"Asia counts her public experience by millenniums; Europe by centuries; America by decennials. Mark the distinction-it is the key to the understanding of their respective institutions." MEM AOBK YRABILI -ROBERT VON MOHL. PREFACE. "Not to be offended at honest criticisms protects against flatterers." -Machiavelli. THE author having written the last chapter of this book, and its design and scope being fully before his mind, desires to offer, by way of preface, a few personal explanations. It seemed to him that to American politics apply the words of Pope in his "Essay on Man;" that they are "The glory, jest, and riddle of the world." Its "glory," on account of the immense material progress that has attended the course of American society; its "jest," because self-overestimation possesses its popular mind; and its "riddle," for the reason, that the political premises and ideas on which they have acted, and which once the world applauded, are now seen to be erroneous and productive of great evils. The author had to presume, that a people thus situated, would take unkindly to a critic, especially if, like himself, he was foreignborn; that they would accuse him of a lack of patriotism, wherever he failed to share the national prejudices; and that if the expected praise would not be given, or blemishes were unexpectedly exposed, it would be ascribed to any but the true motives. He knew that moderation in national self-admiration is not regarded as a virtue in America, and that but few would appreciate the wisdom contained in the above quotation from Machiavelli. He had therefore frequent misgivings, while writing these pages, as to the reception they would meet when published; but he wrote on to the end, hoping that observations, dictated by an experience of forty years in public life, would after all find a few intelligent and liberal readers, who would appreciate their sincerity. The author saw no disqualification for his task in his foreign birth, indeed his opinion leaned the other way; for he believed, that a person may be the critic of an adopted country without being an ingrate, and that he might be its admirer without being a sycophant. He apprehended, however, that having to write in an idiom, which he learned, since he left school, may make his style and composition look awkward to fastidious eyes; and he would humbly request his readers to judge him rather by the standard of how far a German may capacitate himself for writing in English, than by that of the proficiency of those, whose mother-tongue it is. He confesses to the weakness, if weakness it be, of a constant fond attachment to the literature of his native land, and that there he gained most of his knowledge of the political subjects he discusses. He is firm in his belief, that this has qualified him for the chief duty of his work -that of comparative research; and that his capacity to judge American politics has thereby been improved. He hopes he may with propriety state the fact in this connection, that the best publications on American affairs have been written by foreigners; and the reason can be no other, than their occupying a position and having a culture, that enabled them to see without bias, and to comprehend men and things without national prejudice. While composing the several chapters, the author could not fail to become aware, that he was laying down conclusions, that differed from some of the views formerly expressed by him in reports and remarks to legislative bodies, or in addresses to the public, as well as in contributions to the press; and he can now only ask that the opinions and principles herein expressed be taken as his maturer conceptions, since they flowed from a much more comprehensive inquiry and treatment of the respective public questions, than had been the case in former publications. The negative reasoning, usual in the school (the democratic) to which the author was attached, had to be abandoned, and the positive mode of scientific ascertainment substituted. The oft-repeated question: Who shall be denied public authority? was changed to the true issue: Who shall be desig |