328 MODERN POLITICS 



signs of activity. Few of them can gain entry to 

 Parliament : and there are comparatively few 

 members of Parliament who share their know- 

 ledge and enthusiasm. Nor are their views 

 satisfactorily represented in parliamentary dis- 

 cussions. One of the greatest evils of the party 

 system is that it closes the lips of those who, while 

 generally supporting the ministry in office, would 

 like to criticize measures which have been drafted 

 in the privacy of the Cabinet : they must vote 

 for them in tongue-tied silence. The Press does 

 not offer an adequate outlet for discussion, in as 

 much as most newspapers are controlled by in- 

 terests that are solidly committed to one party 

 or the other. These enthusiasts can, then, only 

 express themselves by the formation of societies 

 with active propagandas, which, if successful, may 

 compel the attention of the Government. The 

 many-sidedness and activity of these private 

 reformers may be inferred from the astonishingly 

 large number of societies that are on foot, with 

 optimistic programmes of the utmost diversity 

 from the feeding of school children to the pre- 

 servation of open spaces, from the closing down 

 of the liquor trade to the stopping of vaccination. 

 Their aims are sometimes admirable, sometimes 

 absurd ; but their upspringing is a genuine sign 

 of democratic vitality : they are unknown in 

 countries where the government is democratic 

 only in name. There is no place for them in the 

 party system. By vigorous canvassing they may 

 induce a Cabinet to adopt an idea. But their 

 influence is from outside : it is rather that of an 

 advocate than an adviser. 



We may, however, assume with some reason that 

 they may gain a more direct influence in political 

 councils. If, as appears probable, we may read our 

 own future in the political conditions at which the 

 United States, untrammelled by precedent, have 



