Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/108

70

My dear Sir,

and England. The hitories of thee countries would confirm the general principle we contend for: the lat epecially. But who can think of writing upon this ubject after De Lolme, whoe book is the bet defence of the political balance of three powers that ever was written.

If the people are not equitably repreented in the houe of commons, this is a departure in practice from the theory.—If the lords return members of the houe of commons, this is an additional diturbance of the balance: whether the crown and the people in uch a cae will not ee the neceity of uniting in a remedy, are quetions beyond my pretenions; I only contend that the Englih contitution is, in theory, the mot tupendous fabrick of human invention, both for the adjutment of the balance, and the prevention of its vibrations; and that the Americans ought to be applauded intead of cenured, for imitating it, as far as they have. Not the formation of languages, not the whole art of navigation and hip building, does more honour to the human undertanding than this ytem of government. The Americans have not indeed imitated it in giving a negative, upon their legilature to the executive power; in this repect their balances are incompleat, very much I confes to my mortification: in other repects, they have ome of them fallen hort