionism in England Which Mr. And Mrs. Webb have put together with such splendid industry, will have been struck With the lesson which those authors draw as to the working of pure democracy. The trade union is loth to put authority into the hands of its leaders. It clings to town-meeting government. The necessities of the case have indeed compelled a gradual stiffening of the organization. More and more power has been delegated to the executive committees and general secretaries, and perpetual referendum has been given up. The imperative need of efficiency in a fighting organization has caused a departure from the pure simplicity of democratic principle, and an accept ance of something like single-handed leadership; yet even here, under the pressure Of vital interest and the most Obvious need, slowly, grudgingly, incompletely. The working of the same impulse is familiar to every one who watches our American democracy. There is always an uneasy fear of getting away from the people. Hence the predominance of elected officials, the con fusing multiplicity of elections, the helplessness of the voter in face of an endless list of unknown candidates for foffice, - and so the necessity Of party organization to give a clue and meaning to the whole, and the natural evolution of the boss. In times of stress and peril, democracy turns instinctively to a dictator. But in the humdrum days Of peace, it clings no less instinctively to its own possession of power. This state of mind, like all our impulses and opinions, rests largely on tradition. The habitual glorification of democracy has strengthened it, and it has been further strengthened by the worship of the Constitution. Checks and balances are part of the wonted political machinery. A permanent executive with a free hand is repugnant alike to the individual's instinct for control over his representative, and to his prepossessions as to the proper system of government. The two causes interact, and reinforce each other; and both tend to keep out of the public service the type of man whom the public most needs. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.