Itispossiblethatanindividualmaylaydownasystemofprinciples,onwhichgovernmentshallbeconstitutionallyestablishedtoanyextentofterritory。Thisisnomorethananoperationofthemind,actingbyitsownpowers。Butthepracticeuponthoseprinciples,asapplyingtothevariousandnumerouscircumstancesofanation,itsagriculture,manufacture,trade,commerce,etc。,etc。,aknowledgeofadifferentkind,andwhichcanbehadonlyfromthevariouspartsofsociety。Itisanassemblageofpracticalknowledge,whichnoindividualcanpossess;andthereforethemonarchicalformisasmuchlimited,inusefulpractice,fromtheincompetencyofknowledge,aswasthedemocraticalform,fromthemultiplicityofpopulation。Theonedegenerates,byextension,intoconfusion;theother,intoignoranceandincapacity,ofwhichallthegreatmonarchiesareanevidence。Themonarchicalform,therefore,couldnotbeasubstituteforthedemocratical,becauseithasequalinconveniences。
Muchlesscoulditwhenmadehereditary。Thisisthemosteffectualofallformstoprecludeknowledge。Neithercouldthehighdemocraticalmindhavevoluntarilyyieldeditselftobegovernedbychildrenandidiots,andallthemotleyinsignificanceofcharacter,whichattendssuchamereanimalsystem,thedisgraceandthereproachofreasonandofman。
Astothearistocraticalform,ithasthesamevicesanddefectswiththemonarchical,exceptthatthechanceofabilitiesisbetterfromtheproportionofnumbers,butthereisstillnosecurityfortherightuseandapplicationofthem。*[17]
Referringthemtotheoriginalsimpledemocracy,itaffordsthetruedatafromwhichgovernmentonalargescalecanbegin。Itisincapableofextension,notfromitsprinciple,butfromtheinconvenienceofitsform;andmonarchyandaristocracy,fromtheirincapacity。Retaining,then,democracyastheground,andrejectingthecorruptsystemsofmonarchyandaristocracy,therepresentativesystemnaturallypresentsitself;remedyingatoncethedefectsofthesimpledemocracyastoform,andtheincapacityoftheothertwowithrespecttoknowledge。
Simpledemocracywassocietygoverningitselfwithouttheaidofsecondarymeans。Byingraftingrepresentationupondemocracy,wearriveatasystemofgovernmentcapableofembracingandconfederatingallthevariousinterestsandeveryextentofterritoryandpopulation;andthatalsowithadvantagesasmuchsuperiortohereditarygovernment,astherepublicoflettersistohereditaryliterature。