DEMOCRACY AS THE MASTER OF ITS RULERS 181 



is to be smothered or over-ridden by the average will, Book n 

 as is expressed clearly enough in the well-worn 

 democratic formula every man's vote is to count 

 for one in government ; no man's vote is to count for 

 more than one. 



Now this theory of the relation of the great man 

 to the many, so far as regards the conduct of civil 

 government, is identical with the theory which, with 

 a much wider application, Mr. Herbert Spencer 

 enunciates as the foundation of his sociological 

 system. As enunciated by Mr. Spencer we have 

 already submitted it to examination, and we have 

 shown that, in every practical sense, it is altogether 

 fallacious, and that its acceptance renders all 

 practical sociology impossible. We will now proceed 

 to show that, as applied even to the most popular 

 forms of government, it is as false as it is when 

 applied to social phenomena generally. 



That the essential principle of democracy, as The demo- 

 just described, according to which the brain of the theoretically, ' 

 ideal ruler is merely a balance for weighing the wills weighing 6 the 

 of multitudes, which are dropped into one or other 

 of its scales, like marbles that this principle has 

 ever yet been completely realised, no democrat will 

 perhaps venture to maintain ; but the whole demo- 

 cratic propagandism of the present day implies, 

 before all things else, that its complete realisation is 

 possible, and that every day " the peoples " are 

 getting nearer to it. The facts, however, which 

 are supposed to warrant this conclusion are to be 

 sought, not in the sphere of official government, but 



