Constitutional history -- United States -- Sources; Constitutional law -- United States
Had no external dangers enforced internal harmony and subordination,
and particularly, had the local sovereigns possessed the affections of
the people, the great kingdoms in Europe would at this time consist of
as many independent princes as there were formerly feudatory barons.
The State government will have the advantage of the Federal government,
whether we compare them in respect to the immediate dependence of the
one on the other; to the weight of personal influence which each side
will possess; to the powers respectively vested in them; to the
predilection and probable support of the people; to the disposition and
faculty of resisting and frustrating the measures of each other. The
State governments may be regarded as constituent and essential parts of
the federal government; whilst the latter is nowise essential to the
operation or organization of the former. Without the intervention of
the State legislatures, the President of the United States cannot be
elected at all. They must in all cases have a great share in his
appointment, and will, perhaps, in most cases, of themselves determine
it. The Senate will be elected absolutely and exclusively by the State
legislatures. Even the House of Representatives, though drawn
immediately from the people, will be chosen very much under the
influence of that class of men, whose influence over the people obtains
for themselves an election into the State legislatures. Thus, each of
the principal branches of the federal government will owe its existence
more or less to the favor of the State governments, and must
consequently feel a dependence, which is much more likely to beget a
disposition too obsequious than too overbearing towards them. On the
other side, the component parts of the State governments will in no
instance be indebted for their appointment to the direct agency of the
federal government, and very little, if at all, to the local influence
of its members. The number of individuals employed under the
Constitution of the United States will be much smaller than the number
employed under the particular States.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account