great civil war, and such a war once let loose would not end but
either with the full triumph of Socialism or its extinction for the
present; it would be impossible to limit the aim of the struggle; nor
can we even guess at the course which it would take, except that it
could not be a matter of compromise. But suppose the Democratic
party peaceably successful on this new basis of semi-State Socialism,
what would it all mean? Attempts to balance the two classes whose
interests are opposed to each other, a mere ignoring of this
antagonism which has led us through so many centuries to where we are
now, and then, after a period of disappointment and disaster, the
naked conflict once more; a revolution made, and another immediately
necessary on its morrow!

Yet, indeed, it will not come to that; for, whatever may be the aims
of the Democrats, they will not succeed in getting themselves into a
position from whence they could make the attempt to realize them. I
have said there are Tories and yet no real Tory party; so also it
seems to me that there are Democrats but no Democratic party; at
present they are used by the leaders of the parliamentary factions,
and also kept at a distance by them from any real power. If they by
hook or crook managed to get a number of members into Parliament,
they would find out their differences very speedily under the
influence of party rule; in point of fact, the Democrats are not a
party; because they have no principles other than the old Whig-
Radical ones, extended in some cases so as to take in a little semi-
Socialism which the march of events has forced on them--that is, they
gravitate on one side to the Whigs and on the other to the
Socialists. Whenever, if ever, they begin to be a power in the
elections and get members in the House, the temptation to be members
of a real live party which may have the government of the country in