Page:Democracy in America (Reeve, v. 1).djvu/119



Why the Author begins the examination of the political institutions with the township.—Its existence in all nations.—Difficulty of establishing and preserving municipal independence.—Its importance.—Why the Author has selected the township system of New England as the main topic of his discussion.

is not undesignedly that I begin this subject with the Township. The village or township is the only association which is so perfectly natural, that wherever a number of men are collected, it seems to constitute itself.

The town, or tithing, as the smallest division of