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DEMOCRACY:
THE ULTIMATE GOVERNMENT?
by
Roderick C. Meredith
The American people enjoy
the oldest democratic system
in the world, along with un–
precedented freedoms and
opportunities. But is the u/ti–
mate government sti/1 in the
fu ture? This revealing article
not only reminds Americans
of their many blessings, but
also explains what tomorrow
wi/1 bring.
''F
rom sea to shining sea !" That
phrase once agai n carne to
mind as ou r 747 cl imbed over
Long
1
land Sound. veered to the
nonh and then headed west to the
shores of the Pacific Ocean.
1 was just completing a sort of
" Bicentennial trip.'' a journey that
took me. among oth er places. lO re–
new my memori es of Washington,
D.C.. Fort McHenry - where "The
Star Spangled Banner" was written
- and lo the old Federal Building in
New Yo rk City where George
Washington was inaugura ted. ·
Often when
1
see the nation's
Capi tol or th e Statue of Liberty.
chills run up and down my spine.
I
remember the raw November
eveni ngs when Old Glory wa s
hoisted a loft
to
ftutt er in the breeze
- spotligh ted in the Midwestern sky
as we sang the nati ona l anthem just
before a football garue. 1 remember
the shining faces of freckle-faced
boys and little pig-tailed girls -
straining al atten tion - as we re–
cited the pledge of allegiance to
our
flag and
our
cou ntry at the begin–
ning of each school day. And l shall
never forget being shepherded so l–
emnly into the aud itorium of Jopli n.
Mi ssouri 's West Central School that
raw December morning
to
hear the
familiar voice of Franklin Roosevell
declare:
"Yesterday. December 7, 1941 -
a date that wi ll li ve in infamy - th e
United States of America was sud–
denly and deliberate ly attacked . . ..
14
We will gain the inevi table triu mph.
so help us God."
Quite u few years later. on my
first trip to Europe, as our ship
moved slowly out of Ncw York har–
ba r
and the Sta tue of Libe rty began
to disappear in the fog,
T
remember
fee ling nos ta lgic pangs. realizing
th at 1was leaving some place pretty
specia l. And indeed
I
was.
Our Democratic Heritage
On our 200th birthday. America
stands as the oldest democracy in
the world today. And our Cons tit u–
tion i the oldest of any na tion still
in existence.
Under the blessin g of a ben ign
Providence. our ancestors dev ised
the greatest government ' 'of the
people. by the people. and for the
people'' in the history of the world .
Despi te all its fa ults. our nation has
done more for the wo rld and given
more to the world th an any oth er in
modero history.
From the Hoover Plan fo r thc re–
construction of Europe after World
War
1
and the Lend-Lease Act of
1940 to th e massive Marshall Plan .
the Alliance for Progress. the Peace
Corps, and a ho t of other be–
neficent programs. th e Un ited States
has set an example of giving. help–
ing. and bui lding to the rest of the
world . Like the bíblica! patriarch
Joseph. we today have been blessed
with the la rgest grain supply on
ea rth and have glad ly distributed it
to the hungry nations ofthe world–
even. at times. to those who are our
sworn enemi es.
Energy and creati vity? Agai n. it
would be difficult indeed to find an
equal to twentieth-century Ameri ca
in these traits. Early in the last cen–
tury the renowned French historian–
philosopher. Alexis de Tocquevil le.
described our nation as follows :
"The United States of America
have only been emancipa ted for
ha lf a century from the state of colo–
nial depend ence in which they stood
to Grea t Brita in .... Yet no people
in the world have made such rapid
progress in trade and manu!'actures
as the Americans . . . and although
th eir manufactures have to struggle
with alrnost insurmountable natural
imped imen ts. they are not pre–
vented from making great and daily
advances.
" ln the Unit ed Sta tcs." continued
de Tocqucville. ' ·the greatest under–
takings and speculations a re exe–
cuted withou t difficulty. because the
whole popula ti on are engaged in
productive industry. and because
the poorcst as wcl l as the most opu–
lent members of the commonwea lth
are ready to combine lheir elforts
for these purposes. The consequence
is . tha t a stranger is consta ntly
amazcd by the immense pu blic
works executed by a nation which
contains. so lo spea k. no rich men.
The Amer icans a rri ved bu t a ycs–
terday on the tenitory which they
inh a bit. and th ey have alrcady
cha nged the whole order of nature
for the ir own advantage. They have
joined the Hudson to the Missis–
sippi. and made the Atlantic Ocean
commun ica te with the Gulf of Mex–
ico. ac ross a continent of more than
fiv e hu ndred leagues in extent
wh ich separa tes the two seas. The
longest railroads which have been
cons tructed. up to the present time.
are in America."
Today America is still the world's
premier democrat ic, free enterprise
nation. The almos! comple te free–
dom of specch. action. and thought
possessed by Un ited States citizens
is a marvel to mos t peoples of thc
world. For even in BriLain. France.
and o ther democratic societies. gov–
ernmen tal control of the radio and
te levision ou tlets. trict govern–
mental regula tion of business and
industry and also what many Amer–
ica ns wou Id regard as confisca tory
taxation pol icies all act as a repres–
sive inftuence on the kind of liber–
t ies
mo~t
Americans take for
granted .
America has striven long and
The
PLAIN TRUTH July 1976