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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



tradition under constitutional limitations ; 

 but its logical outcome is the practical 

 abolition of royal authority, which has 

 been almost everywhere displaced by the 

 authority of the people. It has been the 

 chief cause of the gradual triumph of 

 democracy. 



ALE THE PEOPLE UNLIKELY TO GO WRONG 

 AT THE SAME TIME 



The strength of republicanism lies in 

 the fact that all the people are not likely 

 to go wrong at the same time. A mon- 

 archy or an oligarchy is liable to that 

 calamity. Men may, however, go wrong 

 in a republic also, and even a majority 

 may sometimes do so. 



There is for that reason need of con- 

 stitutional limitations in a democracy as 

 well as in other forms of government. 

 Liberty can be secured only by restric- 

 tions upon the power of government, no 

 matter what its form may be. These re- 

 strictions consist in the division of pub- 

 lic powers, in deliberation of procedure, 

 and the application of general principles 

 of justice to all particular cases. 



Herein lies the chief value of a consti- 

 tution, and it is the combination of these 

 qualities that gives to the Constitution of 

 the United States its unique excellence. 

 It renders possible the free selection of 

 the wisest legislators. This is representa- 

 tive government. It divides by law the 

 powers of government. This defines and 



limits official authority. It declares cer- 

 tain rights to be beyond the power of 

 government to take away. This furnishes 

 guarantees for life, liberty, and property. 

 Finally, it places private rights under the 

 protection of the judiciary. This insures 

 that the citizen shall not be divested of 

 his rights without due process of law. 



But the supreme merit of such a con- 

 stitution, united with the principle of 

 federation, is that it applies to a great 

 area and a great population, as well as to 

 a small one, to which democracy was al- 

 ways before supposed to be necessarily 

 confined. 



But there is, in fact, no limit as respects 

 territory or population to which the re- 

 publican system may not be extended, 

 provided it retains its truly constitutional 

 character as just described. It is as good 

 for 48 States as for 13. It may be as 

 good for China or for Russia as for the 

 original American colonies. 



But an absolute democracy, a democ- 

 racy that sets no bounds to its own arbi- 

 trary will, a democracy that is based on 

 impulse and appetite, and not on reason 

 and justice, is for any community of men 

 an illusion and a danger. Any nation that 

 is capable in the full sense of realizing 

 this truth is ripe for self-government. A 

 nation that does not realize it, no matter 

 how glorious its past, is falling into decay 

 and will not long survive as a free and 

 independent republic. 



WAR, PATRIOTISM, AND THE FOOD SUPPLY 



By Frederick V. Coville 

 Of the United States Department of Agriculture 



A HUNDRED million Americans 

 are searching heart and mind to 

 determine in what way each can 

 contribute most to the success of his 

 country in the war. AYe are remote from 

 the battle line, and few of us, relatively, 

 can take part in the actual fighting. It is 

 everywhere recognized that our financial 

 and industrial cooperation with the Allies 

 will have a far greater effect in hastening: 



the conclusion of the war than would the 

 equipment and sending of a great Amer- 

 ican army to Europe. 



In the industries fundamental to the 

 manufacture of munitions we are in a 

 position to wield an immense influence. 

 So widely is this appreciated that the pro- 

 posal to exempt from direct military serv- 

 ice the skilled workmen of the munition 

 industries meets with general approval. 



