FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85  
86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   >>   >|  
ciples; but who render themselves useless because they will admit of no compromises. He did not belong to the class of American _doctrinaires_, however, or to those who contend--no, not _contend_, for no one does that any longer in this country, whatever may be his opinion on the subject--but those who _think_ that political power, as in the last resort, should be the property of the few; for he was willing New York should have a very broad constituency. Nevertheless, he was opposed to the universal suffrage, in its wide extent, that does actually exist; as I suppose quite three-fourths of the whole population are opposed to it, in their hearts, though no political man of influence, now existing, has the moral calibre necessary to take the lead in putting it down. Dunning deferred to principles, and not to men. He well knew that an infallible whole was not to be composed of fallible parts; and while he thought majorities ought to determine many things, that there are rights and principles that are superior to even such _unanimity_ as man can manifest, and much more to their majorities. But Dunning had no selfish views connected with his political notions, wanting no office, and feeling no motive to affect that which he neither thought nor wished. He never had quitted home, or it is highly probable his views of the comparative abuses of the different systems that prevail in the world would have been essentially modified. Those he saw had unavoidably a democratic source, there being neither monarch nor aristocrat to produce any other; and, under such circumstances, as abuses certainly abound, it is not at all surprising that he sometimes a little distorted facts, and magnified evils. "And my noble, high-spirited, and venerable mother has actually gone to the Nest to face the enemy!" exclaimed my uncle, after a thoughtful pause. "She has, indeed; and the noble, high-spirited, though not venerable, young ladies have gone with her," returned Mr. Dunning, in his caustic way. "All three, do you mean?" "Every one of them--Martha, Henrietta, and Anne." "I am surprised that the last should have done so. Anne Marston is such a meek, quiet, peace-loving person, that I should think _she_ would have preferred remaining, as she naturally might have done, without exciting remark, with her own mother." "She has not, nevertheless. Mrs. Littlepage _would_ brave the anti-renters, and the three maidens _would_ be her companion
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85  
86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

political

 

Dunning

 

mother

 
thought
 
majorities
 

opposed

 
spirited
 

principles

 

contend

 

abuses


venerable
 

surprising

 

magnified

 

distorted

 

aristocrat

 
modified
 

essentially

 

unavoidably

 

companion

 
systems

prevail

 
democratic
 

source

 

circumstances

 

renters

 

abound

 

maidens

 
monarch
 

produce

 

Littlepage


Henrietta

 

Martha

 

exciting

 

remark

 

surprised

 

naturally

 

loving

 

person

 

preferred

 

remaining


Marston

 

thoughtful

 

exclaimed

 

caustic

 

returned

 

comparative

 
ladies
 

unanimity

 

constituency

 

resort