The United States : its History and Constitution. By Alexander
Johnston. (Blackie and Son.)—This volume is a reprint of an article contributed in 1887 by the late Professor Johnston to the ninth edition of the "Encyclopedia Britannica." A few additions, touching events that have occurred since that date have been made. The writer is historical rather than critical, an attitude which, of course, best becomes his position ; but he regards the great experiment which was begun in 1775 as a success.—If any one wants to see the other side of the question stated, he must go to The Republic as a Form of Government. By John Scott. (Chapman and Hall.)—We cannot pretend to follow Mr. Scott's argument, which he founds on the early history of the American Constitu- tion, and on some of its later developments. One powerful quotation that he gives from a report made by a Select Com- mittee on alleged electoral frauds in 1879, we must transfer to our columns. " At the end of each four years the entire Federal patronage—amounting to 110,000 offices—is collected into one lot, and the people divide themselves into two parties, struggling, in name, to choose a President, but, in fact, to control this enormous patronage, which the President when elected is compelled to dis- tribute to his party, because he was elected so to distribute it. The temptation to fraud, to usurpation, to corruption, thus created, is beyond calculation." These are weighty words. Did Mr. Andrew Carnegie ever see them ? Does he acknowledge them to be true ? If so, what an amount of " face " it argues in him that he comes over here and discourses to us of the costliness and corruption of our monarchical system ! Why, if it were ten times more costly and corrupt, it would not come near to the appalling total which the words that we have quoted suggest.
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