p.

24

This practice of looking to the people for direction
destroys the independence of the representative, and must
often reduce him to a mere machine, obliging him to act in
direct opposition to his own views of what is right and
expedient.

The object of assembling representatives from all parts
of a state, is to collect a knowledge of all the interest of
the whole community ; to unite the counsels of intelligent
men, and from the concentrated wisdom of the whole, to
adopt measures which shall promote the general welfare.
The practice of taking opinions or wishes of a particu-
lar part of the state, as the binding rule of action, may and
often does defeat the object of collecting the wisdom of the
whole. It is an inversion of the proper order of legislation,
in which wisdom should be drawn from the collected views
of the whole state, and not from the partial views of a dis-
tinct portion.

Another very common error is, to consider offices as
created for the benefit of individuals, rather than for the
state. From this mistake proceeds the demand of rotation
in office. In this particular men do not make an important,
but just distinction, between legislative offices, and offices in
the other departments of government. Legislators may be
changed frequently, without inconvenience or prejudice to
the public. It is not necessary nor expedient to change
every year, for experience in legislation is highly useful.
But a part of the legislative body may be changed every
year, often to advantage.

But to subject executive, ministerial, and judicial
offices to frequent changes, for the sake of distributing the