The Arkansas banner., 1843-11-04
POLITICAL.
From he Democratic ReUieW. A SHORT ARGUMENT ON THE DOCTRINE OF INSTRUCTION

4 DIlOhI AhtrO NlENl ON 1 II l. DOC1 RINE
 OF INSTRUCTION.
 One definition of the word represeatatire, is this '' In legislative, or other business, an agent, deputy, or substitute, who supplies the place of another, or others, being invested with his or their authority.o That this is a correct literal definition, we presume will not be questioned. We shall not now examine the constitution of the United States, to as- certain what might have been the intention of It's framers in fixing the legislative terms of office. It may be sufficient to say, that no- thing Is there expressly declared in regard to this point; so that whether the extended term of senators, or the limited term of re- presentatives, was intended as guard against popular excitement, or as a mere matter oi convenience, is wholly left to conjecture or Inference. We would not undervalue the constitution. Nor would we, in all cases, confine ourselves to literal interpretation of its character. We are bound to understand. 90 lar as we may, and adopt as a rule of ac- ton, the intention of its framers provided. that such intention, or an express declaration even, IS not opposed to a fundamental doc trlne of our government; to the peculiar ge- mus of our institutions That the right to instruct representative, while 1t is his duty to obey, IS both fundamental, and agreeable to ocommon sense, seems as clear to our minds as the truth of any other proposition; so that any real or supposed intention, conflicting with this natural as well as republican right, Is not to be regarded
 Ours is emphatieally free government; a government by the people. It is democrai- 'c government ' ct 1t Is sometimes said to be a representative government, in contradis- tlneton to democratic But is this so Does not democracy involve principle ? Nay, Is 1t not principle itself; Is repre- sentatlon principle: Is 1t not, rather, a measure of expediency; convenient mode ol carrying out the idea of democracy? Not only IS 1t a measure of expediency in refer ence to the choice of represcntatires, but, all so, to the time for mhich they are chosen !; nor does the adoption of the measure in the least affect the principle of democracy. De- moeraey IS government where the sovereign power IS lodged with the whole people; mo- narchy, where 1t Is lodged in the few. The friends of monarchy have ever eontended that the few better understand the wants of the whole people than the many; hence fhelr denlal of the right of instruction.
 II we confine ourselves to the legitimate use oi the term representative, it would seem snperfluous to argue the point at all; but since 1t has acquired, both in theory and practice, technical use different from its l- 'erai meaning, it may be well briefly to exa- mlne It What, then, is representative ;, It Is not the original object; for that repre- Senis st nothing, it being itself and nothing else but It is that which represents another object, and It IS the more truly entitled to that ap- peliailon as it more clearly reflects the imaae oi another. Or, to illustrate by a person: T