Common Sense

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: iiitution. The whole expence of the federal government of America, founded, as I have already faid, on the fyftem of reprefentation, and extending over a country nearly ten time, as large as England, is but fix hundred thoufand dollars, or ne hundred and thirty-five thoufand pounds fterling. I prefome, that no man in his fober fenfes, will compare the character of any ef the kings of Europe with that of General Wafltington. Yet, in France, and alfo in England, the expence of the rivil lift only, for the fupport of one man, is eight times greater than the whofe expence of the federal government in America. To aflign a reaibn for this, appears almoft impoffible. The generality of people in America, efpecially the poor, are more able to pay taxi, than the generality of people either in France or England. But the cafe is, that the reprefentative fyftem diffnfes fuch a "body of kiwwledge throughout a nation, on the fubjeft ot government, as to explode ignorance and preclude impofition. The craft of courts cannot be afted on that ground. There is no place for nayftery; no where for it to begin. Thofe wb are not in the 4, eprefentation, know as much of the nature of bufinefs asthofe who are. An affeftation of rayfierious importance would there'be fcouted. Nations can have no fecrets; and the fecrets of courts, like thtffe of individuals, are always their defefts. In the reprefentative fyftem, the reafon for-every thing muft publicly appear. Every man .is a proprietor in government, and cciafiders it a neceflai y part of his bufinefs to underhand. It concerns his intereft, becaiife it affefts his property. He examines the coft, aixl compapes it with the advantages; and above all, he does not adopt the davifli cuftom of following what in other governments are called Leadehs. I...