Matteo is right and it condemns him.
When Lyria says that Quicksilver took the mines away from the Reds, he rebuffs her and says that's only democracy in action. They were given a choice and chose poorly.
He is correct: The miners are politically equal to the capitalist Quicksilver and *did* choose freely to give up their mines. That they were deceived by Quicksilver is not antidemocratic.
It condemns him (and his husband): Democracy is not an antithesis to capitalism. It is a good form for a capitalist economy to function within. The Republic is a shit system. But not because it gives freedom to people that don't know what to do with it and are lost without an enlightened tyrant. But because it is as capitalistic as the Society. Because it enabled Quicksilver to kill millions of Reds by taking the mines for himself. Because it allowed Capitalists to continue to exploit workers, ensuring they live miserable lives. Matteo is husband to a complete monster that has the blood of millions on its hands because it is an exploiter.