Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1805-10-15

consequence ofalong.psacecn other iortu.
nate'events, the value Of land may be go
greatly enhanced, that the possessions OF
the poorest man shall exceed the regu-
lated census and this, whether 1t hap
pens slowly or suddenly, will occasion
political revolution Governments change
not only from one form into a contrary,
bur from one sort of democracy or ollgar-
schy into another that's different; as from
acknowledging the authority Of laws, to
democracies that are ruled by the caprice
ofthe multitude, or oligarchies consisting
ola junto of tyrants-" (133) 49,
Governments are also universally to be
shaken, when parties, animated by princi-
pies of mutual hostility, are. nearly equal
insstrength; when to the natural influence
of wealth, is opposed the weight of power
~ and numbers; for, should eitherbc more
powerful than his adversary, the weaker
party will abandon the struggle in despair.
For this reason 0irtue, though the principle
element in pablick Happiness, and therefore
justly eutitled to political pre.emnence,
seldom comes forward to asser, It's preten.
sions, and to claim its we'll earned reward.
Virtuous men know how inconsideratle
their own party is, and feel and acknow-
ledge the irresistible strength of their OPP
ponents. 134)
An error ID the original structure Of
government often pI owes ruinous to repub
lies and and aristocracies. When the in-
gradients Of virtue, wealth, and numbers,
!. Especially the two latter are unequaliy
combined, or improperly BLENDED, the
composition has tendency TO separate,
with noise and violence into It's constituent
elements. When the balance inclines 10
I the side of numbers, arepublck that does
not degenerate into simple democracy,
retains its original and specific name: but
when the balance inclines to the side Of
wealth, it is frequently, though improper
tly, called an aristocracy. Of those two
shoots OF repubhcks, that verging to de-
ymocracy is the most secure and permanent,
because the majority are masters of the
state, and the people at large as before OBJ
served, are less liable to the temptations Of
selfish ambition. Yet whenever the poll
tiSdl iOISCS VI WCditl1 di1U Oi are
not duly adjusted, that is, when they are
not proporiioned 60 each other as much &C.
curacy as matters ofthe practice require or
admit, the fabric Of the constitution is al.
ways Liable to be oyerset; some times il
falls on that side to which Il formerly in-
clined. a rePublicth us relaxes into per-
feet democracy; and what is called an aris.
tocrasic government, is strung into tyran-
mic and cruel oligarchy." N35)
The Car,hagenian, as well as the Gre
tan and Spartan governments, whetherby
subsequent aud unnecessary additions or
in virtue of the primary regulation by which
they were respectively constituted, have all
Of them degenerated from that most perfect
form of commonwealth, which we call by
way OF euinence the republic in which po.
poiar and arlstocratlc powers, are harmonic
susIy blended into one equitable system of
polity1 bchsiting ali and doing injury to
none. OF the corruptions thns Introduced
into the Carshagenisn government, some
have tendency to relax the republic into
a democracy. and other have atendency to
narrow the aristocracy into an oligarchy.'
(1a6)
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