Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/132

94 Wherever we have een a territory omewhat larger, arts and ciences more cultivated, commerce flourihing, or even agriculture improved to any great degree, an aritocracy has rien up in a coure of time, coniting of a few rich and honourable families, who have united with each other againt both the people and the firt magitrate; wreted from the former, by art and by force, all their participation in the government, and even inpired them with o mean an eteem of themelves, and o deep a veneration and trong attachment to their rulers, as to believe and confes them a uperior order of beings.

We have een thee noble families, although neceitated to have a head, extremely jealous of his influence, anxious to reduce his power, and contrain him to as near a level with themelves as poible; always endeavouring to etablih a rotation by which they may all equally in turn be entitled to the pre-eminence, and equally anxious to preerve to themelves as large a hare of power as poible in the executive and judicial, as well as the legilative departments of the tate.

Thee patrician families have alo appeared in every intance to be equally jealous of each other, and to have contrived, by blending lot and choice, by mixing various bodies in the elections to the ame offices, and even by the horrors of an inquiition, to guard againt the in that o eaily beets them, of being wholly influenced and governed by a junto or oligarchy of a few among themelves.

We have een no one government, in which is a ditinct eparation of the legilative from the executive power, and of the judicial from both, or