will grant that there are some few genuine Democrats there, and let
them pass. But outside there are undoubtedly many who are genuine
Democrats, and who have it in their heads that it is both possible
and desirable to capture the constitutional Parliament and turn it
into a real popular assembly, which, with the people behind it, might
lead us peaceably and constitutionally into the great Revolution
which all THOUGHTFUL men desire to bring about; all thoughtful men,
that is, who do not belong to the consciously cynical Tories, i.e.,
men determined, whether it be just or unjust, good for humanity or
bad for it, to keep the people down as long as they can, which they
hope, very naturally, will be as long as they live.

To capture Parliament and turn it into a popular but constitutional
assembly is, I must conclude, the aspiration of the genuine Democrats
wherever they may be found; that is their idea of the first step of
the Democratic policy. The questions to be asked of this, as of all
other policies, are first, What is the end proposed by it? and
secondly, Are they likely to succeed? As to the end proposed, I
think there is much difference of opinion. Some Democrats would
answer from the merely political point of view, and say: Universal
suffrage, payment of members, annual Parliaments, abolition of the
House of Lords, abolition of the monarchy, and so forth. I would
answer this by saying: After all, these are not ends, but means to
an end; and passing by the fact that the last two are not
constitutional measures, and so could not be brought about without
actual rebellion, I would say if you had gained all these things, and
more, all you would have done would have been to establish the
ascendancy of the Democratic party; having so established it, you
would then have to find out by the usual party means what that
Democratic party meant, and you would find that your triumph in mere