p.

14

tensive patronage, takes the name of a republican, as a sure
passport to his object. This practice proceeds in general
from honest views; but in the demagogue, it is often as-
sumed to cover the most dangerous designs. The name,
however, has its effect, and an artful popular man may,
with this passport, travel to a throne, before the mass of a
nation discover his views. Among a people jealous of
power, the only way by which an ambitious man can gain
superior and unequal power, is to make the people believe
him to be the friend of equal rights and equal power.

It is admitted, on all hands, that the senate in the
American constitutions, was designed not only to give to
legislative proceedings a more full discussion of important
questions, but to check and control any violent, rash and
precipitate measures of the more numerous branch of the
legislature. This purpose it has often accomplished. But
there appears to be a defect in the mode of constituting this
body, which may frustrate the design. This defect is in
the election of senators by the same constituents as the
representatives of the other branch. Now, the way to ren-
der the senate an inefficient check upon the house of repre-
sentatives, is to bring the body of constituents to have the
same views of public men and measures, and they will elect
men of similar views to both houses. In this case, there is
no check of one house upon the other. In many cases of
legislation, this would be no evil. But in times of party
violence, the want of this check, or the loss of the proper
balance in the constitution may endanger the very existence
of the government; or when this consequence does not
follow, it may derange the operations of the government, by
giving to the executive an improper exercise of power, and
utterly defeating the purposes of impeachment.