POLITICS THEN AND NOW.

Patea Mail, Volume LIII, 15 April 1932, Page 3

POLITICS THEN AND NOW.

To the Editor

Sir, —I came across the following extract from Aristotle the other day, which shows very clearly that the world has not changed much in 2325 years:—“The insolence of demagogues is generally the cause of the ruin of democracies. Surely they raise the upper and middle classes against them by seizing on private property or the public revenue and dividing the proceeds in various forms of bribery and corruption. Sometimes they attack the rich by process of law', that they may have their property to apply to the support of their government. Nov/, since oratory has, been so much cultivated, men w r ho are able speaker,; arc the great demagogues. The great instrument by which they accomplish their ends is the confidence of the people, and this they wdn by the hatred they display against the rich. Changes occur also from the old form of democracy to the one still more democratic in which no qualification is required cither from electors or deer,cd. ” —Yours, etc. E.D.