登陆注册
5362500000153

第153章

If this spirit shall ever be so far debased as to tolerate a law not obligatory on the legislature, as well as on the people, the people will be prepared to tolerate any thing but liberty.

Such will be the relation between the House of Representatives and their constituents. Duty, gratitude, interest, ambition itself, are the chords by which they will be bound to fidelity and sympathy with the great mass of the people. It is possible that these may all be insufficient to control the caprice and wickedness of man. But are they not all that government will admit, and that human prudence can devise? Are they not the genuine and the characteristic means by which republican government provides for the liberty and happiness of the people? Are they not the identical means on which every State government in the Union relies for the attainment of these important ends? What then are we to understand by the objection which this paper has combated? What are we to say to the men who profess the most flaming zeal for republican government, yet boldly impeach the fundamental principle of it; who pretend to be champions for the right and the capacity of the people to choose their own rulers, yet maintain that they will prefer those only who will immediately and infallibly betray the trust committed to them?

Were the objection to be read by one who had not seen the mode prescribed by the Constitution for the choice of representatives, he could suppose nothing less than that some unreasonable qualification of property was annexed to the right of suffrage; or that the right of eligibility was limited to persons of particular families or fortunes; or at least that the mode prescribed by the State constitutions was in some respect or other, very grossly departed from. We have seen how far such a supposition would err, as to the two first points. Nor would it, in fact, be less erroneous as to the last. The only difference discoverable between the two cases is, that each representative of the United States will be elected by five or six thousand citizens; whilst in the individual States, the election of a representative is left to about as many hundreds. Will it be pretended that this difference is sufficient to justify an attachment to the State governments, and an abhorrence to the federal government? If this be the point on which the objection turns, it deserves to be examined.

Is it supported by REASON? This cannot be said, without maintaining that five or six thousand citizens are less capable of choosing a fit representative, or more liable to be corrupted by an unfit one, than five or six hundred. Reason, on the contrary, assures us, that as in so great a number a fit representative would be most likely to be found, so the choice would be less likely to be diverted from him by the intrigues of the ambitious or the ambitious or the bribes of the rich.

Is the CONSEQUENCE from this doctrine admissible? If we say that five or six hundred citizens are as many as can jointly exercise their right of suffrage, must we not deprive the people of the immediate choice of their public servants, in every instance where the administration of the government does not require as many of them as will amount to one for that number of citizens?

Is the doctrine warranted by FACTS? It was shown in the last paper, that the real representation in the British House of Commons very little exceeds the proportion of one for every thirty thousand inhabitants.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 滴血一剑

    滴血一剑

    一个是品学兼优的乖乖牌,他有一个把他的成绩当成股票分析的专职陪读母亲,可是他突然失踪了;一个是家徒四壁的留守少年,他只有相依为命的奶奶,可他举起刀杀了自己的老师;一个是家境优渥的富二代,他一直是一个花花公子,原来他从小被一个已婚妇女性侵过……他们三个人是好朋友,他们都和“滴血一剑”脱不了关系……“滴血一剑”到底是什么?
  • 囚婚于牢

    囚婚于牢

    求而不得的爱情好比凌迟处死;她想她的爱情就如这话一样,所以她喜欢的人才会离她而去,只剩下她跟年幼的孩子。亲情、友情、爱情!何以取舍,无论是谁都无法给出最好的回答!
  • 从恶魔奶爸开始穿越

    从恶魔奶爸开始穿越

    肖烨:本人爱好群欧,拥有各种无限的士兵而且他们都和我一样厉害,不过我答应了一个人,不用手下去群欧他,于是我就让他砍了我几刀然后他又被群殴了。“这是为什么呢?”(作者:我是一个连40分都考不了的学渣,写的不太好,请见谅。)
  • 领主在上

    领主在上

    兽人咆哮,恶魔肆虐,来自外界的入侵让原有的秩序崩溃。高高在上的精灵低下了头,翱翔天空的巨龙折断双翼,蝼蚁般的人类却在一次次痛苦的洗礼中崛起。这大乱之世罗杰不但要争,还要争得光芒万丈。
  • 元好问集

    元好问集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 相公貌美如花我养家

    相公貌美如花我养家

    重生到农家,村里一枝花。左手拥空间,右手抱俊郎。宁韶卿死了四回,才摸准了老天爷的用意。这又聋又瞎又哑的废物居然是她命定的相公,好吧,那能不能再让她死一回?“相公,你会耕地采药上山打猎吗?人家说你是个废物。”“……”“喔,知道你听不见,那你能砍柴烧火做饭吗?你的确是个废物。”“……”“真是的,钱我赚,事我做,那我要你个废物来做啥!(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻掀桌,我要休夫!”
  • 爱在心碎时旷世奇恋

    爱在心碎时旷世奇恋

    现实世界中平凡的她一不小心掉入一个充满着灵力与巫术的时空之中,她冷若冰霜,心如止水,不为尘间世俗所扰,却偏巧碰见一个霸气冷傲的帝王,将她本会平淡的生活彻底的颠覆,从此恩恩怨怨。他,万千宠爱,却是只取一瓢。可身为帝王,又岂能随心所欲,这一生,注定在某个时候有负于她。她为救他,誓死与巫国的绝顶巫术相抗,耗尽了灵力,致使自己瞬间满头白发,烟消云散。而当数年后她再次醒来,昔日的帝王早已娶妻纳妾,把酒颜欢,身边之人,心中之人,也再也不仅仅是她湖冰一人……
  • 民国曲艺史(中国艺术研究院学术文库)

    民国曲艺史(中国艺术研究院学术文库)

    该书系作者长期研究中国曲艺的成果精选,共收录文章35篇,其中大部分篇章是对民国期间繁荣的城市曲艺活动的观照,从艺人、艺术、作品这些代表性的方面入手,描绘了该时期曲艺的兴旺与发展的历史过程。全书共分七个章节,分别涉及弹词与评话、鼓书与评书、相声的发展与传播、各地曲种的进一步发展、曲艺的战斗传统、少数民族曲艺的生存状态、新文化运动对曲艺艺术发展的影响等。附录部分收录了作者近年来撰写的部分论文,内容涉及20世纪的鼓词研究、20世纪的弹词研究、曲艺传承中方言保护问题、曲艺音乐的腔词关系与叙事性特征的美学表现、曲种的音乐分类等,具有较强的现实针对性。
  • 喜丧

    喜丧

    尹守国,2006年开始小说创作,发表中短篇小说70多万字,作品多次被《新华文摘》、《小说选刊》、《北京文学中篇小说月报》等选载,中国作家协会会员,辽宁省作协签约作家。
  • 情深不知你

    情深不知你

    一段疼痛的青春,错的地方遇上对的人。欠下的情债,却只能用一辈子去偿还。--情节虚构,请勿模仿