This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 Excerpt: ...the opportunity came to bring the life and conduct of nearly two hundred millions of people under the domination of these dogmas, that people was speedily overtaken by political and economic death. There will be a resurrection of the dead in the case of Russia just so soon as these bonds of false and reactionary ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 Excerpt: ...the opportunity came to bring the life and conduct of nearly two hundred millions of people under the domination of these dogmas, that people was speedily overtaken by political and economic death. There will be a resurrection of the dead in the case of Russia just so soon as these bonds of false and reactionary doctrine are broken, and not until then. The decline in capacity of representative government and the decline of public confidence in it are matters of common observation and of constant discussion. It does not appear, however, that representative government has lost prestige because of any weakness in the principle upon which it is based, but rather because we are working it badly. The theory of representative government is that the public affairs of men are worthy of special attention and study and demand it, and that the common interest will be best served by choosing from the general citizenship of a community those who for a term will occupy executive or legislative office, and on behalf of their fellow citizens, and with an eye single to their best interests, will deal with the various practical questions that present themselves. As Edmund Burke said so long ago, in that famous Letter to the Electors of Bristol, a representative owes to his constituents not only his time and his devoted service, but his intelligence and his conscience. A representative tied hand and foot by pledges extorted by eager or self-interested electors, is no longer a representative but a messenger boy. Such an one has forsworn his ability to deal with problems of government in the public interest, and has put it out of his power to keep his oath of office as executive or as legislator. That a representative's views should be known, that the principles which he aims to...
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