i;o THE THIRD POWER 



instantly ally itself with all the people as against any 

 class that was seeking to win for itself an unfair ad- 

 vantage at the expense of society. As it is now it 

 allies itself with a given class against the whole body 

 of the people. Thus that situation would be entirely 

 reversed. 



But, it will be asked, could such a government be 

 trusted ? Certainly it could be if the people can be 

 trusted to govern themselves, as we all pretend to 

 believe. And when we say that we believe in the 

 principle of self-government we do not mean that 

 we think that the people are infallible, and so incapa- 

 ble of making mistakes. What we do mean is that 

 the people are honest, intelligent, swayed by good 

 purposes, and are much better fit to govern them- 

 selves than any man is to govern them. We mean 

 further that they will be much more patient under 

 their own mistakes than they could be under the mis- 

 takes of any one else. They would recognize that 

 the hurt came from themselves, so as there would be 

 no one to punish there would be no basis for discon- 

 tent or revolution. 



It would, to be sure, still be necessary to decide 

 questions of policy by a majority vote, and the dan- 

 ger of a tyranny by majority would not be wholly 

 removed ; but it would be greatly lessened. For we 

 should have in government something of that co- 

 operation which it is designed to introduce in the 

 business of production. The government would be 

 more directly by the people and less by the delegated 



