Henrietta Hay's Column

"One great blemish on the popular mind of America, and the prolific parent of an innumerable brood of evils, is Universal Distrust.

"You carry this jealousy and distrust into every transaction of public life. It has rendered you so fickle and so given to change, that your inconstancy has passed into a proverb; for you no sooner set up an idol firmly than you are sure to pull it down and dash it into fragments: and this because, directly you reward a benefactor, or a public servant, you distrust him, merely because he is rewarded. Any man who attains a high place among you, from the President downwards, may date his downfall from that moment."

Did you perchance think that was written yesterday, or even in this century? No. Those words were written 152 years ago. Back in 1842 Charles Dickens visited America, and when he returned to England he wrote a book about it. Not surprisingly he called it "American Notes." Obviously, he was not overly impressed by Americans, although he did say that we are, "by nature frank, brave, cordial, hospitable, and affectionate."

If Charles Dickens were to visit Washington today he would say, "I told you so. Look where your distrust has gotten you: congressional gridlock." He might take back his opinion that Americans are cordial, hospitable or affectionate. Or maybe he would realize that some things never change. That's the American Way - set 'em up and knock 'em down.

We have been busy knocking our leaders off their pedestals ever since the constitutional convention. I believe George Washington was the last president to escape.

John/Jane Q. Citizen has always been very vocal. We have talked and orated and criticized on all sides of every issue through the years. It's one of the pleasures of our lives in a democracy. We have called our leaders all sorts of names and accused them of everything from incompetence to outright crime. But there has always been a safety valve. There have been restraints imposed by physical circumstances. Speakers, public or private, have been limited by the fact that their listeners knew who they were and they had to be responsible -- more or less --for what they said. We still have libel laws and elections every two years.

It reminds me of a toy steam engine I had when I was a kid. When the tiny boiler got too hot the steam poured out and the whistle alerted everyone within earshot to cool it so the whole thing would not blow up. Free speech and love of argument are the emotional safety valve that let democracy work without exploding.

This year the steam is pouring out the whistle, but so far the thing hasn't exploded. Nobody has challenged anybody to a duel -- yet. Somehow I can't see Clinton and Dole with ruffles on their shirt sleeves turning to shoot at 50 paces as Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton did.

I kind of like Britain's Hyde Park on Sunday mornings. There really are soapboxes and anybody can climb up on one and shout anything he/she wants to. It doesn't have to be true, but the audience is limited to the people standing around. The boos are as strong as the cheers.

This year on this side of the Atlantic it seems to me that the safety valve is running hotter and louder than usual. We have a brand new kind of American soapbox that Charles Dickens could never have imagined. It is far more efficient at tearing down leaders than any we have had before. It is called Talk Radio. It brings a new kind of mindless nastiness to the body politic.

There are no restrictions, no limits. The call in voices are anonymous. They can reach a million people without identifying themselves. They can and do say anything, no matter how inflammatory, how degrading or how completely untrue, with complete freedom and safety. Congress could take lessons in character assassination from the anonymous voices of talk radio.

It looks as though Charles Dickens had us nailed way back in 1842, "...the prolific parent of an innumerable brood of evils, is Universal Distrust." And he hadn't even heard of Talk Radio. I just hope our safety valve continues to work.