Popular Institutions [pp. 523]

POPULAR INSTITUTIONS.
Representative government is the best, indeed the only
tolerable form of government. It must be made the interest of
rulers to govern well and fairly, or they will not do so. In
America, democrats govern democrats well, and whigs govern
whigs well. Our rulers represent their parties properly, because it is their interest to do so. English rulers govern
property-holders well, because in like manner it is their interest
to do so. But England has been wiser and more prudent than
we. She does not pay her memnbers of Parliament, and when
she makes a new peer, takes care that he shall be so wealthy
as not to be influenced in his political conduct by sordid motives. His large property makes him the steadfast friend of
capital, and labor is an outcast left to take care of itself.'Tis
this want of representation either of persons or property of
which we complain in our federal councils. A member of
Congress represents nothing but himself, and a little clique
attached to him. Heavy taxes do not hurt him, because he
has little to tax. HIe has no interest in common with the
country, but a direct interest to impose heavy taxes in order to
increase his pay. and numerous emoluments, and to furnish
fat jobs and good places for his kin and dependants. Extravagant expenditure and multiplication of offices are the natural
policy of a governmnent like ours.'Tis not a representative,
but a ris-representative government; because the interest of
the governors is antagonistic, in theory and in practice,
to that of the governed. No government ever became
so corrupt, extravagant, and rotten, in so short a time.
'Tis not worth while to pull it to pieces. Let it alone, and
it will sooni fall to pieces. It was an excellent contrivance for
a temporary emergeney-a congress of nations to make head
against a common enemy, but, totally lacking the representative feature, it cannot last as a continuous government. Besides, we think with Mr. Carlyle, the true business of a parliament, or congress, is to advise the executive of the state of
the nation, and to petition for redress of grievances. They are
too numerous to govern-just as well set the crew to govern the
ship.
Our State governments look outside like weak and rickety
concerns, but there is concealed within them an enormous undeveloped potentiality of energy. The governors, in theory,
have no power. The planters, farmers, doctors, lawyers, and merchants, who compose the legislature, all power. But those governors are dictators in the chrysalis state, giants in embryo,
ready to wield the giant's strength, when the salus populi re
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