Government by lottery

On school libraries, the State of the Union, and Lincoln's litmus test for office

In 1861, with the Civil War still quite newly underway, President Abraham Lincoln delivered an Independence Day message to Congress. Notably, he included this passage: "[In the Union Army,] there are many single regiments whose members, one and another, possess full practical knowledge of all the arts, sciences, professions, and whatever else, whether useful or elegant, is known in the world; and there is scarcely one from which there could not be selected a President, a Cabinet, a Congress, and perhaps a court, abundantly competent to administer the Government itself."

■ It seems not just quaint, but almost funny to imagine running a government with nothing but ordinary people selected at random from America in 1861. Only 50% of children aged 5 to 19 were even enrolled in school. 98% of American adults hadn't graduated from high school. One in five were illiterate. There was one school library in all of Alabama.

■ Yet Lincoln had faith that even from this population, a few people chosen at random would still be sufficiently competent (Lincoln's word) to form a government. Considering the woeful shortcomings of his immediate predecessor and immediate successor in the White House, drawing by lots might have been an improvement.

■ When Congress gathers to receive the State of the Union address, it's not unreasonable for Americans today to subject their Representatives, their Senators, and their President as well to the Lincoln test. Are they better in their roles than a similar number of Americans chosen at random?

■ If not, where do they fall short? And if not, how did they navigate their way into office? And if not, what is wrong with the character of the voters sending them? We are, as a nation, profoundly better-educated than the Americans of Lincoln's day. And we do not face the existential risk the country faced on July 4th of 1861. It's hard work to be worthy of a great tradition, but we owe ourselves standards at least as high as Honest Abe set out.