Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/133

Rh or in which any attempt has been made to balance thee powers with one another, or to form an equilibrium between the one, the few, and the many, for the purpoe of enacting and executing equal laws, by common conent, for the general interet, excepting in England.

Shall we conclude, from thee melancholy obervations, that human nature is incapable of liberty, that no honet equality can be preerved in ociety, and that uch forcible caues are always at work as mut reduce all men to a ubmiion to depotim, monarchy, oligarchy, or aritocracy?

By no means.—We have een one of the firt nations in Europe, poeed of ample and fertile territories at home, and extenive dominions abroad, of a commerce with the whole world, immene wealth, and the greatet naval power which ever belonged to any nation, who have till preerved the power of the people, by the equilibrium we are contending for, by the trial by jury, and by contantly refuing a tanding army. The people of England alone, by preerving their hare in the legilature, at the expence of the blood of heroes and patriots, have enabled their kings to curb the nobility, without giving him a tanding army.

After all, let us compare every contitution we have een, with thoe of the United States of America, and we hall have no reaon to bluh for our country; on the contrary, we hall feel the tronget motives to fall upon our knees, in gratitude to heaven for having been graciouly pleaed to give us birth and education in that country, and for having detined us to live under her laws! We hall have reaon to exult, if we make