Inextensivecountriesandsocieties，suchasAmericaandFrance，thisrightintheindividualcanonlybeexercisedbydelegation，thatis，byelectionandrepresentation；andhenceitisthattheinstitutionofrepresentativegovernmentarises。
Hitherto，Ihaveconfinedmyselftomattersofprincipleonly。First，thathereditarygovernmenthasnotarighttoexist；thatitcannotbeestablishedonanyprincipleofright；andthatitisaviolationofallprinciple。Secondly，thatgovernmentbyelectionandrepresentationhasitsorigininthenaturalandeternalrightsofman；forwhetheramanbehisownlawgiver，ashewouldbeinastateofnature；orwhetherheexerciseshisportionoflegislativesovereigntyinhisownperson，asmightbethecaseinsmalldemocracieswhereallcouldassemblefortheformationofthelawsbywhichtheyweretobegoverned；orwhetherheexercisesitinthechoiceofpersonstorepresenthiminanationalassemblyofrepresentatives，theoriginoftherightisthesameinallcases。Thefirst，asisbeforeobserved，isdefectiveinpower；thesecond，ispracticableonlyindemocraciesofsmallextent；thethird，isthegreatestscaleuponwhichhumangovernmentcanbeinstituted。
Nexttomattersofprinciplearemattersofopinion，anditisnecessarytodistinguishbetweenthetwo。Whethertherightsofmenshallbeequalisnotamatterofopinionbutofright，andconsequentlyofprinciple；
formendonotholdtheirrightsasgrantsfromeachother，buteachoneinrightofhimself。Societyistheguardianbutnotthegiver。Andasinextensivesocieties，suchasAmericaandFrance，therightoftheindividualinmattersofgovernmentcannotbeexercisedbutbyelectionandrepresentation，itconsequentlyfollowsthattheonlysystemofgovernmentconsistentwithprinciple，wheresimpledemocracyisimpracticable，istherepresentativesystem。
Butastotheorganicalpart，orthemannerinwhichtheseveralpartsofgovernmentshallbearrangedandcomposed，itisaltogethermatterofopinion。Itisnecessarythatallthepartsbeconformablewiththeprincipleofequalrights；andsolongasthisprinciplebereligiouslyadheredto，noverymaterialerrorcantakeplace，neithercananyerrorcontinuelonginthatpartwhichfallswithintheprovinceofopinion。